Cloud computing is a technology whose main objective is to provide many types of computing services such as servers, databases, storage, analytics, networking capabilities, software etc. In cloud computing, cloud refers to the global network of servers that are accessed over the internet.
With the help of cloud computing, we can perform many operations like storage and recovery of data, development of applications, backup of data etc.
Cloud computing eliminates the need and expense of owning hardware resources. Some examples of cloud computing are Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft 365, Gmail.
There are three main types of cloud which are:
- Private cloud
- Public cloud
- Hybrid cloud
Characteristics and Evolution of Cloud Computing
Characteristics of Cloud Computing
• On Demand Self service
On Demand self-services are the services provided by cloud computing companies without the need for human interaction with the service providers.
This is beneficial for both service providers and customers. This service allows the user to easily access the services they want.
One of the benefits of on demand service is that users can deploy or remove the resources immediately without human intervention.
• Resource Pooling
In cloud computing, resource Pooling is a condition in which cloud service providers pool the resources to provide them to multiple clients and these resources are adjusted according to the needs of the client.
• Rapid Elasticity
Rapid Elasticity is an term that refers to the ability to scale the cloud resources up and down according to the user's demand.
Rapid Elasticity is an important characteristic of the cloud computing.
• Broad Network Access
Broad network access refers to the cloud resources that can be accessed from different locations and different devices such as Macs, PCs tablets, smartphones, laptops etc.
With broad network access, users can access cloud resources from anywhere and anytime which is beneficial for both cloud resources providers and the users.
• Measured Services
Measured services in cloud computing are beneficial for both service providers and their customers. This service provides usage accounts to both customers and service providers.
It tracks the utilization of cloud resources in the cloud. Measured services are based on pay - per - use model in which the customer pays according to the resources used.
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Roots of Cloud computing | Evolution of Cloud Computing
Cloud computing has evolved a lot in the last few years. Many businesses have grown by adopting this technology. Technologies which played a huge role in the evolution of cloud computing are:
• Distributed systems
In a distributed system, multiple components are connected over a network and appear as a coherent system. These components are also called nodes. In cloud computing a single job is distributed among several computers or systems where each computer does its specific task so that the task can be completed quickly.
• Mainframe Computing
Mainframe computing is used by large organizations because it can deal with huge amounts of data. Mainframe computers are used for Mainframe computing. They can perform various tasks like processing bulk data and exchanging hardware etc. But Main computing is very expensive.
• Cluster Computing
In cluster computing, many computers work together and act as a single entity where each computer linked to the network is called a node.
In cluster computing, all the computers are linked together with the help of specialized network connections. Cluster computing can be resized by removing or adding nodes.
• Grid Computing
Grid computing was first introduced in the1990s. in grid computing, nodes are placed in different geographical locations but connected by the same network. Grid computing is used to solve complex issues that can be solved on a single computer.
• Virtualization in cloud computing
It was introduced about 40 years ago. Virtualization is the creation of a virtual layer over the hardware. By virtualization, multiple instances can be run simultaneously on the hardware.
• Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is an interface with which cloud computing services interact with clients. Popular examples of Web 2.0 are Facebook, Google maps, TikTok etc.
• Utility computing
In utility computing, service providers provide on demand service to the user according to their needs. In utility computing, instead of charging pre-determined fees, service providers charge users only for those services that the user has actually used. Customers can scale up and down according to their requirements.
For example, a user pays his electricity bill for the amount of power actually consumed. Similarly, utility computing employs the pay-per-use business model.
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