Cloud Computing: What it is, Types and Services

Cloud computing is the reason for or enhances innovations that, in most cases, revolutionize the corporate market. This transformative technology grew out of one solution for storing and managing files but has evolved to become a broad breeding ground for others.

It can be considered the main pillar of digital transformation, as it brought many new features to the IT sector and several benefits to the business world. With this in mind, we prepared this content, a complete guide on the technology that changed the corporate world and enabled many of the innovations that each company uses in its daily lives.

What is cloud computing?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, cloud computing is “the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or personal computer.”

In other words, it is a technology based on the culture of services and whose resources can be accessed through the company’s internet connection or intranet.

Why does the use of the cloud continue to rise? Simple!

In the cloud, you can store data, files, programs, and systems in a secure, digitized way with a low rate of errors or data loss. This way, you don’t have to deal with the costs, maintenance, and other concerns of maintaining a physical infrastructure of hardware and software for the task.

How did cloud computing come about?

One of the first mentions of the term cloud computing comes from a business plan (still available) developed by professionals at Compaq, who believed that it would be the future of computing. Academically, the first record dates from a year later, in 1997, in a lecture given by Ramnath Chellappa, professor of Information Systems.

In conceptual terms, we have:

• Joseph Clark: created ARPANET, a communication sharing network, which served as the basis for cloud computing.

• John McCarthy: in the 60s, he pointed to the possibility of a shared computing system (called “Utility Computing”).

Commercially, there are big names in the market, such as Google and the telecommunications operator AT&T, but the first launch of a cloud computing product was that of Amazon, in 2006.

What is the objective of cloud computing?

The main objective of the cloud is to make the storage and management of digital data more flexible, as it eliminates the use of expensive and complex hardware. For the service to be of high quality and offer at least the same level of storage, we can point to another objective: to be a scalable basis for business.

Technology has made data increasingly relevant. Business managers no longer made decisions based solely on their experience, but mainly considering data, information, profiles, numbers, and metrics. This information, which came from various business fronts, allowed them to refine their actions, strategies, products, and services, which led to the exponential growth of the companies.

Thus, the objective behind cloud computing was to not only serve as a storage alternative, but also a platform for data processing. The evolution of this technology has enabled many uses, as will be seen below. And, today, it is a precursor to technological innovations, such as the Internet of Things, Edge Computing, Artificial Intelligence, among others.

How does cloud computing work?

The operation of cloud computing is based on data centers that certain organizations own or rent to third parties. They are responsible for storing and processing the data, programs, systems, and infrastructures that customers access.

To use the email tool, you don’t need to install any software, just access it via a browser or application. After all, the messages are stored in your email provider’s cloud. The same happens with ERP or CRM. Thus, you and your team have access to an entire arsenal of resources and functionalities processed in the cloud.

How important is cloud computing for a business?

Cloud computing has allowed organizations to see data as crucial instruments, which has increased competitiveness and provided consumers with high-quality products and services. Technology has changed the market and proved to be much more efficient and advantageous for companies. Have you ever thought about the difficulty of operating without a good management system (ERP)?

In this scenario, cloud computing plays a leading role. The digital transformation process itself owes a lot to this technology. Therefore, outsourcing data storage and the development of technological solutions is no longer a differentiator, but a necessity. It is a strategic decision for any company.

What are the types of cloud computing?

The cloud market is broad and requires managers to have a greater understanding of the types of clouds that exist.

Public Cloud

The Public Cloud is provided by a provider that is responsible for the hosting, maintenance, management, and security of its customers’ data.

Check out its features:

• Server sharing occurs, which significantly reduces costs

• The user only cares about paying for the applications they need — software or hardware

• The model is recommended for companies looking to modernize without compromising their budget

Private Cloud

The Private Cloud, as the name suggests, has similar functions to the public one, but is built by specialized providers or by an internal team, to be exclusive to a company.

Its characteristics are:

• The server is built exclusively for one company

• There is no sharing or sharing of costs with external users

• It is an option for medium and large organizations, especially those that work with financial transactions and need to reinforce the protection of their data

Hybrid Cloud

The Hybrid Cloud is a combination of the previous ones. In this case, the company can rely on a private cloud for more strategic and confidential information and a public cloud for common data and processes.

What services are offered in cloud computing?

There are three types of cloud services to meet various needs.

These concepts are part of the daily lives of those who work in the IT sector, but they must be understood by any manager and entrepreneur.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Software as a Service (SaaS) are resources hosted in the cloud that can be accessed by the user through a computer, smartphone, and other devices, such as a Smartwatch and Smart TV. This is a very advantageous service capable of promoting business scalability, as it can be accessed by anyone, regardless of where they are.

Check out other interesting advantages:

• Mobility

• Cost reduction

• High Availability

• Ease of customization

• Reduction of IT infrastructure

• Less bureaucratic and time-consuming updates

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Platform as a Service (PaaS) can be summarized as a development environment located in the cloud capable of delivering resources that speed up the creation and management of systems. Therefore, the user does not need to worry about the infrastructure necessary to develop a system, such as servers, operating systems, and network, as this is the responsibility of the provider.

It is possible to rely on the public model (the team can work anywhere) or the private model (the team only has access to the service in a specific environment).

The benefits of this cloud model are:

• Less spending on infrastructure

• Adaptation to the company’s needs

• Possibility to focus on your core business

• Less time to implement the platform

• Cost reduction for systems development

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing service in which the user hires the necessary infrastructure to store their applications.

The provider cares about servers and networks. The contractor is responsible for selecting, installing, and configuring the resources necessary for the system to operate properly.

The benefits of this service are:

• Flexibility

• Cost reduction

• Greater data security

• Increased application performance

• Agility to implement changes and correct errors

How can cloud computing be used?

Cloud computing is an enabling technology, which serves as a basis for other technologies to be used, enhanced, and developed.

Therefore, there are a series of segments that can adopt cloud computing, such as:

Develop apps

Technology allows a company to have an entire infrastructure available to test its solutions. A fully controllable, measurable, and customized environment.

This way, it is possible to make the search for bugs and opportunities for improvement more assertive. It is something very common for companies that adhere to the DevOps culture, which combines development with operations to speed up deliveries.

Data storage and retrieval

Cloud storage allows for a much more stable and controlled work environment. This way, sharing is simplified and your teams can exchange information without fear of losing data — as it will always be stored in the cloud.

Backup

With the cloud, there is no real danger of losing data. Decentralized storage allows such flexibility that, even in the face of natural disasters, the provider has backups of the information stored in its database.

The frequency of backups may change depending on the contract signed (hourly, daily, etc.), but the level of information integrity remains high!

Artificial intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is an incredible technology, but to be a reality it depends on many things, such as Big Data and cloud computing. Therefore, the cloud is essential for AI machines and tools to process data and automate executions, to gain autonomy and perform tasks more efficiently.