What is cloud computing

In this article you will learn about features and examples of what Cloud Computing is. In simple words, cloud computing means to store your data on the internet instead of storing it in computer hard drive. When you keep the data in the local storage i.e. hard drive, then you can access it only from your computer. But this is not the case with Cloud Computing.

 

You can use the data or programs stored on the Internet from anywhere. Due to its many features, Cloud Computing is one of the most popular technologies nowadays and its usage is also increasing rapidly. You may be aware that you are also inadvertently using a cloud-based application. Overall cloud computing is reaching us gradually.

If seen, we also need it in the changing environment because Cloud Computing has many benefits. So what is cloud computing without losing time? Let’s understand with examples. Apart from this, we will also talk about different types of cloud computing. Let’s first know, what is cloud computing? Then we will talk about the remaining aspects of it.

Table of contents

What is cloud computing

he delivery of Computing services through the Internet is called Cloud Computing. These services include computing resources such as networking, data storage, servers, databases and software. In simple language, if you store and access the data on cloud-based storage instead of local storage device, then it will be called cloud computing.

When we store data in local computer storage, we have to depend on the computer to access and manage it. Rather, in contrast, in cloud computing we can use data and resources from anywhere. Companies providing cloud services store the user’s files and applications on a remote server. After which users can access those resources through internet.

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Overall, cloud computing is a great option for the modern era. However cloud computing is not limited to storing your data. We divide Cloud services into three categories, which include: Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-service (SaaS). We will talk about these in detail now.

Examples of cloud computing:

Try to understand cloud computing with the following examples –

1) Google drive, Dropbox, Gmail and Facebook etc. Cloud computing has good examples. They provide us unlimited storage. On which we can access or manage our data as well as store it through internet.

2) Cloud computing is well used in the field of education as well. Nowadays most of the students are very fond of E-learning. In which software like Byju’s helps you to access teaching resources online.

3) Governments also use cloud computing. They provide e-Governance services to the citizens using cloud-based IT services.

4) Messenger application is also an example of cloud computing. Messages sent and received by us are stored in the cloud space by the service provider.

6) Salesforce, Hubspot and Adobe marketing cloud are also examples of this. They are used in the field of business, which includes managing business resources and providing security to them.

7) To host the website or application in cloud server, we buy these servers from cloud service providers like DigitalOcean. This is also an example of Cloud Computing.

Hopefully, by now you must have understood the basic concept of cloud computing. Now what is the use of cloud computing? Know about this

Cloud Computing Uses

All of us use cloud computing in our daily lives – unknowingly. Apart from using cloud computing from small start-ups to global corporations, from government agencies to non-profit organizations, we are using Cloud Computing for some reason. Some of the major uses are explained in detail below.

File storage – Common users use cloud computing to store, manage and share their files in a remotely hosted system. Google drive or Dropbox is a good example.

Website Hosting – For those website owners who want to avoid the hassle of hosting and maintaining a website, cloud-based web hosting is a great option. Cloud hosting provider apart from hosting your website also provides its computing resources. They give security to your website and also take responsibility for its maintenance.

Test and Development – Cloud computing also plays a good role in the testing and development of a software and network. Cloud services helps in checking that your software is running smoothly or if there is any error in it.

Backup and Recovery – Even today many businesses and organizations take backup of their data manually in a storage device while it is not very effective. In cloud-based backup you can easily backup your data. Recovering data in this way is also easy.

Cloud database – Every business needs a database. But for this you will spend a lot of money and at the same time you will also need an expert. In contrast Cloud database is a great option. The cloud service provider will not only provide support to you, but will also take care of the maintenance and operation of the database.

Big data analytics – Big data is also data, but with a huge size. In short, if such data are so large and complex, that no traditional data management tool is able to store or process it efficiently. Cloud computing helps store and analyze such data.

Apart from this, there are many areas where Cloud Computing is used. So now let us know in detail about how cloud computing is done.

