A beginner’s guide to cloud computing
Cloud computing is a combination of hardware and software model that delivers information technology services, whose resources are retrieved from the internet with the help of web-based tools and applications instead of connecting directly to as server.
Simply put, cloud computing is a type of computer service that aims at offering services like servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics etc. over the internet. The “cloud” here is referred to as the Internet.
Use of cloud computing
The first cloud computing is barely a decade old. There are a host of organizations, from tiny startups to global corporations, and government agencies that have a huge chunk of applications and services running on cloud computing. If you are using an online service, for instance, sending an email, editing documents (converting them online), streaming TV, movies or music, playing games, it is likely that it is being managed by the service providers using cloud computing technology.
So, cloud computing lets you:
Create new apps and services
Backup and recover data
Host and manage websites
Stream audio and video content
Analyze data to make predictions
Being a big shift from the usual way businesses utilize IT resources, cloud computing has some benefits, so e of them are:
Cost-effective
The most important factor that all types of businesses are concerned about, is the cost factor. Cloud computing eliminates investing capital in separate hardware and software and establishing on-site data centers. Thus, also eliminating the expense of installing racks and servers, power cooling systems.
Quick setup
Cloud computing services are provisioned in minutes. This is because cloud computing provides self-service on demand. This gives the business more flexibility and takes off the pressure of capacity planning.
Scalable
One of the major benefits of cloud computing is that it can be scaled globally. This means delivering the right amount of IT resources with the desired computing power, storage, and bandwidth right when it is needed, irrespective of the geographical location.
Performance
Cloud computing services run on a worldwide network of secure data centers. These data centers get upgraded regularly to the latest generation of fast and efficient computing hardware. This reduces network latency which is beneficial for the bigger economy.
Reliability
cloud computing makes data back up and disaster recovery easier and less expensive for business. Cloud computing proves to be a reliable service because the data on cloud computing can be mirrored at multiple dummy sites which are present on the cloud provider’s network.