What Is Cloud Computing?

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We hear the term, 'cloud computing' and 'cloud'
everywhere, but questions related to it haunts
many of us. It is natural to have questions like
what is the cloud, where is the cloud, etc. in
your mind. The term 'cloud' came into use from
the habit of drawing the Internet as a cloud.
So W hat Is Cloud Computing?
The cloud computing definition can be described
as the storage, processing and managing data
online instead of your computer. Cloud computing
provides computing over the Internet. Cloud
computing services consist of virtual data
centers which are highly optimized for various
business needs. They provide information
resources, software, and hardware for use
remotely. Organizations can use the services on a
pay per use basis and connect to the cloud as
and when required. Companies can scale their IT
infrastructure up and down according to their
business requirements without hassles. It helps
them reduce their expenditure significantly.
W hy Do W e Need Cloud Computing?
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With the changing business needs, organizations
need to invest money and time to scale up their
IT infrastructure. IT Infrastructure includes
different services, software, and hardware.
On-premises IT Infrastructure slows down the
scaling process and hurts the productivity of the
organization.
3 Types of Deployment Models
Private - Private cloud is set solely for one
organization on a private network. It is
highly secure and can be accessed only with
special permissions granted by the
organization. Public - Cloud service providers
own the public cloud. It offers the highest level
of efficiency in the utilization of the shared
resources. Hybrid - It is a combination of
public and private deployment models. In a hybrid
cloud, a set of resources is used in the public
cloud, and other resources are used in the
private cloud.
W here Is Cloud Computing Used?
Cloud computing is used in a range of different
scenarios depending upon the unique needs and
business requirements of the organization. Here
is a list of some of the situations where cloud
computing is used. Pay Per Use Scheme - Using an
existing Infrastructure (IaaS), Platform (PaaS)
and Software (SaaS) on subscription basis let
many organizations reduce their expenses and
save their time. Many new entrepreneurs find it
affordable to start up their venture using an
existing Infrastructure and scale up as their
business grows. Data Analytics - Cloud computing
lets the organizations leverage the vast amounts
of data available for business purposes.
Organizations can learn about consumer's
behavior and their buying patterns which help the
companies target their market more effectively.
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Storage - Cloud lets you access your files, edit
them and update them from any location around the
globe. Organizations only pay for the amount of
storage they use and do not have to worry about
maintenance of the storage devices. It also helps
organizations with their backup chores.
Businesses no longer have to worry about
maintaining their personal data
centers. Collaboration and Time-sharing - You
can use different collaboration tools to work
together as teams literally from any part of the
world. You can work on the same projects and
files at the same time with access to the
required tools.
W hat Are Cloud Computing Services?
Cloud computing services or cloud-based services
refers to resources, applications, and services
available to users on demand via the Internet.
For instance - ezTalks is a cloud computing
service for video conferencing. You can do video
conference with your team members or clients
through your web browser. You can invite your
clients to a meeting through emails or by
providing them the meeting details. They don't
even need to register to attend a meeting, and
they can simply log in the meetings through
their browser. You can share screens, videos,
files and different forms of media. You can
schedule your meetings, record meetings, use
annotations, chat live and do many more things
using the service. ezTalks Cloud Meeting is a
multi-platform service, and you can avail its
features from a Windows or Mac or an Android or
an iOS device. It is an instance of a Software as
a Service (SaaS).
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3 Types of Cloud Computing Service Models
IaaS (Information as a Service) - Organizations
get Infrastructure components such as storage
capacity, computing power, etc. In this model,
organization controls the infrastructure
themselves including the hosting environment and
the applications. However, an investment of
human resources is necessary to maintain and
manage the Infrastructure. PaaS (Platform as a
Service) - This model offers organizations with a
run-time environment or a platform to build and
deploy applications. The organization does not
have to deal with the maintenance of the
Infrastructure. It is responsible for the
development, updating, maintenance, and
management of the applications. SaaS (Software
as a Service) - This model offers ready to use
applications to the organizations. Organizations
do not have to engage in maintaining the
Infrastructure or Platform. They can simply use
the software on a subscription basis.
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Conclusion
To sum up computing through the Internet brings a
lot of advantages with it. Businesses can benefit
by reducing their expenses on the infrastructure,
improving their productivity and scale up or
down according to their business requirements.
With unique advantages and ease of adoption, the
cloud is the future of computing. https//www.ezt
alks.com/cloud/what-is-cloud-computing.html