In the traditional way of launching an application, we have to maintain the entire setup manually. It means that every aspect of the application is to be maintained by some kind of manpower, including infrastructure, maintenance, and upgrades down to every single step. But in the 21st century, where every nook and corner of our life is based on the internet, so why not our applications? Here, we are introduced to the concept of the Cloud, which helps us to store and maintain our information on a remote platform rather than manually doing everything.
If you are new to the cloud, we will try to walk you through the cloud computing basics and help you understand the concepts of cloud computing in the most simple words.
By 2025, there will be over 100 zettabytes of data stored in the cloud. To put this in perspective, a zettabyte is a billion terabytes (or a trillion gigabytes). – Stats
What is Cloud Computing?
The literal meaning of cloud computing is to use a remote platform on the internet to store, maintain, and process data rather than using your local storage or personal computer. To differentiate between the two concepts, suppose that you are using your local computer to maintain the application. It means that you have to hire IT personnel to maintain your application, you have to buy storage, the servers are your responsibility, and all in all, you are bearing all the risks. But with cloud services, the provider has done all the background work for you and you just have to utilize their services. It means that someone else owns the servers and provides you with space. You have to configure your code and cloud services and they are responsible for maintaining them.
In 2020, the total worth of the market was $371.4 billion. With a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.5 percent, it’s projected that the market will amount to $832.1 billion by 2025. – Stats
Evolution to Cloud Computing
Now that we have understood the concepts of cloud computing, let’s look at how the concepts of Cloud came into action.
Dedicated Servers
In the initial days, if you want to run your application, you need a dedicated server. These dedicated servers are used as one server for one application, which sounds expensive and non-flexible. Though dedicated servers are still in use today, they have their downsides. One of them is that they would be extremely expensive and have high maintenance. But it will provide high security as one server is dedicated to one purpose only.
Virtual Private Server
It is an advanced form of a dedicated server in which one server is dedicated to one application, but the server is now virtualized to use in many different apps rather than using one server for one application. So now, with a virtual private server, you can run four different applications with virtual machines. This solution is cost-effective and flexible.
Shared Hosting
As the name suggests, shared hosting is a concept in which one server is divided into multiple submachines and shared among multiple applications. This means that the server is utilized by multiple people at the same time, which can cause network issues. And if one person is utilizing the server more than the other, then everyone has to face issues. Regardless, you are getting the servers very cheaply, and if your work is limited, then shared hosting is the best option for you.
Cloud Hosting
Now let us see how the cloud has emerged as the best alternative to other hosting services. Cloud hosting provides the best of both worlds. In this concept, multiple servers act as a system, which is known as a “cloud”, and that cloud is divided into multiple services. This is the reason that cloud services are secure, cost-effective, and scalable for application owners.
Benefits of Cloud Computing
Cost Effective
One of the reasons for which cloud computing is known is its cost-effectiveness. You pay just for the services you consume. Also, you can cut down on charges by closing the servers when you are not using them. As we know, cloud services are slightly expensive as compared to traditional methods, but they provide the facility of pay-as-you-go, and the cost is generally divided into the number of users.
Mobility
Cloud has made it possible to connect and reach more people and information in a very easy, quick, and secure way. So, if you are stuck looking for that piece of information to complete your task, the cloud’s mobility has made it simple for you to communicate and get information.
Security
Cloud services are generally the most secure way to manage your applications or data, especially when considering remote access. It is because the cloud providers take care of the security details and make sure that your data is secure down to the granular level. In addition, you can enhance your security measures by using a VPN to encrypt your connection, adding an extra layer of protection. Of course, you can also set some security restrictions by yourself. These security concerns are nearly impossible to maintain when you are storing your data on local servers.
Reliability
Cloud services are reliable for multiple reasons. Firstly, your data is always backed up in the cloud, which means that it is not possible to lose your data at any cost. The second reason is that it provides disaster recovery.
Disaster recovery is the process by which an organization regains access and functionality to its IT infrastructure following an event such as a natural disaster, a cyber attack, or even a business disruption. It enables an organization to back up its data and IT infrastructure into a third-party cloud computing environment.
The cloud also provides fault tolerance, which means that you will have an interrupted cloud service with no downtime and no data loss.
Scalability
Cloud services are also scalable because you can increase or decrease the services based on your requirements. It also provides functionality to automate scaling during a spike and drop when there is less traffic.
Updated
The hardware and software are replaced, updated, or altered based on the latest needs of the service providers. So you have one less thing to think about as your services will always be up-to-date. Also, the service providers perform these actions without any interruption to the service itself, which means there is no downtime.
Conclusion
Now that we have successfully understood the basics of cloud computing, it is safe to say that cloud computing has emerged as the platform of choice for large applications, particularly those that must change frequently or scale dynamically. More importantly, the major public clouds are now setting the pace in enterprise technology development, debuting innovations before anyone else.
