What is a Cloud Computing Technology?

A cloud system or cloud computing technology refers to the computing components (hardware, software and infrastructure) that enable the delivery of cloud computing services such as: SaaS (software as a service), PaaS (platform as a service) and IaaS (infrastructure as service) via a network (i.e. the Internet).
Cloud system user’s access computing services using web browsers, which represents a computing model that shifts the computing workload to a remote location. Internet based email applications are a prime example of a cloud system that provides a platform for the delivery electronic messaging services. Cloud computing is also sometimes referred to as utility computing, since consumer usage of cloud systems is metered and billed in a manner similar to a commodity like water or electric services.

Types of Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing is multiplying, resulting in it being classified into several different categories. However, out of various categories, there are six that stand out. These six categories are further divided into two parts: the category of cloud-based deployment and the category of cloud-based services.
Cloud Computing is divided into three categories based on deployment, including:

• Public cloud

Public clouds are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service providers, which deliver their computing resources like servers and storage over the Internet. Microsoft Azure is an example of a public cloud. With a public cloud, all hardware, software and other supporting infrastructure is owned and managed by the cloud provider. You access these services and manage your account using a web browser.

• Private cloud
Private cloud is a cloud environment in which all cloud infrastructure and computing resources are dedicated to, and accessible by, one customer only. Private cloud combines many of the benefits of cloud computing—including elasticity, scalability, and ease of service delivery—with the access control, security, and resource customization of on-premises infrastructure.

A private cloud is typically hosted on-premises in the customer’s data center. Many companies choose private cloud over public cloud because private cloud is an easier way (or the only way) to meet their regulatory compliance requirements.

• Hybrid cloud
As the name suggests, a hybrid cloud is a combination of both public and private clouds. Generally, hybrid cloud customers host their business-critical applications on their own servers for more security and control, and store their secondary applications at the cloud provider’s location.
The remaining three categories are divided based on the services they offer, including:

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

IaaS contains the basic building blocks for cloud IT. It typically provides access to networking features, computers (virtual or on dedicated hardware), and data storage space. IaaS gives you the highest level of flexibility and management control over your IT resources. It is most similar to the existing IT resources with which many IT departments and developers are familiar.

• Platform as a Service (PaaS)

PaaS removes the need for you to manage underlying infrastructure (usually hardware and operating systems), and allows you to focus on the deployment and management of your applications. This helps you be more efficient as you don’t need to worry about resource procurement, capacity planning, software maintenance, patching, or any of the other undifferentiated heavy lifting involved in running your application.

• Software as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS provides you with a complete product that is run and managed by the service provider. In most cases, people referring to SaaS are referring to end-user applications (such as web-based email). With a SaaS offering, you don’t have to think about how the service is maintained or how the underlying infrastructure is managed. You only need to think about how you will use that particular software.

There are certain technologies working behind the cloud computing platforms making cloud computing flexible, reliable, and usable.
These Cloud Computing Technologies are listed below:

• Virtualization

Virtualization in Cloud Computing is nothing but a creation of virtual resource such as the desktop operating system, physical storage into virtual form. Virtualizations can also manage workload by transforming traditional computing, to make it more scalable.
We can apply it to a wide range of system layers, including hardware level virtualizations, server virtualizations, storage virtualization and operating system level virtualization. One of the major uses of virtualization is to provide the application with a standard version of the cloud clients.

• Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)

This element of cloud technology allows organizations to access cloud based computing solutions with features that can be modified on demand, as business needs change. Service Oriented Architecture allows independent web services to communicate with each other via the Internet in real time, providing the flexibility that is required to rapidly reconfigure the service delivery for a specific cloud computing offering. SOA places the responsibility and costs of development, deployment and maintenance of web service components on the web services provider, which allows a web services consumer to access various web services without the expense or overhead that is associated with traditional methods of IT services delivery.

• Grid Computing

One of the other technologies used in cloud computing is grid computing, which allows for multiple computer resources to combine and interact to achieve a common objective. Grid computing is particularly beneficial when large-scale computing tasks are undertaken and are too burdensome for one individual computing resource to handle. Such a job is broken down into smaller components and distributed among the grid. The computing resources within the grid communicate with each other and work together to solve the problem.

• Utility Computing

Utility computing is the most trending IT service model. It provides on-demand computing resources (computation, storage, and programming services via API) and infrastructure based on the pay per use method. It minimizes the associated costs and maximizes the efficient use of resources. Users can subscribe to preferred services and only pay for those services without undertaking a massive initial expenditure. This offers flexibility for users who wish to change or discontinue the usage of a cloud service.

Summary of Cloud Computing Technology

Cloud Computing has taken the world by storm. Many organizations that thought they can build their applications with their know-how and tools have now started realizing the benefits of Cloud Computing. This realization has resulted in a steep increase in the adoption of cloud technologies.

Hence, there are lots of benefits of cloud computing such as getting an extension number of users without buying for getting the permission of any of these applications. So overall there are many efficient technologies of Cloud Computing which are beneficial on daily basis.