A Beginner's Guide to Cloud Services
Cloud services is arnterm that refers to on-demand access to computer network resources,rnspecifically data storage and processing power, by the user without activerndirect management from the provider. The term is usually used to refer to largernscale data centres located over the Internet, which are available to a numberrnof users simultaneously. There are many applications for these services,rnhowever, many organizations simply do not understand what cloud services are orrnhow they can benefit their organization.
One of the most commonrnuses of cloud services in the business world is with the help of third partyrnproviders. For instance, if your organization is currently using a server, yournwill have to pay for it, or purchase it, on a monthly or yearly basis,rndepending on how large or small your business is. When you use cloud services,rnyou do not need to invest any money into hardware or software as part of yourrnbusiness. Instead, you will be able to use all of your data centre resourcesrndirectly through the cloud, leaving your organization to focus on other things,rnsuch as customer service and marketing.
There are threernprimary types of cloud services: public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud.rnIn this article, we'll focus on the public cloud. A public cloud is a systemrnwhich allows users to rent the resources for the purposes of their own privaternor business needs, and it can be accessed by anyone who has an internetrnconnection. Some examples of public cloud providers include Google Cloud,rnAmazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and IBM. These companies rent out theirrnown hardware and software to their customers, which can also be accessed byrnanyone who has internet access.
Private cloud, or SaaSrn(Software as a Service), is a very interesting model, because you don'trnactually pay for any of the resources you use. Instead, you purchase licensesrnto use the resources you want. Typically, this includes operating systems,rnapplication hosting, and database services. Private cloud providers typicallyrnallow you to use the resources you want, at an unlimited level. Because you arernpaying for your own resources and not the provider's, you are able to use themrnas you wish. This can be great for organizations that don't want to invest arnlot of capital into their infrastructure. However, some organizations havernfound that they do not have the resources required to operate an entire privaterncloud service infrastructure.
Hybrid cloud is a mixrnof public and private cloud services, with some private aspects. It'srnessentially a combination of a public cloud and a dedicated server. Forrnexample, instead of having your own server, you can lease or buy dedicatedrnservers that will host the resources you need, but you still use the internetrnconnection for all your business-related applications and activities. Thernbenefit of this model is that you can take advantage of both the benefits of arncloud service, while not having to invest any money into the serversrnthemselves.
The biggest mistakernmany organizations make when using cloud services is to assume they will alwaysrnoffer the best value to their customers. Although there may be some providersrnthat charge the highest rates, you can also find a service that offers lowrnprices for the same features and benefits. By evaluating the pros and cons ofrnevery service, you should be able to get an idea of what your business canrnactually use without spending too much money on your computing resources.