What is computing cloud

Firstly, there is the issue of latency: if the application is coming from a data center on the other side of the planet, or on the other side of a congested network, then you may find it sluggish compared to a local connection. That's the latency problem. Secondly, there is the issue of data sovereignty. Many companies -- particularly in Europe -- have to worry about where their data is being processed and stored. European companies are worried that, for example, if their customer data is being stored in data centers in the US or owned by US companies it could be accessed by US law enforcement.

As a result the big cloud vendors have been building out a regional data center network so that organizations can keep their data in their own region. In Germany, Microsoft has gone one step further, offering its Azure cloud services from two data centers , which have been set up to make it much harder for US authorities -- and others -- to demand access to the customer data stored there.

The customer data in the data centers is under the control of an independent German company which acts as a "data trustee", and Microsoft cannot access data at the sites without the permission of customers or the data trustee. Expect to see cloud vendors opening more data centers around the world to cater to customers with requirements to keep data in specific locations. And regulation of cloud computing varies widely elsewhere across the world: for example AWS recently sold a chunk of its cloud infrastructure in China to its local partner because of China's strict tech regulations.

Cloud security is another issue; the UK government's cyber security agency has warned that government agencies need to consider the country of origin when it comes to adding cloud services into their supply chains. While it was warning about antivirus software in particular, the issue is the same for other types of services too.

Consultants Accenture have warned that ' digital fragmentation ' is the result as different countries enact legislation to protect privacy and improve cyber security. While the aims of the laws is laudable, the impact is to raise costs for businesses. Three quarters of the CIOs and CTOs surveyed expect to exit a geographic market, delay their market-entry plans or abandon market-entry plans in the next three years as a result of increased barriers to globalization. AWS: The complete business guide to Amazon's cloud services.

Cloud computing services are operated from giant datacenters around the world. AWS divides this up by 'regions' and 'availability zones'. An AZ is composed of one or more datacenters that are far enough apart that in theory a single disaster won't take both offline, but close enough together for business continuity applications that require rapid failover. Google uses a similar model , dividing its cloud computing resources into regions which are then subdivided into zones, which include one or more datacenters from which customers can run their services.

It currently has 15 regions made up of 44 zones: Google recommends customers deploy applications across multiple zones and regions to help protect against unexpected failures. Microsoft Azure divides its resources slightly differently. It offers regions which it describes as is a "set of datacentres deployed within a latency-defined perimeter and connected through a dedicated regional low-latency network".

It also offers 'geographies' typically containing two or more regions, that can be used by customers with specific data-residency and compliance needs "to keep their data and apps close". It also offers availability zones made up of one or more data centres equipped with independent power, cooling and networking. Those data centers are also sucking up a huge amount of power: for example Microsoft recently struck a deal with GE to buy all of the output from its new megawatt wind farm in Ireland for the next 15 years in order to power its cloud data centers.

When it comes to IaaS and PaaS there are really only a few giant cloud providers. While the following pack might be growing fast, their combined revenues are still less than those of AWS, according to data from the Synergy Research Group. These big players will dominate the delivery of cloud services: Gartner said two thirds of the spending on cloud computing services will go through the top 10 public cloud providers through to It's also worth noting that while all these companies are selling cloud services, they have different strengths and priorities.

Microsoft in contrast has a particular emphasis on SaaS thanks to Office and its other software largely aimed at end user productivity, but is also trying to rapidly grow its IaaS and Paas offering through Azure.

IBM and Oracle's cloud businesses are also made up of a combination of Saas and more infrastructure based offerings. There are vast numbers of companies who have are offering applications through the cloud using a SaaS model.

Salesforce is probably the best known of these. The cloud giants have different strengths. While AWS and Microsoft's commercial cloud businesses are about the same size, Microsoft includes Office in its figures.

The challenger in any competitive market has greater incentive to produce sharper and more customer-focused products and services. Increasingly the major cloud computing vendors are attempting to differentiate according to the services that they offer, especially if they can't compete with AWS and Microsoft in terms of scale.

Google for example is promoting its expertise around artificial intelligence; Alibaba wants to attract customers who are interested in learning from its retail know-how. In a world where most companies will use at least one cloud provider and usually many more, IBM wants to position itself as the company that can manage all these multiple clouds. Meanwhile AWS is pitching itself as the platform for builders , which is its new take on developers.

The cost of some cloud computing services -- particularly virtual machines -- has been falling steadily thanks to continued competition between these big players. There is some evidence that the price cuts may spread to other services like storage and databases, as cloud vendors want to win the big workloads that are moving out of enterprise datacenters and into the cloud.

That's likely to be good news for customers and prices could still fall further, as there remains a hefty margin in even the most commodity areas of cloud infrastructure services, like provision of virtual machines.

