Cloud computing - an overview of everything important

Cloud computing is on everyone's lips and is also gaining increasing recognition among SMEs. According to a study by the Crisp Institute (2015, 222 SMEs), around 25.2% of SMEs productively use a cloud service. 25.9% rely on a hybrid cloud solution, while 27.5% use a public cloud in the company. As many as 33.9% work via a private cloud solution.

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So one thing at a time ...

These figures are only intended to give a rough overview of how cloud computing is becoming increasingly recognized and, above all, used. A cloud is increasingly seen as an infrastructural good like electricity from the socket or water from the tap. The required computing power is simply obtained from the Internet, server farms enable the provision of fast connections and high storage capacities, which are sold to end users. The offering ranges from demand-based performance to scalable data centers.

Here you can gain an insight into the various delivery and service models and find out how you can implement an individual cloud solution with Singhammer IT Consulting.

The definition of the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) characterizes the five most important properties of a cloud:

On-demand self-service: Users should request the resources they need themselves without having to contact third parties.
Broad Network Access: Access is via the Internet using standardized methods. This ensures problem-free access to the server at all times.
Resource pooling: Several computing instances are combined in the form of server farms. This means that capacities are allocated dynamically and several users can use the computing power and storage capacity at the same time.
Rapid elasticity: If required, capacities are allocated quickly and in line with demand. Automatisms help to ensure uniformity.
Measured service: Usage is monitored at all times to ensure a high level of transparency for users and providers.

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Infrastrucure-as-a-Service (Iaas)

IaaS is the broadest service model for cloud computing, which serves as the basis for the other models, but is also offered as a separate service. As a virtual data center including processing power, storage space and network technology, it forms the independent cloud computing infrastructure. One example is the Amazon cloud.

Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

PaaS provides a complete development environment that has already been set up. It is therefore aimed at software developers, for example, who want to save costs for the provision and maintenance of infrastructure. The ability to integrate your own applications makes PaaS very flexible, but requires programming skills. One example is Microsoft Azure.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

SaaS is aimed at the end user who does not want to worry about installing or maintaining the software. Provision to the user is usually at fixed periodic prices. They can operate the software via a web browser using a separate program, e.g. an app. One example is Microsoft Office 365.

The deployment models are differentiated according to the number of users. For example, it is important whether one or more people or one or more companies should have access to a cloud.

Here you will find an overview of the most common delivery models.

Private cloud

Private clouds are individually encrypted and are only available to a group of users such as a company. It can either be located locally as an internal cloud. Or, for example, the server farm of a hosting provider is used, whereby other users do not have access to this capacity.

Public cloud

The public cloud realizes the basic idea of a data cloud: many people from different circles use the server and computing power of the cloud provided. It is not clear who uses which hardware.

Community cloud

With a community cloud, the user receives an independent hardware service from a selected group of users, such as colleagues, business partners or an administrative authority.

Hybrid cloud

This is a hybrid form of private and public cloud. The user decides for themselves which data should or may remain in the private cloud and which in the public cloud. For example, the storage of the private cloud can be used for sensitive data, while the public cloud web services are used to process certain tasks. The public cloud can also provide SaaS services

Cloud computing is a recommended solution to save time and money, especially for SMEs. Mapping the IT infrastructure on your own servers is complex and costs a lot of money. It requires constant maintenance, specialist personnel and - due to current data protection regulations, for example - cost-intensive security measures.

Furthermore, it is difficult to estimate demand. For example, fast-growing start-ups are often not in a position to make cost-optimized forecasts. Demand-based scaling and billing is a profitable solution here. Hosting providers have their own security personnel, fire safety officers and provide the necessary capacities in accordance with the relevant standards and requirements. Regular file backups are often even part of the offer. In summary, the advantages of cloud computing are obvious:

No acquisition costs
No capital commitment
Scalable as required
No own specialist staff
Optimum maintenance and safety
Everything from a single source: network, storage space, software

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