The cloud – what is it and why is it important? Like the name suggests, the idea of the cloud feels lofty and hard to grasp. Simply put, cloud computing is the practice of using a network hosted on the Internet, or “the cloud,” to store, manage, and process data. This means you won’t have to maintain or own any hosting equipment.
People use cloud computing to do everything from streaming videos and hosting websites to delivering software. Companies who offer cloud computing are called cloud service providers (CSP), like Sevaa Group! Most CSPs are built on AWS, Google, or Azure. However, Sevaa Group owns all of our own equipment, making us our own cloud provider. All in all, this means that we’ll manage everything for you including security measures, updates, and any server issues.
Types of Cloud Computing
CSPs fall into three main categories. These are often referred to as the cloud computing stack.
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)
- IaaS is the most common type of cloud computing. With this layout, you rent IT infrastructure, like storage, networks, and servers, that would traditionally exist in a physical datacenter. Instead, the IaaS provider hosts your infrastructure in their own datacenter, so you don’t have to worry about it. Hosting with an IaaS is appealing due to the promise of scalability. However, managed hosting isn’t always guaranteed, and there’s a substantial amount of configuration required to get your project up and running.
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)
- PaaS vendors include more of the application stack and offer cloud infrastructure and services. They might also provide products and services like software developing, testing, and maintenance. In fact, Sevaa Group is a PaaS vendor. We offer software development, hosting, and IT management all on our own servers.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
- SaaS usually uses a subscription approach to deliver applications over the Internet on demand. In summary, SaaS cloud providers host and manage the software application, infrastructure, and any maintenance. Users then access the application over the Internet through a browser on their device.
6 Advantages of the Cloud
Cost
- Cloud computing works on a pay-as-you-go basis. You only pay for what you use, similar to a utility bill. This eliminates the need to spend money on the hardware that comes with hosting on a server. And, instead of worrying about servers, you’ll be able to focus on your business.
Quick Accessibility
- Many cloud computing services come on-demand, so increasing computing resources can happen efficiently.
Scalability
- With cloud computing, you have the ability to scale elastically. In other words, your website or app receives the right amount of resources (bandwidth, storage, etc.) when it needs them.
Optimal Performance
- Sevaa Group’s cloud computing services run through secure local data centers that our Systems Administrators regularly maintain.
Easily Transferred Information
- The easy accessibility that comes with the cloud computing makes it a very simple process to share information across the globe.
Reliability
- In cloud computing, data backups occur routinely making disaster recovery easy and inexpensive. Data can be found on multiple devices at redundant sites on the cloud provider’s network.
Cloud Deployments
There are three types of cloud deployments:
Public Cloud
- Cloud service providers completely own public clouds. Businesses and individuals then create and access their accounts through a browser. All servers and infrastructures in public clouds are handled over the internet.