Cloud computing—also known as “cloud services”—refers to a model that provides computing services over the Internet. With cloud computing, everything traditionally hosted in a company’s datacenter is delivered as a service.
It allows users to access a standardized catalog of services, responding flexibly to business needs and adapting to user demand. This means users can always access the available services, regardless of their location.
Some of the main characteristics offered by cloud computing include:
▪️On‑demand service
▪️Resource pooling independent of physical location
▪️Elasticity and flexibility
▪️Measurable service
Types of Cloud
We can distinguish three main types of cloud computing:
Private Cloud: An on‑demand infrastructure implemented and managed exclusively by the organization, which controls the services it provides. It is the best option for companies that require strong data protection and guaranteed continuous access to services without depending on an Internet connection.
Public Cloud: An on‑demand infrastructure that is publicly accessible over the Internet. It is generally offered by telecommunications companies and datacenters, and access is provided through standard Internet connections.
Hybrid Cloud: A combination of public and private cloud models, where the client owns part of the infrastructure while sharing another portion.
What does Cloud Computing offer us?
- ▪️It integrates easily and quickly with other network services used within the company.
- ▪️Its infrastructures offer greater adaptability and full recovery capabilities in the event of data loss, minimizing downtime.
- ▪️It eliminates the need to install hardware, as the infrastructure or platform is provided by the cloud service provider.
- ▪️Faster implementation with fewer risks, since work can begin sooner and no large upfront investment is required.
- ▪️Automatic updates that do not negatively impact IT resources.
From a technical perspective
Automation. It enables the automation of infrastructure management through scripts or other solutions, allowing new applications to be deployed or resources to be managed automatically.
Scalability. Whether automatically or manually, it is possible to scale the resources an application requires dynamically and on demand.
Mobility. There is independence from device and location, allowing users to access systems through a web browser regardless of their geographical location, operating system, or device.
Availability. The infrastructure and architecture of a Data Center designed as a Cloud environment are specifically built with high redundancy to ensure Operational Continuity and Business Continuity.
What is Cloud Computing used for?
Since late 2012, companies have been using cloud computing to deliver external client applications. Thanks to this, they are no longer required to maintain a specific bandwidth capacity, as they can easily scale their external applications without purchasing new hardware or software.
In the short term, companies may use cloud computing for the storage of large volumes of data (Big Data), which has become one of the most common uses of cloud computing due to the cloud’s scalability and the ease of deploying systems with the necessary tools.
