Cloud Computing Revolution

Have you looked at the sky today? Regardless of where you are, when looking out a window, there is a high chance of seeing some clouds hovering in the air. No, this article is not about the weather. However, just as anywhere in the world there are clouds composed of tiny particles of water, there are also clouds full of data and great computing power: the Cloud.

You’ve certainly heard of it, however, you’ve probably never stopped to wonder why it is so important. Well, if you are an entrepreneur who wants to create a startup, or if you are part of a company that is going through a digital transformation (and what company isn’t?), you need to understand the Cloud. The following paragraphs are intended to help you on this journey.

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud Computing is the term used to designate data centers made available through the Internet for a large number of users. This technology uses storage services that allow anyone, from anywhere in the world, access to information and files without the need to install any specific program.

The term cloud precisely alludes to remote access and the availability of centralized resources without active user management. This means that you don’t need to connect to a computer or local server to access stored files: just use the Internet. If you’ve already created, edited, or shared documents through SharePoint or Google Drive, or if you have already listened to music on Spotify or Apple Music, you have already used the Cloud.

Source: https://www.cloudcomputingfundamentals.com/cloud-computing-services-what-are-they/

Why is Cloud Computing so revolutionary?

Imagine the complexity of the infrastructure that would be needed to store all the movies and series on Netflix – in Brazil, it is estimated that more than 3,000 films and 950 series are available on the platform. Today, a digital company no longer needs to manage this type of infrastructure, as it can hire it from the Cloud.

We can then mention the following as the main advantages of Cloud Computing:

• Infrastructure cost reduction: with data in the cloud, investments in hardware and software decrease; as well as the physical space that was previously needed to store such equipment.
• Elasticity: an important feature of the cloud is the ease of increasing and decreasing contracted capacity at any time. In the past, when you bought hardware to be your server, you had to live with its size.
• Hiring-as-a-Service: it is possible to hire the infrastructure faster and easier, in addition to the possibility of terminating the contract at any time.
• Centralization of information: from the users’ point of view, the data is available to everyone with access, to the same programs and with the same authentications. All you need is access to the internet to be able to work with files in the cloud, whether through a computer, tablet, cell phone, etc.

How Cloud Computing Works

To store a new application or migrate a company’s documents to the cloud, it is necessary to choose the type of Cloud operation that best suits the needs of the business. There are three main cloud deployment models: private, public and, hybrid:

• Private Cloud: the infrastructure is tailor-made for the business, the domain is internal and access is restricted. This means that this can be a good option for companies that want to be in control of changes, and prioritize data security and privacy – only collaborating people can access it, for example. The Private Cloud is commonly a choice of governments and financial institutions.
• Public Cloud: the infrastructure prioritizes access to as many users as possible and services may be free. In this case, security is not that significant, since public networks can be used for access, and users are responsible for uploading files. Google Drive is an example of a Public Cloud: it maintains the same standard of service for all users who access it equally – but separately.
• Hybrid Cloud: some businesses may prefer to use both types of cloud solutions simultaneously. The Hybrid Cloud allows file sharing between Private Clouds and Public Clouds through a third party. Keeping more critical data in a Private Cloud and using a Public Cloud for day-to-day work can be a cost-effective solution for many businesses.

In addition to these three, there are Community Clouds, which are for exclusive use by communities of consumers and organizations with common interests; HPC Clouds used to run highperformance applications; Big Data Clouds, created exclusively for sharing large amounts of data; Distributed Cloud, when the platform is built by machines distributed in different locations; and the Multicloud, which defines the use of multiple Cloud Computing services in a single architecture.

Which Cloud solution to choose?

To make this decision, you need to understand a little more about Cloud Computing, as it has ten types of service models – the best known are IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. In the next article in this series, we will cover its technical aspects and you will be able to choose the best option, according to your business needs and priorities. Until then!