Cloud computing is internet-based computing in which large groups of
remote servers are networked to allow sharing of data-processing tasks,
centralized data storage, and online access to computer services or resources.
Clouds can be classified as public, private or hybrid.
The term "moving to cloud"
also refers to an organization moving away from a traditional
CAPEX model (buy the dedicated hardware and
depreciate it over a period of time)
To
OPEX model (use a shared cloud infrastructure and pay as one uses
it).
Cloud computing allows companies to avoid
upfront infrastructure costs, and focus on projects
Cloud vendors are experiencing growth
rates of 50% per annum.
The popularization of the term
can be traced to 2006 when Amazon.com introduced the Elastic Compute Cloud.
Cloud computing exhibits the following key characteristics:
- Agility improves with users' ability to
re-provision technological infrastructure resources
- Cost reductions claimed by cloud providers.
- Device and location independence.
- Maintenance of cloud computing applications is
easier.
Multitenancy enables
sharing of resources and costs across a large pool of users thus allowing for:
- Centralization of infrastructure in locations
with lower costs (such as real estate, electricity, etc.)
- Peak-load capacity increases (users need not
engineer for highest possible load-levels)
- Utilisation and efficiency improvements for
systems that are often only 10–20% utilised.
- On-demand self-service.
- Broad network access.
- Resource pooling.
- Rapid elasticity.
Why is cloud required?
Let's say you're an executive
at a large corporation:
Your particular responsibilities include
making sure that all of your employees have the right hardware and software
they need to do their jobs.
Buying computers
for everyone isn't enough -- you also have to purchase software or software
licenses to give employees the tools they require.
Whenever you have a new hire, you have to buy
more software or make sure your current software license allows another user.
It's so stressful that you find it difficult
to go to relax on your huge pile of money every day.
Soon, there may be an
alternative for executives like you!
Instead of installing a suite of
software for each computer, you'd only have to load one application. That
application would allow workers to log into a Web-based service which hosts all
the programs the user would need for his or her job.
Remote machines owned by another company would
run everything from e-mail to word processing to complex data analysis
programs.
This is what cloud computing
is all about and it could change the entire computer industry.
In a cloud computing system,
there's a significant workload shift. Local computers no longer have to do all
the heavy lifting when it comes to running applications. The network of
computers that make up the cloud handles them instead.
Hardware and software demands on
the user's side decrease. The only thing the user's computer needs to be able
to run is the cloud computing system's interface software,
which can be as simple as a Web browser, and the cloud's network takes care of
the rest.
There's a good chance you've
already used some form of cloud computing. If you have an e-mail account with a
Web-based e-mail service like Gmail then you've had some experience with cloud
computing.
Instead of running an e-mail program on your
computer, you log in to a WEB e-mail
account remotely. The software and storage for your account doesn't exist on
your computer -- it's on the service's computer cloud.
Cloud
Computing Architecture
When talking about a cloud computing system, it's helpful to divide it
into two sections:
The front end (The side
the computer user, or client sees).
AND
The back
end (The back end is the "cloud" section of the system).
They connect to each other
through a network usually the Internet.
The front end includes the client's computer (or computer network) and
the application required to access the cloud computing system. Not all cloud
computing systems have the same user interface. Services like Web-based e-mail programs
leverage existing Web browsers like Google Chrome or any standard android
mobile browser. Other systems have unique applications that provide network
access to clients.
On the back end of the system are the various computers, servers and
data storage systems that create the "cloud" of computing services.
In theory, a cloud computing system could include practically any computer
program you can imagine, from data processing to video games. Usually, each application
will have its own dedicated server.
A central server administers the system, monitoring traffic and client
demands to ensure everything runs smoothly.
It follows a set of rules called protocols
and uses a special kind of software called middleware.
Middleware allows networked
computers to communicate with each other. Most of the time, servers don't run
at full capacity. That means there's unused processing power going to waste.
It's possible to fool a physical server into thinking it's actually multiple servers,
each running with its own independent operating system. The technique is called
server virtualization. By maximizing the output of individual servers, server
virtualisation reduces the need for more physical machines.
If a cloud computing company has a lot of clients, there's likely to be
a high demand for a lot of storage space. Some companies require hundreds of
digital storage devices. Cloud computing systems need at least twice the number
of storage devices it requires to keep all its clients' information stored.
That's because these devices,
like all computers, occasionally break down. A cloud computing system must make
a copy of all its clients' information and store it on other devices.
The copies enable the central
server to access backup machines to retrieve data that otherwise would be
unreachable.
Making copies of data as a backup
is called redundancy.
Want to know more and do a free certification course Register Now.
Below is a introduction to Google Drive:
Google Drive on the web
Use Google Drive on
the web to store and organize all your files. You get 15 GB of free storage
across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google+ Photos. If you run out, you can buy more
storage.
With Google Drive on
the web, you can:
- Create, add, or upload a file with a single button.
- Easily find and add shared files.
- Single-click a file to select it and double-click to
open it.
- Drag and drop files and folders, just like you do on
your desktop.
- Share files with others and choose what they can do
with them: view, comment, or edit.
- Access your files even when you’re not connected to
the Internet.
Google Drive on your mobile device
If you’re on the go,
you can still access all of your files. Just download Google Drive on your
phone or tablet and you’re all set.
With Google Drive on
your mobile device, you can:
- View, share, and organize your files.
- Upload and store new files directly from your phone
or tablet.
- Print files from your mobile device.
- Scan important documents using the camera on your
mobile device.
- Access your files even when you’re not connected to
the Internet.
Google Drive on your computer
Download Google Drive
on your Mac/PC to keep files on your desktop synced with your files stored on
the web. This means that anything you share, move, modify, or put in the trash
will be reflected in Google Drive on the web the next time your computer syncs.
With Google Drive on
your Mac/PC, you can:
- Drag files into and out of the folder.
- Rename files.
- Move files and folders around.
- Edit and save files.
- Move files to trash.
- Access your files even when you’re not connected to
the Internet.
By Ninad Naik,
Member,
Google Club,
SYIT.
