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Arunesh Choudhary
Arunesh Choudhary

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Cloud Computing vs Virtualization

Cloud is metaphor for combination of multiple data centers where the information is stored. A data center has many physical servers, connected to internet network, to provide the cloud services. The data will be stored in multiple data centers as per the policy adopted by the cloud provider to keep the data safe in case of any incident.

Cloud computing refers to a model for providing on-demand services to end users which could be an individual, business, government, another cloud provider. To save his resume, Bob can upload his resume to any cloud application services such as dropbox, one drive, google drive. It is the responsibility of cloud provider to keep the data safe and must be accessible from anywhere and anytime.

What is Virtualization?

A physical server can run only one operating system at a time, with all resources (such as hard drive, memory, etc.) dedicated to the applications running on it. If these applications are not in use, or if demand is low at any point, the available resources remain unused and are not accessible to other machines that might be running low on resources. Virtualization can significantly enhance resource utilization, providing maximum benefits. A server with virtualization enabled can host multiple operating systems, allowing them to operate independently. Each of these operating systems can utilize the allocated resources, with the flexibility to scale up or down based on demand. This concept is called Elasticity.

What is elasticity?

The machines are virtualized with a set amount of standard resources for their functionality. However, as demand increases, these resources can be scaled up using cloud computing. This allows for efficient resource allocation, ensuring that resources are available to those who need them most. The cloud provider will ensure that the resource allocation is adjusted based on usage, and then charge the customer accordingly, reflecting the actual usage.

Why virtualization is not Cloud computing?

Virtualization is not the same as cloud computing because it does not offer the elasticity to scale resources up or down across multiple physical servers. Additionally, it lacks support for features like billing, usage monitoring, and other cloud-specific functionalities.

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