Internet is conquering the whole human world. This sentence came to my mind after researching cloud computing, one of the main pillars of which is access to the Internet. If you also want to get acquainted with this concept, continue with this article.
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What is the history of cloud computing?
From the first day when internet services started, a concept called server (a place to collect, categorize and present information) was also created. Servers are like a library where there is a book with information in every hall, room and in every room, and the user has to go to them to access them.
Internet services also needed something to store and access information. At that time, for example, every user had to purchase a dedicated email server to use email services or other services and store their information in it.
Over time, this issue became a challenge for the expansion of Internet service users. Not all people could buy servers, configure them, or implement security and maintenance protocols for servers.
Companies realized that for users to access, they have to do the data storage services themselves. Little by little, with the expansion of the Internet and the increase of hundreds of millions of users, the companies also had problems maintaining their servers. The cost that used to be high for ordinary people was now staggering for companies and many times extra. For example, a company whose services were limited to educational articles had to hire specialized employees in the field of hardware, network, etc., pay for the purchase of dedicated data storage centers, and take care of them so that God forbid nothing happens to them.
This led to the formation and completion of the cloud computing project at all levels and sizes, which will be fully reviewed and explained below.
What is cloud computing?
As explained in the previous paragraphs, each user had to pay for the purchase and maintenance of data storage servers in order to use active products on the Internet. Cloud computing technology came to the aid of mankind here and created services to do this for them in very simple language.
Cloud computing companies actually have buildings (no matter where they are big) with special conditions that house all those private servers that people had to buy. Think of a field as big as Azadi Stadium full of servers that have two features. First, everyone is connected and second, they have access to the Internet.
In simple words, cloud processing provides the size or environment of your access to the Internet. How much you can watch movies online, how much you have access to various articles, how much you can send messages and files to your friend depends on your specific volume in the products you use.
Your limitless point on the web comes down to this. One – access to the Internet and two – the large volume of data storage environment provided to users.
Cloud processing changed the location of information storage from being limited to location and time to no time and location limitations. This technology focused the science of hardware towards its specialist products, software towards its specialist products and service products towards their services.
What are the types of Cloud Computing?
If you are not familiar with the discussion of the server and the storage location of website or application information, it is better to know that each website or application needs different capabilities to store and manage information. Cloud computing companies have categorized the types of services based on these needs.
For example, some websites only wanted storage space, and other tasks such as configuring the protection of their display information and, in a word, management, were done by themselves. Or there were companies that requested the discussion of information configuration, even the type of software, etc. with customization. In the following, you will get to know the famous types of cloud processing.
On-site
This model is the same dedicated servers that were bought for companies. Only the storage space is given to you and you are the one who determines the operating system, the level of information automation, even the type of Internet access, etc. Think that a country needs as many servers as there are people. With this type of cloud processing, it can determine what kind of access they have to the information network or the Internet to enter these servers and send requests to do something.
IaaS
The IaaS model is the most similar model of processing or cloud computing for products active in the web domain to hosting and dedicated servers in the company’s premises. In this model, the product has servers without filters and restrictions, and any configuration and management they need can be done with any software and programming language they choose.
IaaS stands for Infrastructure as a Service. By activating this service, in fact, the land cultivation service is activated and you can plant any product in any form and shape. Using this type of cloud processing, it is not you who determines with which type of internet the user can send requests to the server, but the service provider company determines.
PaaS
The third and famous type of cloud processing is PaaS, which is mostly used for testing products and applications. With this type of service, the user can request different operating systems in different versions to test his program. For example, suppose you want to test an application in different operating systems and manage its information or have an application in an ordered operating system. This is where PaaS or Platform as a Service services come in handy.
SaaS
The fourth type of services is SaaS or Software as a Service. In this type of service, specific packages with specific use and limited storage space are available to you based on time only. For example, Office 365 gives the user a package with a number of software on an annual or monthly basis along with storage space, and he has to pay for its subscription to use it again.
There are many types of cloud computing and now it has infiltrated almost all of people’s daily activities on the Internet. You upload or watch videos on YouTube with cloud processing and exchange files and text on Telegram. Have you bought a server to watch videos on Netflix or for Instagram posts? Of course not. So these companies provide you with almost unlimited storage space for your better access and in return they take over your user account. YouTube earns from ads and Telegram earns from subscription sales for the beta version, and all this goes back to your unlimited use.
What are the different models of cloud computing?
