I'm sure many of you heard the term cloud computing a lot of times lately. Cloud computing is getting more popular every day and it's slowly taking over physical computing.. But what is cloud computing? That's probably the question all of you are asking if you're reading this right now.
Cloud computing, in most basic definition, is the usage of computer resources over a network, which includes internet. The computer resources could be anything depending on the type of the cloud computing, as there are many types of it.
The most basic type of cloud computing is infrastructure as a service (IaaS). In this cloud computing type, you're basically given a computer which you can access via internet. These computers can either be physical computers or just virtual machines running on physical computers. IaaS is mainly used for the storage space, the ability to use different operating systems without altering your computer, being able to use an IP address of an another country, (for instance to be able to watch Netflix without living in US) and many more things you can do with a usual computer. In IaaS, you're only given the hardware and it's your responsibility to install the operating system, the software you need, to keep it updated and so on. Google Compute Engine is an example to this type of cloud computing.
The next type of cloud computing is platform as a service (PaaS). In PaaS, unlike IaaS, the operating system and the features to test applications such as an execution environment is included. PaaS is used by application developers in order to test their software easily, instead of buying a new set of physical hardware to do so. Note that different PaaS providers support different programming languages, so you're supposed to find one which supports the language you are developing your software in. An example to PaaS is Google App Engine.
The ones who are familiar with gaming will know this one, which goes by the name software as a service (SaaS). In SaaS, a software is hosted on the cloud and it's accessed by people via a web browser. The upside of this system is that the software you're running via SaaS won't take any resources on your computer, since the computers in the cloud will be providing it. The first example I think of for this is certainly Quake Live, as a gaming fan. OnLive is also a different example of SaaS cloud computing, and is considered as the future of gaming lately. SaaS is also used in different areas such as accounting.
STaaS must be the one that everyone is familiar with, unlike the others, because STaaS is being used by many home users. STaaS stands for Storage as a service, and is the principle behind many popular storage services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud and more. In this model, you're only given a storage space which you can access by using the internet wherever you have to.
There are many more types of cloud computing such as security as a service, database as a service, data as a service etc, which I won't be talking about right now, but maybe in the future.
I hope this helped you clear the question marks in your head about cloud computing!
Let's move on to the advantages of cloud computing now.
First things first, mobility is what makes cloud computing an amazing thing. You can't really have access to a physical thing all the time, but you can access your cloud wherever you want just with an internet connection. This plays a major role in the SaaS/STaaS system.
Second advantage would be cost, as it is cheaper than buying a physical computer to buy a cloud instead. IaaS and PaaS are the examples to this advantage.
Third advantage, in my eyes, is performance. You can always rely on big companies' cloud systems more than you can rely on your own home computer.
That being said, the only disadvantage which comes with cloud computing is the fact that if you don't have internet connection, you won't be able to access anything. But in the world we are living right now where even mobile phones are connected to internet 24/7 via 3G, where cities are covered in Wi-Fi coverage, I really doubt this would be a problem.
All in all, cloud computing has an answer for each one of your needs, if you are a home user, if you are a gamer, if you are a software developer, or if you are the owner of a business. I really believe it's the start of a new era in computing as it is growing so rapidly.
That would conclude everything I wanted to say about cloud computing for now, so see you all later in a different post!
Cloud computing, in most basic definition, is the usage of computer resources over a network, which includes internet. The computer resources could be anything depending on the type of the cloud computing, as there are many types of it.
Image from Wikipedia, created by Sam Johnston.
The most basic type of cloud computing is infrastructure as a service (IaaS). In this cloud computing type, you're basically given a computer which you can access via internet. These computers can either be physical computers or just virtual machines running on physical computers. IaaS is mainly used for the storage space, the ability to use different operating systems without altering your computer, being able to use an IP address of an another country, (for instance to be able to watch Netflix without living in US) and many more things you can do with a usual computer. In IaaS, you're only given the hardware and it's your responsibility to install the operating system, the software you need, to keep it updated and so on. Google Compute Engine is an example to this type of cloud computing.
The next type of cloud computing is platform as a service (PaaS). In PaaS, unlike IaaS, the operating system and the features to test applications such as an execution environment is included. PaaS is used by application developers in order to test their software easily, instead of buying a new set of physical hardware to do so. Note that different PaaS providers support different programming languages, so you're supposed to find one which supports the language you are developing your software in. An example to PaaS is Google App Engine.
The ones who are familiar with gaming will know this one, which goes by the name software as a service (SaaS). In SaaS, a software is hosted on the cloud and it's accessed by people via a web browser. The upside of this system is that the software you're running via SaaS won't take any resources on your computer, since the computers in the cloud will be providing it. The first example I think of for this is certainly Quake Live, as a gaming fan. OnLive is also a different example of SaaS cloud computing, and is considered as the future of gaming lately. SaaS is also used in different areas such as accounting.
STaaS must be the one that everyone is familiar with, unlike the others, because STaaS is being used by many home users. STaaS stands for Storage as a service, and is the principle behind many popular storage services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud and more. In this model, you're only given a storage space which you can access by using the internet wherever you have to.
There are many more types of cloud computing such as security as a service, database as a service, data as a service etc, which I won't be talking about right now, but maybe in the future.
I hope this helped you clear the question marks in your head about cloud computing!
Let's move on to the advantages of cloud computing now.
First things first, mobility is what makes cloud computing an amazing thing. You can't really have access to a physical thing all the time, but you can access your cloud wherever you want just with an internet connection. This plays a major role in the SaaS/STaaS system.
Second advantage would be cost, as it is cheaper than buying a physical computer to buy a cloud instead. IaaS and PaaS are the examples to this advantage.
Third advantage, in my eyes, is performance. You can always rely on big companies' cloud systems more than you can rely on your own home computer.
That being said, the only disadvantage which comes with cloud computing is the fact that if you don't have internet connection, you won't be able to access anything. But in the world we are living right now where even mobile phones are connected to internet 24/7 via 3G, where cities are covered in Wi-Fi coverage, I really doubt this would be a problem.
All in all, cloud computing has an answer for each one of your needs, if you are a home user, if you are a gamer, if you are a software developer, or if you are the owner of a business. I really believe it's the start of a new era in computing as it is growing so rapidly.
That would conclude everything I wanted to say about cloud computing for now, so see you all later in a different post!
