What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing can be defined as any type of service that uses the internet to deliver hosted services. These services can be broken down into three main types or categories: infrastructure (IaaS), service platform (PaaS), and service software (SAAS).

Clouds can either be public or private. A public cloud is open to everyone who uses the internet. A private cloud is a network or data center that provides hosted services to a restricted number of people with specific access and permissions. Cloud computing Birmingham provides easy and scalable access to computing resources as well as IT services, whether they are private or public.

 

Cloud infrastructure refers to the hardware and software components necessary for cloud computing models to be implemented. Cloud computing is also known as utility computation or computing on-demand. Cloud computing was named after the cloud symbol which is used often to represent the internet within flowcharts.

How does cloud computing work?

Cloud computing is a way for clients to connect to remote databases, servers, and computers via the internet. An internet network connection connects the front which includes accessing clients, web browsers, cloud software applications, and client devices. The back-end acts as a repository. It stores the data that is accessed from the front end.

The central server manages communication between the back and front ends. Protocols are used to facilitate data exchange by the central server. The central server manages connectivity between various client devices and cloud servers using both software and middleware. A dedicated server is usually assigned to each application or workload.

Cloud computing relies heavily upon virtualisation as well as automation technologies. Virtualisation allows for the abstraction and provisioning of services and underlying cloud systems into logical entities that can be requested and used by users. The automation and accompanying orchestration capabilities allow users to provide resources, connect services, and deploy workloads with high levels of self-service without the need for IT staff.

Advantages and Characteristics of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing has existed for many decades. The cloud computing infrastructure today offers numerous benefits to businesses of all sizes.

The following are some of the most important characteristics of cloud computing:

Self-service provisioning

End users can quickly spin up compute resources for any type of workload. End users can create computing capabilities, including server time and network storage. This eliminates the need for IT administrators who have to manually provision and manage these resources.

Elasticity

Companies can easily scale up and down according to computing demands. This eliminates the need to invest in large-scale infrastructure projects that might or might not stay active.

Pay per use

The compute resources are measured at a very fine level. This allows users to only pay for the workloads and resources they use.

Flexibility for migration

Organisations can migrate workloads to and from the cloud, or to different cloud platforms, as required. This allows for greater cost savings and new services when they arise.

Broad network access

Access cloud data and upload it from any device connected to the internet.

These characteristics provide several benefits to the modern business including:

Cost management

Because organisations don't spend huge amounts of money on buying and maintaining equipment, cloud infrastructure can reduce their capital costs. As they don’t have to spend on hardware, facilities, or building large data centers to accommodate growing businesses, their capital expenditure costs are reduced. Companies don't have to hire large IT teams to manage cloud data center operations.

Data and workload mobility

Users can access information stored in the cloud from any device that has an internet connection. This means that users no longer need to keep multiple CDs or external hard drives around to access their data. Access to corporate data can be accessed via smartphones or other mobile devices. This allows remote employees to keep in touch with customers and coworkers. End-users can access, store, retrieve, and recover data in the cloud. Additionally, all updates and upgrades are provided automatically by cloud vendors, which can save time and effort.

Business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR)

Every organisation is concerned about data loss. Data storage in the cloud ensures that users can access their data no matter what happens to their devices, such as smartphones and laptops. Cloud-based services allow organizations to quickly recover data from any emergency such as power cuts or natural disasters. This helps BCDR to ensure that data and workloads remain available in the event of any disruption or damage.