Cloud Computing Explained

Cloud computing is the distribution of computing services over the Internet (“the cloud”) in order to provide quicker innovation, more versatile resources, and economies of scale. You normally only pay for the cloud services you use, which helps you cut costs, operate your infrastructure more effectively, and scale as your company grows.

Different Types of Cloud Computing

Not all clouds are created equal, and not every form of cloud computing is appropriate for every situation. The cloud tools needed to control a solar power system, for example, may be different from the tools needed to process business transactions. A variety of models, sizes, and services have emerged to help you find the best solution for your needs.

To begin, you must decide on the type of cloud implementation, or cloud computing architecture, that will be used to implement your cloud services. Cloud services can be deployed in one of three ways: public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud.

Public

Third-party cloud service providers own and run public clouds, which distribute computing services such as servers and storage over the Internet. A public cloud, such as Google Drive, is an example. The cloud provider owns and manages all hardware, applications, and other supporting resources in a public cloud. A web browser is used to access these resources and maintains your account.

Private

A private cloud is a collection of cloud computing services used solely by one company or organization. A private cloud is usually physically hosted on-site at a company's data center. Some businesses often pay for their private clouds to be hosted by third-party service providers. The services and infrastructure of a private cloud are managed on a private network.

Hybrid

Public and private clouds are combined in hybrid clouds, which are connected through technology that enables data and applications to be exchanged between them. A hybrid cloud gives your company more flexibility, more implementation choices and helps leverage your current infrastructure, protection, and enforcement by enabling data and applications to migrate between private and public clouds.

Cloud Applications

Even if you don't know it, you're probably using cloud computing right now. If you use an online service to send email, edit documents, watch movies or TV, listen to music, play games, or store photos and other information, cloud computing is almost certainly at the heart of it. Although the first cloud computing services were only launched a decade ago, a wide range of organizations—from small businesses to multinational companies, government departments to nonprofits—are now using the technology for a number of purposes.

Other Cloud Services

Without getting too technical, here are some other services the cloud offers. Platform as a service (PaaS), serverless computing, and software as a service are three types of cloud computing services. Since they build on top of one another, they're often referred to as the cloud computing "stack." It's easier to achieve your company objectives if you know what they are and how they vary.

As a business platform (PaaS)

Cloud computing platforms that provide an on-demand environment for designing, testing, distributing, and managing software applications are referred to as platform as a service. PaaS was designed to make it easier for developers to build web or mobile apps quickly without having to worry about setting up or managing the underlying infrastructure of servers, storage, network, and databases.

Computing Without a Server

Serverless computing, which overlaps with PaaS, focuses on developing app features without having to constantly manage the servers and infrastructure necessary to do so. Setup, space planning, and server management are all handled by the cloud provider. Serverless architectures are scalable and event-driven, meaning they only use resources when a particular feature or cause occurs.

Software as a Service

Software as a service (SaaS) is a method of distributing software applications over the Internet on demand and usually by subscription. Cloud providers can host and manage software applications and underlying infrastructure, as well as perform maintenance such as software updates and security patching, using SaaS. Users access the app through the Internet, typically via a web browser on their phone, tablet, or computer.