Cloud
computing, since its inception, has brought about a sea change throughout the
globe by proving a boon to SMBs (Small & Mid-sized businesses, for which it
hits the sweet spot of entrepreneurs. However, the concept is still alien to
many business owners because of their lack of attention towards newly-emerging
technologies & latest industry know-how.
What is Cloud Computing??
For
those of us who’re ignorant about this fantastic technology, let’s understand
what exactly is cloud computing.
Cloud
computing is a sophisticated technology where one is not required to deploy
physical infrastructure like web servers, file & email servers, storage
systems or software, on their technology set-up and everything is available on
the web anywhere & anytime.
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| Cloud Computing |
Software as a Service (SAAS)
The
software-as-a-service – SAAS is a cloud based delivery model that involves the
installation, deployment & maintenance of the software in the cloud and
connects clients via Internet or Intranet. Software applications run on the
server that resides on the web cloud. A good example of SAAS models are hosted
shopping cart solutions that are popular among ecommerce online business owners
wherein companies like Shopify, Bigcommerce & Volusion etc host the
shopping carts on their servers and provide a complete ecommerce solution to
its clients. Online Shop owners need to pay a monthly subscription fee to avail
the service or can choose from low-cost annual plans & sell their products
on the web.
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| Software as a Service (SaaS) |
Platform as a service (PAAS)
This
model offers its users the application platforms, solution stacks &
databases as a service serving as a middleware platform through which a
customer can create an application or service using ready-made tools/libraries
from the provider while controlling the software deployment & configuration
settings. A good example of this is the Open Source Platforms that allow users
throughout the globe to develop applications on the platform by providing an
already made software under public license.
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Platform as a service (PAAS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IAAS)
This
cloud-based delivery model takes the whole physical hardware completely virtual
including all servers, networks, and storage & system management,
everything on the cloud. Put simply, this platform is more or less like a data
centres that mitigate the risk & maintain all hardware at the local level.
Development as a Service(DAAS)
Development
as a service is a web based platform that involves community shared development
tools which are equivalent to locally installed tools in the traditional cloud
delivery model. They are usually least opted by any kind of business.
Importance of Cloud Services for businesses
With
cloud services, entrepreneurs & consultants of small and mid-sized
businesses can reap the benefits of high performance solutions within a
low-cost investment. This is because cloud services save a lot of expenditure
that otherwise goes into infrastructure set-ups & software maintenance.
Plus, these solutions are available whenever you need them as everything gets
stored online & one can access the software and use it without actually
downloading them & installing. Also, storing the information on the cloud
makes it accessible from anywhere around the world that means you’ll have
hassle-free collaboration using the ubiquitous browser or otherwise, you might have
to take your IT infrastructure with you wherever you move, which is extremely
cumbersome.
To
add further, cloud services enable entrepreneurs to get access sophisticated
technology & run their business without the need of employing an IT
consultant or tech worker on the payroll, thus your human resource also gets
saved.
Today,
apart from a locally installed desktop operating system & browser, the
needs of a lot of small businesses can be easily fulfilled almost completely
with the cloud-based offerings. In fact, different surveys on cloud computing
reveal that the adoption of this technology is steadily increasing since the
year 2009. But what also came to light was cloud computing also comes with a
lot of concerns about security, stability & data ownership. Probably, this
is the reason that many businesses are still apprehensive of availing cloud
based services ignoring the vast advantages the technology has to offer.
Some widely popular Cloud Computing
Applications
There
are numerous applications, platforms & technologies concerning cloud
technology. However, some of them which are widely popular are discussed below
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1. Google
Apps for Business
This is a service offered by Google that uses
a domain name provided by the customer to provide several customizable versions
of Google products by featuring web applications with similar functionality.
This includes traditional office suits & other Google services like Gmail,
Hangouts, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Google News,
Google Play etc. For the first 3 days, it is free, however if you continue
using the service, you need to pay $5 per month for a single user account, or
alternatively, $50 per user-account per year. Also, you can use Google APPs
Marketplace provided by Google which is an app store that contains various free
& paid apps that can be installed by users to customize their business
experience.
2. Amazon
Web Services
Amazon Web Services is a collection of remote
computing services that combine together to make up a cloud computing platform
offered over the internet by the largest online company Amazon.
Through Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud),
the application platform provides scalable virtual private servers using Xen.
3. Appscale
Appscale is an open-source cloud computing
platform, modelled on APP Engine API that deploys Google App Engine
applications automatically & also scales it over popular public &
private cloud systems & clusters. Appscale provides developers with a
rapid, API-driven development platform that can run applications on any cloud
infrastructure.
4. Salesforce
Salesforce is a global cloud application
platform that is most popular for its CRM(Customer Relationship Management)
solutions & related products. It is basically a SAAS cloud based delivery
model that houses the sales automation software.
5. HP
Converged Cloud
HP Cloud is the set of cloud solutions
available from Hewlett- Packard that offers 4 clouds – public cloud, private
cloud, hybrid cloud and managed private cloud.
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