We all keep hearing the term “Cloud Services” or “Cloud Computing, but what is it referring to? The Internet has for many years been referred to as the Cloud, with TCP/IP being the suite of protocols used to make the Internet function. Data goes into the cloud and is delivered to another area of the World determined by a unique destination IP Address.
Cloud computing is constantly evolving, but is essentially a network infrastructure with servers, platforms, applications and storage facilities. A network of shared resources that can be quickly provisioned in response to customer demand. If you need computer storage space for a day, a week or a year, there are many providers who will offer that service for a competitive price. Cloud Computing allows us to have an On-Demand service from anywhere in the World, provided we have an Internet connection.
There are quite a few service models evolving, but the fundamental service models are – IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), SaaS (Software as a Service)
Software as a Service (SaaS) allows subscribers to use the Cloud Provider’s software applications running on their infrastructure from a subscribers terminals connected to the Internet. It often requires the use of Thin Client software running through a local Web Browser application. The subscriber merely uses the provider’s network with all its complexity to carry out the required tasks.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) allows the subscriber to use computer or server platforms to host and run their own applications. The provider controls the use of the infrastructure, platforms and services. The subscriber controls the use of their own applications and the environment they run in.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides the subscriber with an infrastructure over which to conduct their network operations. The subscriber is given control of specific infrastructure such as servers, operating systems, storage devices and security devices to name a few.
This article relating to Cloud Computing was written by David Christie, MD at NSTUK Ltd, Website http://www.nstuk.com.
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