What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing is a technology that allows organizations and individuals to access and use computing resources such as processing power, storage, and software over the internet without having to buy and maintain physical infrastructure. Cloud service providers (CSPs) such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and many other providers offer these services. Cloud offerings empower traditional IT offerings by adding many other services such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), and security.

Cloud computing is a powerful technology for organizations of all sizes. Here are some of the key features of cloud computing:

• Agility: Cloud computing allows organizations to rapidly deploy and scale computing resources up or down as needed, which means they can be more agile and respond quickly to changing business requirements. With cloud computing, businesses can avoid the time and expense of building and managing their IT infrastructure, allowing them to focus on developing and delivering their products and services.
• Productivity: Cloud computing can improve productivity by providing access to computing resources and software from anywhere, on any device, and at any time. This flexibility allows employees to work remotely and collaborate more easily, which can lead to increased productivity and efficiency:

Figure 1.1 – Cloud computing

• Resiliency: Cloud computing can improve resiliency by providing redundancy and failover options, which means that if one computing resource fails, others can take over seamlessly. This reduces the risk of downtime and improves the availability and reliability of applications and services.
• FinOps: Cloud computing offers Financial Operations (FinOps) capabilities that allow organizations to manage and optimize their cloud spending. This includes tools for monitoring cloud usage, forecasting costs, and optimizing resource allocation to reduce costs and maximize value.
• Pay-as-you-go model: Cloud computing is often priced on a pay-as-you-go basis, which means that organizations only pay for the computing resources they use. This allows businesses to avoid the capital expense of buying and maintaining their IT infrastructure, and instead, pay for computing resources as an operational expense.

In summary, cloud computing provides organizations with agility, productivity, resiliency, FinOps, and a pay-as-you-go model, making it an attractive option for businesses looking to optimize their IT operations and focus on delivering value to their customers.

Gartner estimates the following by 2025 (https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2021-11-10-gartner-says-cloud-will-be-the-centerpiece-of-new-digital-experiences):

• More than 95% of new digital workloads will be deployed on cloud-native application platforms, up from 30% in 2021
• 70% of the new applications developed by companies will use low-code or no-code technologies
• More than 50% of organizations will have explicit strategies to adopt cloud-delivered Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), up from less than 5% in 2020
• 85% of organizations will embrace cloud-first principles

While these fact-based estimations look very overwhelming, there is no doubt that the cloud provides extraordinary benefits to the data-driven business world.

Cloud computing service model

Cloud service models are different types of cloud computing services that are provided by CSPs to customers or users. There are three main types of cloud service models:

• Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS): In this service model, the CSP provides the infrastructure or computing resources such as servers, storage, and networking, which can be used by customers to build and manage their applications or services. The customer has control over the operating system, applications, and security, while the CSP is responsible for the underlying infrastructure.
• Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS): In this service model, the CSP provides a platform for customers to develop, run, and manage their applications without the need to manage the underlying infrastructure. The customer can focus on building and deploying their applications while the CSP takes care of the infrastructure, operating system, and middleware.
• Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): In this service model, the CSP provides a complete software application or service that can be accessed and used by customers over the internet. The customer does not need to install or manage the software as it is provided by the CSP as a service. Examples of SaaS include email, online storage, and customer relationship management (CRM) software.

In simple terms, cloud service models are different types of cloud computing services that are provided by CSPs to customers. These services can range from providing infrastructure resources to complete software applications, with varying degrees of control and management by the customer.

Next, let us talk about cloud security.