A model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources e.g., networks, server, storage, application, and services; that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.
It is like electricity, wherein a consumer simply plugs in an electrical application to a socket and turns it on. The consumer is typically unaware of how the electricity is generated or distributed and only pays for electricity used. Similarly, to the cloud consumers, the cloud is an abstraction of IT infrastructure from which they hire IT resources as services without the risks and costs associated with owning the resources. Consumers pay only for the services that they use, either based on a subscription or based on resource consumption.
Cloud computing has become an integral element of any successfull digital transformation strategy.
Cloud service offering example
- Secured online backup service – for example, backup my files, so that I can retrieve them from anywhere, anytime
- On-demand computing resources – for example, the organization needs to grow but cannot spend much on server and storage
- Trial on a wide variety of platforms/infrastructure – for example, the organization wants to test the software before investing
- Access on-demand – for example, word processing application for a brief period
- Rent resources temporarily – for example, cannot afford investment for seasonal peaks
- User latest technology – For example, lacks the required storage infrastructure
Traditional IT vs. Cloud computing
| Traditional IT | Cloud computing |
| IT resources are owned and managed | IT resources are rented as services |
| Needs considerable time to acquire and provision resources | On-demand resource provisioning and scalability |
| Lack of ability to support needed business agility | Self-Service provisioning of resources |
| IT resources are planned for peak usage | Resource consumption is metered |
| Underutilized resources | Provides business agility and high utilization |
| High Capital expenditure | Offers reduced capital expenditure |
Essential characteristics of cloud computing
- On-demand self-service – A consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as virtual machines, networks, and storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with each service provider.
- Broad network access – Capabilities are available over the network and access through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms.
- Resource Pooling – A resource pool is a logical abstraction of aggregated computing resources, such as processing power, memory capacity, storage, and network bandwidth, that are managed centrally. resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers. This is known as the multi-tenant model. Multi-tenancy refers to an architecture in which multiple independent consumers or tenants are serviced by using a single set of resources.
- Rapid Elasticity – Ability of consumers to quickly request, receive, and later release as many resources as needed up to a limit defined for each cloud service.
- Measured Service – A cloud has a metering system that measures the resources consumption and helps in generating bills for the consumers, based on the resources used by them.
Cloud computing benefits?
- Reduced IT costs – rent any resources based on pay per use or subscription model
- Business agility – provision quickly and at any time
- High availability – redundant infrastructure components
- The flexibility of access – access from anywhere over a network from any device
- Flexible scaling – unilaterally and automatically scale resources to meet the workload demand
- Simplified infrastructure management – the cloud infrastructure is managed by the provider and only manages resources that you are required
- Business continuity – mitigate the impact of downtime and can recover quickly
- Increased collaboration – by sharing and accessing resources and information simultaneously from any location
Cloud Service Brokerage (CBS)
An entity that manages the user, performance, and delivery of cloud services, and negotiates relationships between cloud providers and cloud consumers. Cloud broker provides services in three categories:
- Service intermediation – broker enhances and adds value to a given service. Some improvements in the capability:
- Identity management
- Performance reporting
- Security enhancement
- Access management of cloud services
- Service aggregation – the broker combines and integrates multiple services into new services
- Service arbitrage – Is like service aggregation, with the exception that the services being combined may vary and the broker has the flexibility to choose services from multiple service providers.
Examples of such brokers are Appirio and Dell Boomi.