Cloud
Key Takeaways Cloud computing is the provisioning of various services via the Internet, including data storage, servers, databases, networking, and software. The cloud provides many IT services, such as servers, databases, software, virtual storage, and networks, among others. Public clouds offer their services in servers and on storage over the Internet.
Companies providing cloud services allow users to store files and applications on remote servers, then access all of the data through the Internet. Connecting to the public cloud means using an Internet connection to access compute resources hosted in data centers managed by third-party cloud providers, instead of having these resources owned and maintained locally. Instead of owning their own computing infrastructure or data centers, companies can lease access to everything from applications to storage space from a cloud service provider.
Data stored in the cloud means that work can be done anywhere, provided an Internet connection is available. As long as you have your computer at work and an internet connection, you have access to the data stored in the cloud. A user can access data stored in the cloud, or upload data into the cloud, from anywhere that has an internet connection, using any device. Once it is in the cloud, data is cheaper to access, as you do not have to pay for features you do not want.
At the base level, IaaS public cloud providers provide storage and compute services on a pay-per-use basis. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provides virtualized computing infrastructure that is managed completely through the Internet. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model that provides users with hosted development kits, application management capabilities, and database tools--the virtual resources companies need to create, deploy, and run their software applications. In mobile backend-as-a-Service(m) models, also known as Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS), Web application and mobile app developers are provided a means of connecting their applications with cloud storage and cloud computing services through application programming interfaces (APIs) exposed on their applications and user-defined software development kits (SDKs).
Each cloud is built using a unique combination of technologies, almost always including an operating system, a governance framework of some sort, and application programming interfaces (APIs). Cloud computing services can range from data storage to functional programs, including accounting software, customer support tools, and remote desktop hosting. Today, companies are using cloud services for everything from the digital transformation of corporate operations, secure data storage for large volumes, and much more. Major cloud providers are offering services tailored for Big Data projects, like Amazon's EMR and Google's Cloud Dataproc.
With resource pooling, cloud providers serve multiple customers with the same physical resources. A cloud provider's resource pool must be large and flexible enough to serve multiple customers' requirements. The problem is, that those solutions tend to restrict customers to common-denominator services like storage and computing while neglecting the array of services that make each cloud unique.
With some PaaS, underlying computer and storage resources scale automatically to meet the demands of applications, so the user of a cloud does not need to allocate resources manually. Each cloud abstracts, pools, and shares the scaled compute resources over a network.