My Journey to Cloud & Devops Engineering - Training Assignment 1

Part A: Identifying Cloud Service Models in Daily Applications

Cloud computing provides services over the internet, allowing users to access applications, storage, and computing resources without managing the underlying infrastructure. The three main cloud service models are Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Below are the five common applications I use daily, their cloud service model and explanation.

1. Whatsapp: WhatsApp is a software application that I use to send messages, make voice and video calls, and share files. I access it through my phone or computer without managing the servers, storage, or operating system behind it. Therefore, it is an example of SaaS.

2. Gmail: Gmail is an email service that allows me to send, receive, and store emails through the internet. Google manages the infrastructure, software, and maintenance, while I simply use the application. This makes Gmail a SaaS application.

3. Bible: The Bible application allows me to read different Bible translations, search for verses, and sometimes listen to audio Bible content. I access these features through software without managing the underlying infrastructure. Therefore, the Bible app is an example of SaaS.

4. Amazon EC2: Amazon EC2 allows users to create and manage virtual servers in the cloud. Users can choose the operating system, install applications, and configure the server. AWS manages the physical hardware and data centers. Therefore, EC2 is an example of IaaS.

5. Google App Engine: Google App Engine allows developers to deploy applications without managing servers or operating systems. Google handles the infrastructure and runtime environment, while developers focus on writing code. Therefore, it is an example of PaaS.

Part B: Azure Portal Exploration

1. Below is a screenshot of the 'Virtual Machine' search result on my azure portal.

Defining 'Resource Groups': Resource Groups is like a folder for cloud resources such as Virtual Machines.

Part C: Think & Apply - Cloud solution for a Small Lagos Fintech who plans to launch a mobile banking app.

A small fintech in Lagos should use cloud computing instead of buying and maintaining servers for a mobile banking app. The cloud lets the company scale computing, storage, and networking as demand changes, choose nearby regions for lower latency and better performance, and use additional regions for availability and disaster recovery. It is also more cost-efficient because it avoids high upfront infrastructure and maintenance costs while allowing pay-as-you-go resource use.