What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing lets you transfer the heavy lifting and crunching of data off your device to huge computer clusters located in cyberspace. You connect to these massive computers via the Internet and can access your files applications, development tools and other software wherever you are. This allows you to perform more efficiently on your laptop in a congested train carriage or on your smartphone at a conference table.
The cloud also ensures that your work is still accessible in the event that your office is shut down. This is because it has a backup of all your applications and data. Some of the largest corporations around the globe have made the switch to the cloud and have tested its security and performance.
There are several different types of cloud services and deployment models. They are typically categorized into four service models: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) and Serverless/Function-as-a-Service (FaaS). Cloud computing and “cloud” are frequently used in conjunction. However, it is important to understand the distinctions between IaaS, PaaS, and FaaS in order to determine which cloud deployment model will best suit your requirements.
With IaaS you are renting a whole array of hardware–servers and firewalls, virtual machines, and storage — from a cloud provider. This is a great choice for companies that develop special-purpose or proprietary applications which require servers to be maintained and managed however do not want to what is an online data room spend time or cash on buying, storing and setting up their equipment.