Cloud Computing - Internet Evolution

Cloud computing provides the means through which every resources — from computing power to computing infrastructure, applications, business processes to personal collaboration — can be delivered to you as a service wherever and whenever you need.

The term "cloud" in cloud computing refers to  the set of hardware, networks, storage, services, and interfaces that combine to deliver aspects of computing as a service. Cloud services include the delivery of software, infrastructure, and storage over the Internet (either as separate components or a complete platform) based on user demand. 

Cloud computing has four essential characteristics: elasticity and the ability to scale up and down, self-service provisioning and automatic de-provisioning, application programming interfaces (APIs), billing and metering of service usage in a pay-as-you-go model. This flexibility is what is attracting individuals and businesses to move to the cloud.

The world of the cloud has 3 basic participants:

·         The end user who doesn’t have to know anything about the underlying technology.

·         Business management who needs to take responsibility for the governance of data or services living in a cloud. Cloud service providers must provide a predictable and guaranteed service level and security to all their constituents.

·         The cloud service provider who is responsible for IT assets and maintenance.

Cloud computing can completely change the way companies use technology to service customers, partners, and suppliers. Some businesses, such as Google and Amazon, already have most of their IT resources in the cloud. Cloud computing can eliminate many of the complex constraints from the traditional computing environment, including space, time, power, and cost.

 There are different Models of Cloud computing which are briefly explained below

 1) Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The IaaS layer offers storage and compute resources that developers and IT organizations can use to deliver business solutions. 

2) Platform as a Service (PaaS). The PaaS model offers black-box services with which developers can build applications on top of the compute infrastructure. This might include developer tools that are offered as a service to build services, or data access and database services, or billing services.

3) Software as a Service (SaaS). In the SaaS layer, the service provider hosts the software so you don’t need to install it, manage it, or buy hardware for it. All you have to do is connect and use it. Examples of SaaS include customer relationship management as a service.

Also, types of cloud computing differ from models. There are basically three types of cloud computing: 

1) Private Clouds :  These are virtualized cloud data centers inside ones company’s firewall. It may also be a private space dedicated to your company within a cloud provider’s data center.

2) Public clouds: These are virtualized data centers outside of your company’s firewall. It Implies a service provider makes resources available to companies, on demand, over the public Internet

3) Hybrid clouds combine aspects of both public and private clouds.

Cloud computing is not all rosy, its got some issues spanning from the different models and types, such as 

1) Cloud Security : Identity management, encryption, detection & forensics 

2) Cloud manageability 

3) Cloud standard

4) Cloud governance & compliance

5) Data in the cloud