Cloud Computing - An Overview

What Is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing gets its name as a metaphor for the Internet. Typically, the Internet is represented in network diagrams as a cloud. The cloud represents all the things that make the network work. But there's more going on under the hood of cloud computing to simply compare it to the internet.

The cloud icon represents all the things that make the network work. But there’s more going on under the hood of cloud computing to simply compare it to the internet. Cloud computing is a construct, that allows one to access applications that actually reside at a location other than his computer or other Internet-connected device. The beauty of cloud computing is that another company hosts your application, so you don’t have to handle the costs of servers, or manage daily/weekly software updates. It is also convenient for remote workers, who can log into servers and use applications from wherever they are.

Cloud computing solutions consist of three key elements:

1. Clients
2. Datacenters
3. Distributed servers

Each element plays a specific role in delivering a functional cloud based application.

Clients: Clients in cloud computing serve the same purpose as computers do in plain local area network-based computing. They are used to manage information in “CLOUD”. Clients can either be desktop, laptop, tablet computers even PDA’s. Clients can again be divided into: Thin Clients, Thick Clients and Mobile Clients.

Datacenters: Datacenters, also known as server farms are collection of servers where applications are housed. It includes redundant backup power supplies, redundant commutations connection. They contain a set of routers and switches that transport traffic between servers and outside world.

Distributed Servers: Servers are often not housed in a single location. They are separated geographically. This is done to maintain high durability and flexibility of data. For example if one of the server sites goes down, the services and applications hosted on it can still be accessed through other sites. Also, if new hardware needs to be added it can be added at any server site and then made part of the cloud instantly.

There are several different ways the infrastructure in a cloud computing environment can be deployed. The infrastructure will depend on the application deployed and how the cloud service provider has chosen to build the solution. This is one of the key advantages for using the cloud; business needs might be so massive that the number of servers required exceeds your budget to run them in-house. Alternatively, you may only need a sip of processing power, so we don’t have to buy and run a dedicated server for doing the job. The cloud fits both needs.