Key Highlights
- Cloud computing delivers hosted services over the internet using remote computing resources accessible through various network structures.
- Public clouds offer free or pay-per-use access to applications and storage, while private clouds operate securely behind firewalls.
- Cloud services include IaaS for infrastructure, PaaS for platforms, SaaS for applications, and NaaS for network connectivity.
- IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS share common factors including instant scalability, reliability, security, and flexible pay-per-use pricing models.
In general, cloud computing is understood to be ‘delivering hosted services over internet’. But it is defined as the use of computing resources in a remote location over the network. It follows different structures of computing such as grid, utility, client-server, etc. to support different resources.
Cloud Computing Components:
- Clients
- Server
- Application
- Platform
- Infrastructure
- Storage
Types of Cloud:
- Public Cloud:A standard cloud computing model where applications, storage and other resources are available in free or pay-per-use model for public provided by a service provider.
- Community Cloud:Sharing of infrastructure between several organizations for similar requirement by realizing some benefits over it.
- Hybrid Cloud:Composition of two or more clouds that are bounded together but remain as unique entity forming multiple models.
- Private Cloud:Is otherwise called as internal or corporate cloud, where the cloud infrastructure is operated separately for an organization with a limited number of people behind the firewall.
Cloud computing Services:
- IaaS(Infrastructure as a Service): A provision model where organization outsources computer infrastructure that is used to support operations including storage, hardware, servers & networking components.
- PaaS(Platform as a Service): Is a way to deliver computational resources such as hardware, operating systems, storage and network capacity over the Internet.
- SaaS(Software as a Service): Applications that are hosted by a service provider which are accessed to the clients over a network.
- NaaS(Network as a Service): A capability to provide cloud network connectivity services to the user
Diagrammatic Representation of Cloud Services
Common Factors about IaaS, PaaS, SaaS:
- Protect your API keys
- Instant Scalability
- Reliability
- Security
- Pay per use
Comparison of IaaS, PaaS, SaaS:
FAQs
What exactly is cloud computing and how does it work?
Cloud computing delivers hosted services over the internet using remote computing resources accessed through the network. It supports different computing structures like grid, utility, and client-server models to provide various resources and services to users worldwide efficiently.
What are the main types of cloud computing available today?
Public clouds offer free or paid access to resources for anyone. Private clouds operate behind firewalls for single organizations. Community clouds share infrastructure between similar organizations. Hybrid clouds combine two or more clouds while maintaining unique identities and separate boundaries.
How do IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS differ from each other?
IaaS provides outsourced computer infrastructure including storage, hardware, and networking. PaaS delivers computational resources like operating systems and network capacity. SaaS provides hosted applications accessed over networks. All share common factors of scalability, reliability, security, and pay-per-use pricing models.
What security features do cloud services typically include?
Cloud services emphasize security as a common factor across IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS models. API key protection is essential for security. Private clouds add extra protection through firewall separation. All cloud types implement security measures to protect data and access.
