Cloud Computing - by Jessica

Introduction

Cloud computing refers to the on-demand availability of computer system resources, particularly in relation to storage and compute power, without the need to directly manage the computer (Ranger 2021). Cloud computing enables users to rent access to computing resources such as infrastructure and data centers without the upfront costs of buying the equipment. This also means that users do not have to worry about maintaining the physical hardware themselves.

State of the Technology

Research from IDC (2021) claims that more than a third of all IT spending worldwide is being used to build the infrastructure to support cloud computing. Companies are using cloud computing for file storage, big data analytics, data backups and archiving, disaster recovery, software testing and development, communication, social networking, and business processes. Microsoft Azure (2021) has cloud computing broken down into three major service models: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. Although not all cloud computing solutions are deployed in the same way. Three distinct models for deployment have emerged which include private cloud, public cloud, and hybrid cloud. Each service model and the models for deployment will be outlined briefly according to Microsoft Azure (2021) definitions.

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

IaaS refers to the fundamental hardware that can be rented out by cloud computing providers. This usually includes servers and virtual servers. This is an attractive solution to companies that want complete control over the hardware they are using, but it also requires them to have the skills to administer such hardware.

Platform as a service (PaaS)

PaaS is the next layer up from IaaS, this includes things like middleware, databases, operating systems, and development tools. This enables customers to access developer tools that they require to build and maintain mobile and web applications without investing in or maintaining the infrastructure required to support these platforms. PaaS solutions generally include programming components such as artificial intelligence, chatbots, blockchain and Internet of Things (IOT).

Software as service (SaaS)

SaaS is the delivery of applications as a service and is something that most consumers are familiar with. Software as a service is usually delivered through a web browser on a subscription-based model. Customers can rest assured that their software will always be up to date and add and remove features from the software as their workloads require.

Public cloud

Public cloud computing allows users access to large pool of resources and computing power over the internet by connecting to the infrastructure of other large companies such as Google or Amazon. These companies have huge amounts of computing resources that are shared out amongst their customers in what is known as ‘multi-tenant’ architecture. The scale of these operations means that these companies have the capacity to instantly scale up resources as demand increases.

Private cloud

Private clouds allow companies some of the benefits of public cloud without the risk of relinquishing control of their data. A company can deploy any amount of infrastructure behind their corporate firewall that enables access to computing power and resources such as file storage. One of the downsides to this is that companies are still not getting the reduced costs of economy of scale that can be delivered by large cloud companies such as Google or Amazon. Likewise, they are also unable to scale their resources instantaneously.

Hybrid cloud

The hybrid cloud is a mixture of both private cloud and public cloud. For some services such as email, companies might opt for a cloud-based solution but keep their on-premises domain controllers. This varies greatly across different companies who might want to have stricter control over some of services but might not need as much security when it comes to other services.

What is the likely impact?

Since the widespread adoption of cloud computing there have been enormous benefits to society. Perhaps the most obvious is the reduced cost of computing. When applications are run in the cloud, the bonus for computing resources is not on the end user, but on the company hosting the application. This results in lowering the required computing specifications for end users resulting in lower costs on computer hardware (CloudWATCH 2021).

The introduction of Software as a Service has also greatly reduced the upfront costs of purchasing software licenses. Previously consumers would have to spend hundreds of dollars to buy a lifetime license for software, but thanks to SaaS consumers can use a pay-as-you-go subscription model that they can cancel at any time.

Cloud computing has also introduced the idea of unlimited data storage. Previously users were constrained by the physical disks that they had on their computer, but with cloud computing users can store as much data as they want in the cloud without having to worry about buying the physical hardware. An added benefit of this is that users also do not have to worry about data reliability, as cloud providers have teams of people dedicated to ensuring that data is backed up in case of disaster.

A benefit of being integrated into the cloud environment is that you no longer need to rely on a single device. If your device gets lost, stolen or damaged it is relatively easy to regain access to all your documents and software if they are provided to you by the cloud. This also means that there is no need to bring your device with you everywhere you go, so long as you have access to a computer with an internet connection, your workflow will not be interrupted.

Another major benefit introduced by the Software as a Service model is the ability of universal document access and collaboration. Since applications and the data associated with them are stored in the cloud, users can easily collaborate with each other, sometimes in real time, and always have access to the most up to date documents.

Perhaps one of the downsides to cloud computing is that users are sacrificing ownership for convenience. If the cloud service provider goes down, which is rare but does happen, you will also go down with them. There is also a lot of contention about the rules and regulations of data storage in different countries. For example, some users might be concerned that their data could easily be accessed by the US government if their data is stored anywhere within the USA.

How will this affect you?

In my personal life I am using cloud computing to quite a large extent. For example, I have a subscription to Spotify which hosts all my music in the cloud and allows me to access that music independently of my location. However, one potential downside to outsourcing my music library to Spotify has been that not all the content that I would have otherwise had in my CD library is available. There is also no guarantee that what is currently there will not be stripped away due to licensing issues.

I am also using the following software as a service product; Adobe Creative cloud, Netflix, Google suite, Figma, Bitwarden password manager and Microsoft 365.

At work I am managing around 25 businesses who are using a mixture of different deployment models for cloud computing. In the private cloud I have access to all servers and computers that have remote management agents installed on them. This means that all services can be provisioned and managed from anywhere. Transitioning from working in an office to working from home has been completely seamless because of this. It makes absolutely zero difference where I work from as long as I have a connection to the internet, I will be able to access and management resources.

References:

CloudWATCH 2021, How Cloud Computing can empower end users?, CloudWATCH, viewed 17th July 2021

IDC 2021, Cloud Services: Global Overview, IDC, viewed 15th July 2021

Ranger, S 2021, What is cloud computing? Everything you need to know about the cloud explained | ZDNet, ZDNet, viewed 12th July 2021

Microsoft Azure 2021, What is Cloud Computing: A beginner’s guid, Microsoft, viewed 10th July