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Cloud Computing (Storing Data In The Clouds) August 6, 2011

A  few Years ago, I was making my internship before graduation in UAEU. I was more than happy that the manager allow us (internee) to attend a google presentation for the IT Department. It was about Storing Data In The Clouds,  I was really confused and thought he was talking about the clouds in the sky. Then I forgot that idea till I found that topic again yesterday under the name Cloud Computing. Thus I decide that I have to understand it correctly this time, so here we go:

Data in the cloud ( The Simple Idea) :

Its data being stored on a server somewhere, you can get your hands on whenever and wherever using an Internet connection. For example Google and Microsoft documents which u can access using your e-mail.

Cloud computing :

Is a technology that uses the internet and central remote servers to maintain data and applications. Cloud computing allows consumers and businesses to use applications without installation and access their personal files at any computer with internet access. This technology allows for much more efficient computing by centralizing storage, memory, processing and bandwidth.

Cloud Computing Segments:

• Applications: Software as a Service (SaaS) deliver software as a service over the Internet, eliminating the need to install and run the application on the customer’s own computers and simplifying maintenance and support. On Demand software services come in a few different varieties which vary in their pricing scheme and how the software is delivered to the end users.
• Platform: known as Platform as a Service (PaaS), deliver a computing platform and/or solution stack as a service, often consuming cloud infrastructure and sustaining cloud applications. Many of the companies that started out providing On Demand application services have developed platform services as well. The platform segment of cloud computing refers to products that are used to deploy internet.
• Infrastructure: Cloud infrastructure services, also known as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), deliver computer infrastructure – typically a platform virtualization environment – as a service, along with raw (block) storage and networking. Rather than purchasing servers, software, data-center space or network equipment, clients instead buy those resources as a fully outsourced service.

Cloud Computing Deployment Models:

• Public Cloud:  A service provider makes resources, such as applications and storage, available to the general public over the Internet. Public cloud services may be free or offered on a pay-per-usage model.
• Community Cloud:  It may be established where several organizations have similar requirements and seek to share infrastructure so as to realize some of the benefits of cloud computing. The costs are spread over fewer users than a public cloud (but more than a single tenant). This option offers a higher level of privacy, security, and/or policy compliance.
• Hybrid Cloud:  Is a composition of at least one private cloud and at least one public cloud. It is typically offered in one of two ways: a vendor has a private cloud and forms a partnership with a public cloud provider, or a public cloud provider forms a partnership with a vendor that provides private cloud platforms. They are often useful for archiving and backup functions, allowing local data to be replicated to a public cloud.
• Private Cloud:  Is infrastructure operated solely for a single organisation, whether managed internally or by a third-party and hosted internally or externally.
• Combined Cloud: Two clouds that have been joined together are more correctly called a “combined cloud”. A combined cloud environment consisting of multiple internal and/or external providers

Benefits of Storing Data in the Cloud:

Storing your data in cloud is very flexible. The data will be stored in multiple sites that are geographically apart. Cloud storage is highly reliable. You can access the data in any place in the world. Furthermore, cloud storage keeps your data secured. It uses 256-bit AES encryption for the stored data, SSL encryption for transferred data.