Cloud computing is still at a relatively early stage of adoption, despite its long history. Many companies are still considering which apps to move and when. However, usage is only likely to climb as organisations get more comfortable with the idea of their data being somewhere other than a server in the basement. Those are the easy ones where the economics are hard for CIOs to argue with. For the rest of the enterprise computing portfolio the economics of moving to the cloud may be less clear cut.

As a result cloud computing vendors are increasingly pushing cloud computing as an agent of digital transformation instead of focusing simply on cost. Moving to the cloud can help companies rethink business processes and accelerate business change, goes the argument, by helping to break down data and organisational silos. Some companies that need to boost momentum around their digital transformation programmes may find this argument appealing; others may find enthusiasm for the cloud waning as the costs of making the switch add up.

There are plenty of examples of organisations deciding to go down the cloud computing route: here are a few examples of recent announcements. The Art of the Hybrid Cloud. Cloud computing is gobbling up more of the services that power businesses.

But, some have privacy, security, and regulatory demands that preclude the public cloud. Here's how to find the right mix. For enterprises using cloud services with IoT, it's critical to adhere to as many security practices as possible. Experts weigh in on the best approaches to take. Public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud: What's the difference? Trying to understand and articulate the differences between public, private, and hybrid cloud?

Here's a quick breakdown. Read More. What is Cloud Computing? Examples of Cloud Computing Cloud computing is the use of hardware or software off-site that is accessed over networks for computing needs. SaaS or Software as a Service. SaaS means instead of installing software on your computer, you access the platform online. Examples would include: Square, which processes payments online Google Apps such as Google Drive or Calendar Slack, which allows collaboration and chat between other users IaaS or Infrastructure as a Service.

IaaS provides infrastructure components such as servers, storage, networking, security, and moreover the cloud. Examples would include: Dropbox, a file storage and sharing system Microsoft Azure, which offers backup and disaster recovery services, hosting, and more Rackspace, which offers data, security, and infrastructure services.

PaaS or Platform as a Service. PaaS provides computing platforms such as operating systems, programming language execution environments, databases, and web servers. Cloud computing is still a fairly new service but is being used by a number of different organizations from big corporations to small businesses, nonprofits to government agencies, and even individual consumers. There are various types of clouds, each of which is different from the other.

Public clouds provide their services on servers and storage on the Internet. These are operated by third-party companies, who handle and control all the hardware, software, and the general infrastructure.

Clients access services through accounts that can be accessed by just about anyone. Private clouds are reserved for specific clientele, usually one business or organization. The firm's data service center may host the cloud computing service. Many private cloud computing services are provided on a private network.

Hybrid clouds are, as the name implies, a combination of both public and private services. This type of model allows the user more flexibility and helps optimize the user's infrastructure and security.

Newer forms of cloud computing services include the community cloud, the big data cloud, and the multicloud. Cloud computing is not a single piece of technology like a microchip or a cellphone.

Rather, it's a system primarily comprised of three services: software-as-a-service SaaS , infrastructure-as-a-service IaaS , and platform-as-a-service PaaS. Cloud-based software offers companies from all sectors a number of benefits, including the ability to use software from any device either via a native app or a browser.

As a result, users can carry their files and settings over to other devices in a completely seamless manner. Cloud computing is far more than just accessing files on multiple devices. Thanks to cloud computing services, users can check their email on any computer and even store files using services such as Dropbox and Google Drive.

It also offers big businesses huge cost-saving potential. Before the cloud became a viable alternative, companies were required to purchase, construct, and maintain costly information management technology and infrastructure. Companies can swap costly server centers and IT departments for fast Internet connections, where employees interact with the cloud online to complete their tasks.

The cloud structure allows individuals to save storage space on their desktops or laptops. It also lets users upgrade software more quickly because software companies can offer their products via the web rather than through more traditional, tangible methods involving discs or flash drives. For example, Adobe customers can access applications in its Creative Cloud through an Internet-based subscription. With all of the speed, efficiencies, and innovations that come with cloud computing, there are, naturally, risks.

Security has always been a big concern with the cloud especially when it comes to sensitive medical records and financial information. While regulations force cloud computing services to shore up their security and compliance measures, it remains an ongoing issue. Encryption protects vital information, but if that encryption key is lost, the data disappears. Servers maintained by cloud computing companies may fall victim to natural disasters, internal bugs, and power outages, too.

The geographical reach of cloud computing cuts both ways: A blackout in California could paralyze users in New York, and a firm in Texas could lose its data if something causes its Maine-based provider to crash. As with any technology, there is a learning curve for both employees and managers.

But with many individuals accessing and manipulating information through a single portal, inadvertent mistakes can transfer across an entire system. Businesses can employ cloud computing in different ways. Some users maintain all apps and data on the cloud, while others use a hybrid model, keeping certain apps and data on private servers and others on the cloud.

When it comes to providing services, the big players in the corporate computing sphere include:. Microsoft Azure allows clients to keep some data at their own sites. Meanwhile, Alibaba Cloud is a subsidiary of the Alibaba Group. Amazon Web Services.