Cloud technologies are technologies for distributed processing of digital data, with the help of which computer resources are provided to the Internet user as an online service. The programs run and display the results of their work in a web browser window on the local PC. At the same time, all the programs and their data necessary for operation are located on a remote Internet server and temporarily cached on the client side: on a PC, etc.

The advantage of the technology is that the user has access to his own data, but does not have to worry about the infrastructure, operating system and software with which he works. The word “cloud” is a metaphor that personifies a complex infrastructure that hides all the technical details behind it.

Types of cloud technologies

There are the following categories of cloud technologies:

• Public cloud – simultaneous access of many users to the IT infrastructure. But there is no opportunity for users to manage and maintain this cloud, all responsibility lies with its owner. Any company or individual can become a subscriber of the offered services.
• A private cloud is an IT infrastructure that is controlled and operated by only one subscriber in their own interests. The infrastructure for managing a private cloud can be hosted either on the premises of the user, or at an external operator, or partially at the user and the operator.
• A hybrid cloud is an IT infrastructure that combines the best features of a public and private cloud. Such a composition is unique objects interconnected by standardized or proprietary technologies that allow data or programs to be transferred between components.

Cloud Computing Opportunities

There are several levels of cloud computing:

• Low level “Infrastructure as a service” (IaaS, infrastructure as a service). Users get the basic computing resources—processors and storage devices—and use them to build their own operating systems and applications. The consumer does not manage the underlying infrastructure of the cloud, but has control over operating systems, storage systems, and deployed applications. Limited control over the choice of network components is possible (for example, a host with firewalls).
• The next level is Platform as a Service (PaaS, platform as a service). Users have the option to install their own applications on the platform provided by the service provider. The user does not control the underlying cloud infrastructure: networks, servers, operating systems, and storage systems, but has control over deployed applications and some hosting environment configuration settings.
• The highest level of cloud computing “Software as a Service” (SaaS, software as a service). The “cloud” stores not only data, but also related programs, and the user needs only a web browser to work. The consumer uses the applications of the provider, which operates in the cloud infrastructure. At the same time, the user does not manage the underlying infrastructure of the cloud – networks, servers, operating systems, storage systems, as well as individual application settings, with the exception of some program configuration settings.

Cloud solutions examples

At the moment, three giants rule the world – AWS, Azure, Google Cloud. These companies occupy the lion’s share of the market around the world (except for China, there is also Alibaba Cloud), are technological leaders and set trends in the development of cloud IaaS services. For example, now AWS has more than 100 services (IaaS, SaaS, PaaS) in its portfolio.

With cloud computing, an organization’s data can be analyzed to find patterns and insights, make predictions, improve them, and make other business decisions. Cloud services can provide your organization with more processing power and advanced tools to access massive amounts of data, as well as the ability to quickly scale your environment as it grows.