Cloud Computing : In Depth

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services, applications and storage over the Internet. Cloud computing allows users to access their data from any location, on any device and at any time.
Cloud computing can be categorized into three types: Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

History of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a relatively new concept, but it has been around since the early 2000s. The idea of cloud computing was first introduced by IBM in their publication "A Smarter Planet". In this publication, they describe how businesses could use the Internet to store and access data remotely. They also talked about how data centers could be consolidated into one location so that companies wouldn't have to maintain their own servers anymore.
In 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched its Elastic Compute Cloud service which allowed users to rent virtual computers through an online marketplace rather than purchasing them outright or leasing them from another company such as Dell or HP

Cloud Computing Architecture

Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, on-demand access to a shared pool of configurable resources. This cloud model can be applied to many different services, such as storage and computing. Cloud computing provides an easy way to share resources with other people over the internet.
Cloud Computing Architecture:
Components of Cloud Computing:

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Provides virtual machines that run on top of physical hardware owned by someone else. You don't have to worry about managing or maintaining hardware yourself because it's all done by someone else in this type of cloud environment. You only pay for what you use when you use it, which makes it more cost effective than buying your own hardware outright!

Cloud Computing Security

Security is a major concern for organizations that are considering cloud computing. Security risks include:

• Data loss or theft

• Service disruption

• Data corruption, such as viruses and malware
  Cloud service providers have implemented a number of security measures to protect your data from these risks. These include:

• Encryption of all data in transit and at rest (data that's being moved around on the Internet or stored on servers)

• Firewalls to protect against unauthorized access to your account, which can be done through username/password combinations or two-factor authentication (2FA). 2FA requires users to enter an additional code sent via text message before they can log into their accounts

Cloud Computing Benefits

Cloud computing offers many benefits to businesses, including:

• Cost savings. Cloud computing can help you save money by reducing your IT expenses and allowing you to focus on other areas of your business.
• Increased productivity. Cloud computing allows employees to work from anywhere, which means they can get more done during their workday without having to worry about setting up their own equipment or taking time away from their other responsibilities in order for them to do so. This also means that there's less downtime when it comes time for everyone on your team (including yourself) to take a vacation!
• Scalability/flexibility of resources--this is especially helpful when demand increases or decreases unexpectedly

Cloud Computing Challenges

There are several challenges that cloud computing must overcome before it can become mainstream.
Cloud Computing Challenges:

• Data Security - Cloud providers often store data in multiple locations and on multiple servers, making it difficult to control access to sensitive information.
• Vendor Lock-in - Cloud providers may require you to use their proprietary software or hardware, which means you're locked into their service if something goes wrong with your system.
• Network Latency - If you're using a cloud provider that's far away from where your users are located, there will be increased latency between them and their data sources which could impact performance and responsiveness of applications running on top of those services

Cloud Computing Use Cases

Cloud computing is a powerful tool that can be used to solve many problems. The following are some common use cases:

• Software as a Service (SaaS). This is perhaps the most well-known use case for cloud computing, and it's something you may have already heard of if you're reading this article. SaaS refers to any software that runs on a remote server rather than your own computer or device. The most common example might be Google Docs--you don't need to install anything on your computer in order to use it; all you need is an Internet connection and some form of authentication (like an email address). As long as those two conditions are met, then anyone can access the software from anywhere around the world!
• Platform as a Service (PaaS). PaaS refers specifically to platforms built for developing applications rather than running them after they're finished being developed. For example: if I wanted my own website but didn't know how HTML worked, then I could use WordPress instead--it would handle all of those details behind-the-scenes while still giving me access via web browsers like Chrome or Safari.* Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). This type involves leasing virtual machines where companies can run their own applications without having physical hardware themselves; this could include things like storage space or bandwidth limitations depending on what kind of plan was purchased beforehand."