The Pandemic: Driven New Age of Cloud Computing

By VNS Surendra Chimakurthi

The Pandemic Driven New Age of Cloud Computing

While it is difficult to tell what is coming up next with the pandemic, what is easier to predict is how much digital transformation will be accelerated. Digital transformation already bega

• Language: English
• Publisher: Venkata Naga Satya Surendra Chimakurthi
• Release date: Nov 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9785556916005

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1. Cloud Computing

The cloud revolution began about 15 years ago, and it has already brought about great benefits for organizations on a global scale. In 2020 alone, the key cloud service providers in the top three positions amassed about US$100 billion total in revenue. Cloud computing refers to the delivery of Information Technology (IT) services over the internet (or the ‘cloud’) on an on-demand basis, where you pay only for the services that you use. These services include databases, analytics, networking, storage, intelligence, and software. Companies worldwide are increasingly shifting away from on-premise technology deployments and moving toward cloud-based technologies. This means that instead of investing in purchasing, owning, and maintaining your own physical servers and data centers, you get to use services available on the cloud as you need.

1.1 Types of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing can be classified into three categories: public; private, and; hybrid. A public cloud is delivered to you via the internet and is shared across organizations. A private one, in contrast, is dedicated to your organization alone. A hybrid cloud is where you have access to both private and public clouds. Each comes with benefits and disadvantages. For instance, if you use a public cloud, you will not have to incur maintenance costs, the pricing is more flexible, it is less complex to use the cloud, and it is more agile and flexible. However, you also have little control over the cloud, it is not as secure and reliable. A private cloud is more secure and efficient, complies with regulations, and is customizable to your specific needs, but the infrastructure can be limiting and expensive. A hybrid cloud has fewer security risks than a public cloud, and it can be more reliable, but it can be more complex to manage, and there may be compatibility and integration issues.

There are three primary models for cloud computing: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS); Platform as a Service (PaaS), and; Software as a Service (SaaS). IaaS is the essential foundation for cloud computing, and users can access networking, storage, and computing services on demand. Instead of buying your own physical IT infrastructure, you can access the services you need from the cloud and pay only as you use them. PaaS includes what IaaS has, and additional resources that allow you to develop, test, deploy, manage, and update applications. These resources comprise development tools, middleware, database management services, and business intelligence services. Using PaaS can help enterprises save money on buying software licenses, managing them and helping them focus on the services and applications they develop. For a more complete solution, enterprises can use SaaS, which comprises everything offered by IaaS and PaaS and hosted applications. Examples of SaaS include web-based email services such as Outlook and productivity tools (such as customer relationship management and document management). More offerings are gaining popularity, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI)-as-a-Service (AIaaS) and IT-as-a-Service (ITaaS).

1.2 Cloud Computing Landscape

1.2.1      Major Players

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