The main feature of cloud technology is to be unlimited. Based on this slogan, different companies offered their Cloud Computing services in different forms for different personas.
We said that at first the issue of servers was only a problem for people, but later it became a big challenge for companies active on the web. Based on this challenge, large cloud computing companies such as Amazon Web Service started expanding their hosting centers, i.e. buildings full of servers, and created different service packages for people, large companies, startups, experts, etc., which constitute different types and forms of cloud computing. .
In the general category, for startups and companies active in the web domain, these models are divided into three categories: public, private and hybrid.
Public Service:
Public cloud computing services means providing servers for public access. Products that have no access restrictions and you can access their information at any time by referring to them. This information includes different types of files, media and texts.
Private services:
Some people needed dedicated servers for very limited access. Servers that provide the information needed by a limited number or anyone more than that number should not have access to them. These legal or natural persons must apply for private cloud computing services. File, information, media and… Store inside it and provide its access to specific and limited users.
Hybrid services:
Hybrid services are actually suitable for natural or legal persons, some of whose data should be public and some private. Hybrid cloud processing services made it possible for such products not to sign two separate services or two separate contracts and to store and manage their data with one contract with specific provisions.
What are the features and benefits of cloud computing?
Cloud computing has been around for years and the infrastructure of this technology today has shown certain features that have obvious advantages. Some of the features of cloud computing are as follows:
Flexibility in server access
In the past, it used to happen that the company’s website or application would go down due to marketing campaigns. The reason for this was the increase in the number of users more than expected or the power of the servers of these products. By using cloud processing technology, this situation is provided for companies to instantly increase or decrease the server they need in order to respond to website users.
Pay per user
In traditional methods with dedicated servers, the company had to pay for the server so that the user could use its product. Now with this method contracts are closed based on the number of users. That is, each company only pays for the number of users who are activated on the servers, not for the number of servers they rent.
Backup servers in different locations
Cloud processing companies use backup servers in new locations close to the user to ensure the response time to the user’s request on the server, or the ping time, especially when the number of users has increased. This helps a lot in the proper response of the product in all parts of the world.
Flexibility in technical migrations
With this technology, companies can transfer a specific volume or their entire product to other platforms with other software technologies to save money or use emerging technologies, etc.
What are the disadvantages of cloud computing?
Despite the very clear advantages of cloud processing, this technology also has disadvantages, some of which we will examine below:
Information security
Cloud computing network security is often one of the most important challenges in this field. When companies rely on cloud computing systems, they run the risk of violating information laws, hacking APIs and software interfaces, and authentication problems.
In addition, the issue of vital information is also important here. The information provided by different products to cloud processing companies can completely destroy a company. This issue requires legal review, configuration and information management, etc., to prevent information leakage. You think that the information of a company like Netflix, which uses Amazon’s cloud service completely, will be exposed.
Unpredictability of costs
The increase or decrease of servers and… Or things like the flexibility proposed by cloud processing companies can be the Achilles heel of this technology. A sudden change in the type of services, their number or reduction, etc., which is repeated every month, makes financial calculations very difficult. Companies that intend to use this technology must check the financial laws and the detailed rules of the services.
What are the examples of cloud computing?
Cloud computing has been operating in the world for years, and now this technology has almost reduced the user’s need for powerful hardware. In the following, we introduce examples of cloud computing products, companies and services at all levels.
Google Docs, Microsoft 365: If you remember, until a few years ago, everyone was looking for the Microsoft Office installation pack. Now, with the expansion of cloud computing services, Microsoft has provided users with the same software and services online in addition to cloud storage space, which is known as 365, by introducing the complete office pack in different forms. That is, pay for one year and use any program you want, online.
One of the most useful products is called Google Docs. A product like Word that can save texts and textual information in the virtual pages of this product that is compatible with your Google account.
Email-WhatsApp-Skype: One of the oldest communication products among users was email, which grew with the help of cloud computing technology. In fact, social networks create different communication conditions for their users with this policy.
Large companies providing cloud computing services
We can almost say that all cloud computing services in the world are available to three companies. Companies that have an upper hand in the market with accurate and timely investment. Almost a third of all cloud computing services in the world are owned by Amazon Web Services or AWS. After that, GCP – Microsoft Azure companies respectively provide such services.
Cloud processing and computing is a headless world that has involved almost all Internet users. Probably now that you are reading this article, knowingly or unknowingly, you are using these services, and of course, they do not have a negative side either. At least cloud computing isn’t like a nuclear bomb.