The "Cloud" has become one of the most popular buzzwords flying around on the internet. A lot of businesses are now talking about cloud and its services. This is because most businesses have realized the advantages that can be derived from this awesome form of technology, and almost all of them are now moving their business applications to the cloud. Now, they do not have to worry about any kind of installation process.

Unlike traditional business applications that require different types of hardware and software so they can run successfully and remain secured from viruses and cyber-attacks, keeping your business applications in the cloud ensures that you stay away from all of these complications. To make this even better, you won't be needing the help of an expert before being able to set up, configure, run, and update your cloud business applications.

Now, some of you may be wondering what cloud stands for. Cloud is a term that stands for every IT resources and services that are provided through the internet. Cloud computing means you can send or store every single piece of data, edit documents, watch movies or TV, listen to music, play games, and do a whole lot of other things online.

When it comes to cloud technologies for businesses, the most important aspect you need to consider before migrating to a provider is reliability. This is the utmost importance simply because you are trusting all of your company's data and applications to the service provider.

Let's go deeper into the three types of cloud we have, based on location and services.

Cloud is usually deployed in three ways, and they are;

PUBLIC CLOUD

When talking about public cloud, we can say that the whole computing infrastructure is owned and operated by the cloud service provider. When you make use of public cloud, you will have no physical control over the infrastructure. The cloud provider will be the one handling each and every aspect, from software and hardware to every other piece of the computing infrastructure. You'll only get access to these services through a web browser. This is the most inexpensive way of cloud computing, and at the same time, the most vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

PRIVATE CLOUD

A private cloud means using unique cloud infrastructure for each business or company. Its services and infrastructure are handled on a private network, which can be physically located at the company's on-site data center. Private cloud requires physical maintenance over the infrastructure. Some companies prefer paying cloud providers to help them host their own cloud. This is way expensive than public cloud, however, it has the highest level of security and control.

HYBRID CLOUD

Just as the name implies, the hybrid cloud deals with the usage of both public and private clouds. It links public and private clouds together by making use of a technology that allows data and applications to be shared between each other. For instance, you can use the public cloud to connect and interact with your customers while keeping your data secured via the private cloud. This type of cloud deployment provides businesses with more flexibility.

Still confused on what the cloud is? Let's dig a little deeper into the nature of cloud technologies by checking out some examples of its usage. Below are the most popular cloud services offered;

IaaS

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)  is one of the most used cloud services. It offers hardware and virtualized OS. Simply put, it provides data storage disks and virtual servers. Web hosting services can be considered as IaaS providers. As a matter of fact, the most distinguishable difference between web host providers and IaaS providers is the way they charge for their services. A web hosting company charges for the system on a monthly basis while an IaaS provider charges for the used computer power per hour in a month. Some examples of IaaS providers include Amazon and Rackspace.

PaaS

Platform as a Service (PaaS) cloud service offers development platforms that include operating systems, programming language environments, databases, and web servers. PaaS provides an on-demand environment for developing, testing, delivering, and managing applications. This service provides your business with advantages of dynamic scalability, automated database backups, and other services that have got small pieces of codes in them. The most prevalent examples of PaaS services includes the Google App Engine, Cloud Foundry, etc.

SaaS

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a web-based service that runs directly on a server and not on the user's computer. Providers of SaaS services deal with hosting, management, and maintenance of software application and the underlying infrastructure. SaaS is a technology that provides services over the internet usually on a demand and subscription basis. This means that businesses can make use of the service when necessary and shut them down whenever they like in order to avoid excessive costs. Cloud computing services are simply charged on monthly basis just like other utility payments. The most popular example is Salesforce.

Most businesses are tired of spending excessively on hardware and software upgrade. They do not even want to stop and embrace the changes that the upgraded technology is offering. Instead, they hurry up to implement cloud technologies into their businesses.

According to Mare Benioff, the founder of Salesforce, cloud computing is a better way to run your business, and as a matter of fact, he's right, and that's all that matters!

Stay tuned for our next post where we'll be discussing the benefits of cloud computing.