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Cloud Computing: Overview, Types, Advantages and Disadvantages

What is Cloud technology? What is it for? Is it useful? What are its advantages and disadvantages? These are just few questions we ask our-self or others about this technology. Why shouldn’t we….it is everywhere.

In layman’s term, it is a medium of storing data on internet rather than your computer’s hard drive, however, it is so much more than this, it is our past(we had been using this technology for quite sometime now), our present(we are currently working and dependent on this) and our future as well(many projects are being worked upon based on this technology).

Moving on…few of us still wonders, why we need Cloud technology? The reason is that what we have now is data…our precious data.. whether it’s a personal data, company data or a country’s data, we have a huge load of data and we need a safe and convenient medium to store that data. Cloud Storage is the answer to that.

Cloud storage is basically a way of storing data online on server-side instead of your local memory, this saves humongous space on your end, and provides you the luxury to access your data from anywhere via Internet. There are basically 4 types of Cloud storage available. And there are tools like webvar.com that help you keep your cloud safe.

Types of Cloud Storage

Mobile Cloud Storage

We generally use this type of cloud storage in our life when we sync all our mobile data like images, documents, songs etc online as we can at least have our data secured in case our mobile gets stolen or damaged.

Private Cloud Storage

Today, many companies and enterprises needs a secure platform to save their data against any theft or mischievous activities, and private cloud storage is the answer.

The company having a cloud storage can create a data center in user’s space and can apply required gateways to restrict any unauthorized access.

Also see:

Public Cloud Storage

This is the type of cloud of cloud we, as individuals can use. You can subscribe for any of the cloud storage tools available and can get yourself a cloud space where you can save your data and access it via internet from anywhere around the world or any other person who has your credentials can also access have to the same. Some of applications you can are Google Drive, One Drive etc. I would want to keep my password safe and I would suggest you do the same!

Hybrid Cloud

It is what we can call as a combination of public and private cloud storage. You can make some of your data available publicly and if you want to make some data private, then you can choose this type of cloud storage medium. Hybrid cloud storage is often used to supplement internal storage with public cloud storage. Policy engines keep frequently used data on-site while simultaneously moving inactive data to the cloud in a transparent manner.

Cloud in Business

It’s a totally different thing when you use a cloud as an individual and as an enterprise. When you are ready to implement a cloud infrastructure for your company, then I would suggest that you go through by the various services available for deploying a cloud infrastructure.

SAAS: Software As A Service

Here, the business subscribes to an application accessible via Internet. SAAS represents the largest quickly growing market. It means that it uses the web to deliver services and maintenance of application is also handled by the respective vendors. Thanks to this web feature, SAAS eliminates the requirement for any prior installation, but sometime, it can require a plugin.

Examples: Google Apps, Cisco WebEx, Workday, Concur

PAAS: Platform As Service 

When you want to go for Customized application, then you can use PAAS. It provides a platform to developers to create and develop application. With this technology, enterprise operations, or a third-party provider, can manage OSes, virtualization, servers, storage, networking, and the PaaS software itself. Developers, however, manage the applications. The PAAS enterprise can be delivered through a Hybrid model or a pure private model.

Example: Apprenda(Provider of Private cloud for .net and java)

IAAS: Infrastructure As A Service

IAAS are self-service models for accessing, monitoring, and managing remote datacenter infrastructures, such as compute, storage, networking, and networking services (e.g. firewalls). Instead of having to purchase hardware outright, users can purchase IaaS based on consumption, similar to electricity or other utility billing.

Compared to SaaS and PaaS, IaaS users are responsible for managing applications, data, runtime, middleware, and OSes. Providers still manage virtualization, servers, hard drives, storage, and networking.

Example: Amazon Web Services, Google Compute Engine

Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing

Advantages

  • Storage and Scalability
  • Backup and Disaster Recovery
  • Mobility
  • Cost Efficient: Saves per- user cost
  • Easy access to information
  • Quick Deployment
  • Automatic Software Integration

Disadvantages

  • No Control and reliability
  • Lack of Security, Privacy and compliance
  • Inflexibility
  • Technical Issues
  • Prone to Attack

We have included just some basis information regarding this quickly growing technology, there is so much more remaining and we will surely share it with you very soon. Stay Updated our fellow Readers!

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