What is "The Cloud"?

In this short article, I will explain the basics of Cloud Computing, example services, and how it's implemented.

The Basics

Cloud computing is receiving a great deal of attention, both in publications and among users, from individuals at home to large organizations and governments.

Cloud computing is a set of subscription-based services where you can obtain networked storage space and computational resources. One way to think of cloud computing is to consider your experience with email.

Your email client, if it is Yahoo!, Gmail, Hotmail, and so on, takes care of housing all of the hardware and software necessary to support your email account. When you want to access your email you open your web browser, go to the email client, and log in. The most important part of the equation is having internet access. Your email is not housed on your physical computer; you access it through an internet connection, and you can access it anywhere. If you are on a trip, at work, or down the street getting coffee, you can check your email as long as you have access to the internet.

Your email is different than software installed on your computer, such as a word processing program. When you create a document using word processing software, that document stays on the device you used to make it unless you physically move it. An email client is similar to how cloud computing works. Except instead of accessing just your email, you can choose what information you have access to within the cloud.

You can also do so much more than use simple web applications. As an engineer cloud resources can be powerful tools for developing/deploying applications, managing infrastructure, and executing logic.

Uses for Cloud Services

While a traditional computer setup requires you to be in the same location as your data storage device, the cloud takes away that step. The cloud removes the need for you to be in the same physical location as the hardware that stores your data. Your cloud provider can both own and house the hardware and software.

This is especially useful for businesses that cannot afford the same amount of hardware and storage space as a bigger company. Small companies can store their information in the cloud, removing the cost of purchasing and storing memory devices. Additionally, because you only need to buy the amount of storage space you will use, a business can purchase more space or reduce their subscription as their business grows or as they find they need less storage space.

Through your internet connection, you will have access to the same computational resources & applications with any compatible device. These devices could be a desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone. In the case of applications, anyone who can connect to the internet and your cloud can work on documents, access software, and store data.

Types of Cloud Services

There are three types of cloud services that you can subscribe to 1:

These three types differ in the amount of control that you have over your information, and conversely, how much you can expect your provider to do for you. Briefly, here is what you can expect from each type.

1. Software as a Service
A SaaS provider gives subscribers access to both resources and applications. SaaS makes it unnecessary for you to have a physical copy of the software to install on your devices. SaaS also makes it easier to have the same software on all of your devices at once by accessing it on the cloud. In a SaaS agreement, you have the least control over the cloud.

Google Docs, for example, is a publicly available SaaS application.

2. Platform as a Service
A PaaS system goes a level above the Software as a Service setup. A PaaS provider gives subscribers access to the components that they require to develop and operate applications over the internet.

With PaaS, an organization no longer needs to manage the underlying computing infrastructure. Instead, the focus is on building and deploying applications.

An example of PaaS is Heroku, which is a publicly available platform for deploying an application.

3. Infrastructure as a Service
An IaaS agreement deals with all other computing infrastructure that is not available in the prior types. In this service, the subscriber completely outsources the storage and resources, such as hardware and software, as needed. The subscriber is responsible for configuring their application as well as the data, networking, servers, scaling, and storage. Infrastructure can be build using native cloud tools or written as code. For the sake of portability, services can also be created in containers, which can be deployed as contained instances and offer consistency regardless of what service provider is used as a host.

IaaS is built inside of a virtual private cloud, which allows the subscriber control over who/what has access to the resources (internally and externally).

IaaS takes advantage of the complete set of tools offered by AWS, GCP, Azure, and similar products.

As you go down the list from number one to number three, the subscriber gains more control over what they can do within the space of the cloud. The subscriber has more control in an IaaS system than with a SaaS agreement.

In cloud computing, you choose your level of control over your information and the types of services that you want from a cloud provider. By subscribing to an Infrastructure as a Service cloud, you would be able to maintain your business with just as much computational capability as a larger, more established company, while only paying for the storage space and bandwidth that you use.

Cloud Deployment Models

As previously mentioned, there are different types of clouds that you can subscribe to depending on your needs. As a home user or small business owner, you will most likely use public cloud services. Within a cloud service, you can run and develop applications and infrastructure. 2

  1. Public Cloud - A public cloud can be accessed by any subscriber with an internet connection and access to the cloud space. Resources are owned by a third-party cloud service provider, such as AWS, GCP, Azure. In a public cloud, the subscriber creates and configure a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC).
  2. Private Cloud - A private cloud is established for a specific group or organization and limits access to just that group. The owner of the private cloud has complete control of the resources. A Private cloud offers more security for sensitive data & can be fine-tuned to meet specific business requirements.
  3. Hybrid Cloud - A hybrid cloud is essentially a combination of a public and private cloud. Hybrid clouds are commonly used by large organizations that may want to keep certain parts of their infrastructure or data proprietary. Hybrid clouds are flexible and take advantage of the benefits of both public and private clouds.

Conclusion

The cloud provides many options for the everyday computer user as well as large and small businesses. It opens up the world of computing to a broader range of uses and increases the ease of use by giving access through any internet connection. However, this increased ease also has drawbacks. You have less control over who has physical access to your information at the data center and little to no knowledge of where it is stored. You also must be aware of the security risks of having data stored on the cloud. The cloud is a big target for malicious individuals and may have disadvantages because it can be accessed through an unsecured internet connection.

As a typical home user, however, you will most likely be looking at free or low-cost public cloud services (such as web-based email, office software, and social media) and will not be as concerned with many of the more complex cloud offerings.

However, if you are considering using the cloud beyond simple SaaS applications, be certain that you identify what information you will be putting out in the cloud, who will have access to that information, and what you will need to make sure it is protected. Additionally, know your options in terms of what type of cloud services & deployment models will be best for your needs, what type of provider will be most useful to you, and the reputation and responsibilities of the providers you are considering are before you sign up.

Bibliography

Footnotes

  1. There is also a Function as a Service (FaaS), but that is beyond the scope of this introductory article.

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  2. Another type, the Community Cloud, is when multiple groups and organizations share virtual private cloud infrastructure.

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