What Is The Cloud Of Computing ?
The Cloud computing is a computing term or metaphor that evolved in the late 2000s, based on utility and consumption of computing
resources. Cloud computing involves deploying
groups of remote servers and software networks that allow centralized data storage and online access to
computer services or resources. Clouds can be classified as public, private or hybrid.
Cloud computing relies on sharing of
resources to achieve coherence and economies of scale, similar to a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network. At the foundation of
cloud computing is the broader concept of converged
infrastructure and shared services.
Cloud computing, or in
simpler shorthand just "the cloud", also focuses on maximizing the
effectiveness of the shared resources. Cloud resources are usually not only
shared by multiple users but are also dynamically reallocated per demand. This
can work for allocating resources to users. For example, a cloud computer
facility that serves European users during European business hours with a
specific application (e.g., email) may reallocate the same resources to serve
North American users during North America's business hours with a different
application (e.g., a web server). With cloud computing, multiple users can
access a single server to retrieve and update their data without purchasing
licenses for different applications.
Proponents claim that
cloud computing allows companies to avoid upfront infrastructure costs, and
focus on projects that differentiate their businesses instead of on
infrastructure. Cloud providers
typically use a "pay as you go" model. This can lead to unexpectedly
high charges if administrators do not adapt to the cloud pricing model.
The present availability
of high-capacity networks, low-cost computers and storage devices as well as
the widespread adoption of hardware
virtualization, service-oriented
architecture, and autonomic and utility computing have led to a
growth in cloud computing.
Cloud vendors are
experiencing growth rates of 50% per annum.
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| Photo : GCF |
What is the cloud? The origin of the term cloud
computing is unclear. In analogy to above usage the word cloud was
used as a metaphor for the Internet and a standardized cloud-like shape was
used to denote a network on telephony schematics and later to depict the
Internet in computer network
diagrams. The cloud symbol was used to represent
the Internet as early as 1994, in which servers were then shown connected
to, but external to, the cloud.
The popularization of the term can be traced to 2006 when Amazon.com
introduced the Elastic Compute Cloud.
What is the cloud exactly?
The cloud is a network of servers, and each server has a
different function. Some servers use computing power to run applications or
"deliver a service."
For example, Adobe recently moved its creative services to the
cloud. Other servers in the network are responsible for storing data.
So remember: "The Cloud" is a network of servers. Some
servers provide an online service, like Adobe Creative Cloud, and others allow
you to store and access data, like Instagram or Dropbox.
Chances are, you
encounter the cloud daily. From Google
Drive to SkyDrive toiCloud to Evernote,
any time you store information without using up your phone's internal data,
you're storing information on the cloud.
What are the benefits to working in the cloud?
The business decision to
"move to the cloud" is often financially motivated.
In an article on the benefits of cloud computing, SalesForce wrote, "Where in the past, people would run
applications or programs from software downloaded on a physical computer or
server in their building, cloud computing allows people access the same kinds
of applications through the Internet."
Working on the cloud allows your company to be
nimble, efficient and cost-effective. If your company quickly needs access to
more resources, it can scale quickly in the cloud.
A brief history of the cloud
In response, they developed "time sharing" methods,
which let multiple users share access to data and CPU time.
Today, this idea of "time sharing" is the premise of
cloud computing.
Today, this idea of "time
sharing" is the premise of cloud computing.
Amazon officially
launched its own cloud computing platform called Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2006. AWS provides online services to websites or
client-side applications.
How big is the cloud?
No one knows exactly how much space can be provided by
cloud-based services like Google, Amazon or Facebook; however, according to this infographic, the cloud can store about 1 Exabyte.
How secure is the cloud?
Google recently announced it
would automatically encrypt data for paid cloud storage service users.
Cloud computing is the
result of evolution and adoption of existing technologies and paradigms. The
cloud aims to cut costs, and helps the users focus on their core business
instead of being impeded by IT obstacles.
The main enabling
technology for cloud computing is virtualization. Virtualization
software separates a physical computing device into one or more
"virtual" devices, each of which can be easily used and managed to
perform computing tasks. With operating
system–level virtualization essentially
creating a scalable system of multiple independent computing devices, idle
computing resources can be allocated and used more efficiently. Autonomic
computing automates the process through which the user can provision resources on-demand.
Users routinely face difficult business problems. Cloud
computing adopts concepts from Service-oriented
Architecture (SOA) that can help
the user break these problems into services that can be integrated to provide a
solution. Cloud computing provides all of its resources as services, and makes
use of the well-established standards and best practices gained in the domain
of SOA to allow global and easy access to cloud services in a standardized way.
Cloud computing also
leverages concepts from utility computing to provide metrics for the services used. Such metrics
are at the core of the public cloud pay-per-use models. Cloud computing is a
kind of grid computing; it has
evolved by addressing the QoS (quality of service) and reliability problems. Cloud computing provides the
tools and technologies to build data/compute intensive parallel applications
with much more affordable prices compared to traditional parallel computing techniques.
Utility
computing — The
"packaging of computing resources, such as computation and storage, as a
metered service similar to a traditional public utility, such as
electricity."
Cloud computing exhibits the following key characteristics:
Agility improves
with users' ability to re-provision technological infrastructure resources.
Cost reductions
claimed by cloud providers. A public-cloud delivery model converts capital
expenditure to operational
expenditure. Maintenance of cloud computing applications is easier, because they do
not need to be installed on each user's computer and can be accessed from
different places.
Multitenancy enables
sharing of resources and costs across a large pool of users thus allowing for:
Reliability improves
with the use of multiple redundant sites, which makes well-designed cloud
computing suitable for business
continuity and disaster recovery.
Scalability and elasticity via
dynamic ("on-demand") provisioning of
resources on a fine-grained, self-service basis in near real-time (Note, the VM
startup time varies by VM type, location, OS and cloud providers), without
users having to engineer for peak loads.
Security can
improve due to centralization of data, increased security-focused resources,
etc., but concerns can persist about loss of control over certain sensitive
data, and the lack of security for stored kernels. Private cloud installations
are in part motivated by users' desire to retain control over the
infrastructure and avoid losing control of information security.
The National Institute of
Standards and Technology's definition of cloud
computing identifies "five essential characteristics":
On-demand self-service. A consumer can unilaterally provision
computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed
automatically without requiring human interaction with each service provider.
Broad network access. Resource pooling. The
provider's computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a
multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically
assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand.
Measured service. Cloud systems automatically control and
optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level of
abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing,
bandwidth, and active user accounts).
audit logs may be difficult or impossible. Private cloud installations are in part motivated by users' desire to retain control over the infrastructure and avoid losing control of information security.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology's definition of cloud computing identifies "five essential characteristics":
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