Types of Cloud Computing -Types of Cloud Computing

Types of this based on Cloud Services:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

IaaS falls under the category of most basic cloud services. It is a cloud computing model, where virtualized infrastructure for businesses is offered and managed by external cloud provider. Under this, companies can outsource storage, server, data center space and cloud networking components through internet. IaaS as a service provides you with the highest level of management control and flexibility on your IT resources.

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

PaaS refers to the supply of on-demand environment for software application development, testing, delivery and management. As a service, it fulfills the requirement of resources procurement, capacity planning, software maintenance, patching or any other requirement that you take to run your software application. PaaS is designed to be a web or mobile application.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS, as a pay-per-use model, provides users with software applications such as E-mail, Adobe and Google G Suite etc. Allows access to the Internet. That is, you do not need to install any software to use it in your device. You do not even have to think about its back-end process while using software.

Depending on the type of cloud deployment:

Public cloud

Public cloud comes under SaaS services, which are deployed globally. These services are available to all users. Users can access the services through the Internet. You have to pay according to how much you use these services. However, despite the high reliability, low cost, zero maintenance and on-demand scalability, there is a high risk of security in it. That is, it is not suitable for critical activities.

Private cloud

It is understood from the name itself that it is not for public use. That is, a large company or organization that wants to build and manage its own data center can use private cloud services. Under this, companies get more improvement in high security, customization, scalability and flexibility. But it is more expensive than public cloud.

Hybrid Cloud

Hybrid cloud is a mixed form of public and private cloud. Under this, you can use the cloud according to your need. That is, you can keep important application in private cloud and for secondary application you can use public cloud.

Characteristics of Cloud Computing – Characteristics of Cloud Computing in Hindi

Some of the following features of cloud computing are as follows:

1. Resources Availability: Cloud computing is designed for many customers. That is, every user has access to resources. All this is done by multi-tenant model. Users can modify physical and virtual resources according to their demand. We also call it resource pooling, because resources are pulled to provide services to many users.
2. On-Demand Self Service: User can use computing resources as per his requirement. If it needs instance resources like – storage space, database, virtual machine etc. So he can use them without requesting service provider.
3. Broad Network Access: Cloud computing resources exist all over the Internet and can be used very easily. A user needs a device and internet connection to use resources.
4. Easy Maintenance and Low Downtime: Server maintenance is very easy. Server downtime is also very less, in some cases downtime is neither. The reason for this is the frequent updating of cloud computing, due to which the old deficiencies are fixed.
5. Elasticity: Companies can easily increase resources to increase their capabilities. If not required, they can be reduced. Overall, cloud computing has the capability to organize resources.
6. Pay as you go: The user only pays the time he has used the resources. That is, no extra charge is taken.

Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing

Following are the advantages and disadvantages of using cloud computing:

Cloud Computing Pros:

• Using cloud computing saves you cost, because now you do not have to invest on expensive system or any other infrastructure.
• Cloud services are very easy to access. Users can avail services with the help of computing devices and Internet.
• Companies can store their data in a centralized location, which makes data control easy.
• Cloud computing facilitates automatic data backup. That is, there is no risk of your hard drive crashing or data being erased.
• Most cloud services provide free and secure huge storage space for the user to store data.

Cloud Computing Cons:

• Cloud computing is completely dependent on the Internet. It is beneficial as well as harmful for a business. If the internet connectivity of the cloud service provider is lost, your business stops for that much time.
• It is not right to rely solely on the cloud service provider for privacy and security of your important data. This is why it is important to choose a reliable service provider.
• Internet is not completely safe, there is always a danger of cyber attack in it. So you always need to be alert.
• Data management is a headache under cloud, as cloud storage system has its own structure. So it is a little difficult to match it with your system.
• The user using cloud computing has minimal control over the functions of software and hardware due to IT resources being in remote servers.

Like everything, cloud computing has many advantages and disadvantages. If seen all over, cloud computing is a great technology. But if used without understanding it properly, then it can also harm.

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Conclusion

In this post you learned what features and examples of Cloud Computing. Hopefully, you have got to know a lot about cloud computing here. If you are an IT student or want to use IT resources online, then this post can be very beneficial for you. If you have any question or suggestion related to this, then please ask in the comment below. If you want, you can also share this post to your classmates. Thank you.