What is cloud computing?
- Cloud computing is a set of pooled
computing resources delivered over
the Internet - Cloud computing has become widely used in the
last decade.
Cloud Computing Definition: (NIST)
Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient,
on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g., networks,
servers, storage, applications, and services) that can
be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal
management effort or service provider interaction.
Essential Characteristics of Cloud Computing
– On-demand self-service
– Broad network access
– Resource pooling
– Rapid elasticity
– Measured service
Advantages of Cloud Computing for a Company
A company using the cloud simply pays for the
resources they use, as they use them.
– infinite elasticity (“Scalability”)
– customers no longer need to predict traffic
– not reliant on one machine or one person
Economic advantages of Cloud Computing
– Economies of scale by cloud providers
* Pooled hardware and personnel resources
* Bulk purchases
– No capital cost to users (PAYG)
Community Cloud Computing
Shares infrastructure between several organizations from a
specific community with common concerns e.g. universities. The costs are spread over fewer users than a public cloud.
Public Cloud Computing
Traditional mainstream sense, resources are dynamically provisioned to the general public on a fine-grained, self-service basis over the Internet
Hybrid Cloud Computing
Composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together, offering the benefits of multiple deployment models
Private Cloud Computing
Single organisation, not a great model.
SaaS - Software as a service
– User can run software on cloud service
– e.g. Google Apps, Salesforce.com,Office 365
* In Software as a Service (SaaS), an application
service provider (ASP) supplies an application to
customers on demand.
* In cloud SaaS, the user typically has a browser
only.
– The application and data are downloaded to the
client PC as needed.
* With cloud SaaS today, there is a broad range of
applications available.
PaaS - Platform as a service (PaaS)
– User can run their own software on cloud service
– E.g. researcher might run programs using the Irish
Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC) or using
Virtual Machines on Google or Amazon
IaaS - Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
– User can run operating systems and
comprehensive applications on a cloud platform
* In traditional utility computing, a company
offloads server processing work to another
company at a remote site.
* In cloud utility computing,
– this processing job received by cloud service
provider, and
– data is sent over the Internet to be processed
- Unlike in SaaS, the application is not managed by
the cloud provider—only processing power and
storage.
Benefits of Cloud Computing
- Cost effectiveness
– Reduces capital
expenditure - Flexibility
– Easily scalable - Availability
– Anytime, anywhere - Simplicity
– Ready-made solutions
Issues with Cloud Computing
- Reliability
– Performance/Downtime
– Without Internet access, the application is unusable - Control
– Cloud provider may go out of business
– Loss of control – lock-in to proprietary software
– Security: is company’s data vulnerable? - Legal complications:
– Data protection?
– In what jurisdiction is the cloud?
– security audits, will the cloud provider allow this? - Tech failure in these providers affect a large number of businesses
- Growing concern over the market power of these large organisations
- Data protection is a key current issue
Cloud in Ireland
- Dublin has emerged as a cloud computing hub
with government support
– Amazon Web Services
– Microsoft
– Google
– IBM - Irish data centres meet requirements of EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The “cloudiness” of Ireland does actually favour cloud computing! A moderate temperature range and few hot days suit data centres which require cooling.
