Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—such as servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the internet (“the cloud”) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale. It enables users to innovate faster and complete tasks more efficiently by providing on-demand resources.
We have three Cloud services.
Types of Cloud Services
1.IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service): They the basic computing resources like virtual machines (e.g., AWS EC2, Microsoft Azure VMs).
2.PaaS (Platform as a Service): Provides platforms to build and deploy apps (e.g., Google App Engine, Heroku).
3.SaaS (Software as a Service): Fully functional applications delivered over the web (e.g., Gmail, Microsoft 365, Dropbox).
We have three Cloud models in Cloud computing :
Cloud (deployment) Models:
1.Public Cloud: Services delivered over the public internet (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud).
2.Private Cloud: Cloud infrastructure operated solely for one organization.
3.Hybrid Cloud: Combines public and private clouds, allowing data and apps to move between them.
Computing works when Cloud service providers use virtualization technology to deliver scalable and flexible services. Example A cloud provider can create virtual servers that are quickly deployed or adjusted based on demand. This brings us to the concept of Cloud computing called virtualization.
Virtualization
It is a technology that allows you to create multiple simulated environments or dedicated resources from a single physical hardware system. Virtualization uses software to create an abstraction layer over physical hardware, enabling the creation of virtual machines (VMs),each with its own operating system and applications on a single physical computer.
*Diagram representation of types of Virtualization
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Cloud computing is revolutionizing how businesses operate. Whether you’re a startup, an enterprise, or somewhere in between, the cloud empowers you with agility, scalability, security, and cost savings.
Let's explore the key benefits that make cloud computing an absolute game-changer.
Benefit of Cloud computing
1.Scalability (Grow as you go): It is the ability of a system to adjust its resources—such as storage, processing power, or network capacity—dynamically to meet changing workload demands. This flexibility ensures that businesses can handle both sudden spikes and gradual increases in demand without interruptions or inefficiencies.
Cloud scalability is a key feature that allows organizations to grow their IT infrastructure seamlessly. Unlike traditional on-premises systems, which require significant time and expense to scale, cloud solutions enable rapid adjustments with minimal downtime. This is achieved through virtualization, where resources like virtual machines (VMs) can be scaled up or down as needed.
Types of Cloud scaling.
a.Vertical Scaling (Scaling Up): This involves increasing the capacity of existing resources, such as upgrading the CPU, memory, or storage of a single server. It is suitable for applications with predictable workloads but has limitations due to hardware constraints and potential downtime during upgrades.
b.Horizontal Scaling (Scaling Out): This adds more instances, such as servers or virtual machines, to distribute workloads across multiple resources. It is ideal for applications requiring high availability and can handle large volumes of traffic by spreading the load.
c.Diagonal Scaling: A combination of vertical and horizontal scaling, this approach adds resources to individual servers while also increasing the number of instances. It provides flexibility to handle varying workloads effectively.
Example of scalability in Cloud computing: An e-commerce site scales up during Black Friday sales and scales down afterward to save costs.
2.Agility. It is the ability to quickly develop, test, deploy, and scale applications and services in response to changing business needs, without being slowed down by traditional IT constraints. It allows businesses to develop & launch applications quickly, without waiting for infrastructure setup and Adjust quickly based on feedback because of its flexibility in development.
Example: A startup can create, test, and launch a mobile app in hours instead of weeks
3.High Availability in cloud computing means ensuring that systems, applications, and services are consistently operational with minimal downtime, even in the event of failures. High availability ensures your IT services stay online 24/7, no matter what happens.
Key Features of High Availability in the Cloud:
a. Redundancy = Duplicate components (servers, databases, networks) ensure there's no single point of failure.
b. Failover - Automatic switch to a standby system if the primary one fails.
c. Load Balancing - Distributes traffic across multiple servers to avoid overload.
d. Auto-Healing - Automatically replaces failed instances or containers.
e.** Geographic Distribution** - Deploy services across multiple data centers or regions.
d. Backup & Replication - Data is continuously copied to multiple locations.
Example: Even during power outages or hardware failures, cloud systems remain fully functional, keeping your business operational!
4.Fault tolerance in cloud computing is the ability of a system to continue operating proper.ly even when one or more of its components fail. It ensures uninterrupted service delivery, even in the event of hardware, software, or network failures. A fault-tolerant cloud infrastructure automatically recovers from failures, ensuring zero disruptions.
Key Components of Fault-Tolerant Systems:
a. Redundancy - Extra copies of resources (servers, data, etc.) to take over during failure.
b.** Failover Mechanism** - Automatically switches to backup systems if a primary one fails.
c. Load Balancing - Distributes load to prevent single points of failure.
d.** Health Monitoring** - Continuously checks system health and initiates recovery if needed.
e. Distributed Architecture - Runs across multiple nodes or regions, so one failure doesn’t impact the whole system.
Example: If one server crashes, your workload is instantly moved to another, preventing any downtime!
5.Global Reach in cloud computing It's the ability to deploy applications, data, and services across multiple geographic regions using a cloud provider's global infrastructure. This allows businesses to serve users anywhere in the world with low latency, high performance, and regulatory compliance. Which means that your services are available everywhere your users are.
Cloud providers like** AWS,** Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) operate data centers in dozens of regions worldwide, giving organizations the tools to: (i) Deploy applications close to end users (low latency).m (ii) Expand into new markets without building new physical infrastructure.(iii)Comply with local data residency and regulatory requirements.(iv)Improve fault tolerance by using multiple geographic zones.
Example: A Nigerian fintech startup can expand to Europe & the U.S. by storing data closer to international customers for a better experience!
The terms elasticity and scalability are closely related in cloud computing, but they refer to different capabilities of a system when it comes to handling changes in workload. Key Differences Between Elasticity and Scalability;
a.Elasticity **has the ability to automatically add or remove resources based on current demand while Scalability has the ability to increase or decrease capacity (resources) to meet future demand.
b. **Elasticity focus on Real-time demand adjustment while Scalability focus on Long-term growth planning.
c. Elasticity **is Typically automatic and dynamic while **Scalability Can be manual or automatic, but often planned.
d. Elasticity Auto-scale a web app during a flash sale and shrinking it after. While **Scalability **Upgrade infrastructure to support more users next year.
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