Characteristics of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is on-demand outsourcing of data storage, software, databases, and analytics. As it entails an ever-expanding list of techniques and services, it has become an important asset for companies to maximize their resources and achieve their maximum potential and has also enabled them to remain productive even during the pandemic.

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), cloud computing is defined as a new business model that allows “ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”

Key Characteristics of Cloud Computing

1. On-demand self-service

2. Resource Pooling

3. Rapid Elasticity

4. Measured Service

5. Broad network access

6. Security

7. Pay per use

On-Demand Self-Service

All the cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, and others make resources available to users with just a touch (API call). These service providers have all the compute and storage assets ready for use which eliminates the need for on-premise IT staff. It also provides users the flexibility and practicality to access and monitor server uptime, allotted services, network storage, and computing capabilities.

Resource Pooling

The cloud service providers usually rely on multi-tenant architectures to benefit multiple subscribers at the same time, this enables them to be cost-efficient. In SaaS, the same virtual machine can serve multiple clients. The service providers increasingly depend on custom hardware and abstraction layers to provide faster and much secure access to the resources. The client has no information or control over the provided resource location but is able to define the location at the higher levels of abstraction. It can also allow authorized users to access resources as per their demand. Storage, network bandwidth, memory, and processing are some of the examples of resources.

Rapid Elasticity

The resources (servers, applications, storage, and services) provided by the cloud providers are scalable as per the requirement of the customer because storage, compute, networking and other services can be adjusted according to their needs. It also optimizes the workload and avoids end-user bottlenecks. They also offer automation software to handle this dynamic scaling. When demand suddenly surges, the cloud services automatically add resources and when the demand subsides, services return to the default resource levels.

Measured Service

This feature is useful for both the client and the provider as they provide efficiency with the help of abstract metering. This data helps us to calculate the consumption of cloud resources by the client and also offers transparency to both parties. Resource utilization is optimized by supplementing the charge per use facility. Network bandwidth, processing power, memory, and storage are some resources that can be optimized depending on the crowd of users.

Broad network access

Ubiquity is one of the cloud’s important utilities. As it enables users to access resources and upload data from anywhere through an internet connection. The providers preserve This broad network access by ensuring and monitoring various metrics (latency, data throughput, access time, etc.) that tells how customers access the provided data and resources. Additional security restrictions (virtual firewall), may be configured to limit the offered services.

Security

Some of the prime financial firms admit the cloud to be an important security asset. To date, there have been no known breaches of resources of any leading cloud platforms. By entrusting their resources to cloud companies have a trustworthy shield of experts ensuring the protection of the digital data. Cloud service providers usually employ some of the best security experts who are equipped with handling threats in the best possible manner.

Pay Per Use

The available features of Cloud Computing shift the IT spending from Capex to Opex, as it offers per-second billing options. The user pays only for the services they have used, there are no hidden charges. This pricing model has been modified since service providers added their pricing plans that provide cheaper costs for long-term commitments.

These outstanding features of cloud computing make it in-demand for both the clients and the service providers. Top IT companies such as Google Cloud Platform, IBM Clouds, Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Alibaba Clouds, and many more are constantly looking forward to expanding and provide exclusive services. The PGP in Cloud Computing and SysOps, NIIT, has everything you need to acquire all the critical competencies required to become a Cloud IT Administrator. This 12-week course offers live mentoring, Certified experts, and also a real-time working environment that makes sure you are job-ready.