FAQs: 10 Commonly Asked Questions About Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a buzzword that has become ubiquitous and seamlessly integrated into our lives. Cloud computing is the service of providing resources such as data, servers, and software over a network. Industries are utilizing cloud computing to make people’s lives easier and simpler.

Organizations from different verticals like healthcare, finance, banking, education, etc. are looking for digitalization and a move to the cloud. However, there are various complexities involving cloud computing, migrating, and managing the applications. These FAQs will answer some of the key questions that emerging startups and medium-sized enterprises are asking about cloud computing.

1. What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is a key enabling technology that is convenient and has on-demand network access to a pool of shared configurable computing resources, that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort. Some of these resources include cloud tools and applications like data storage, servers, databases, networking and software.

2. What are the 3 types of Cloud Computing?

The three types of cloud computing are:

Public cloud is cloud computing that is delivered via the internet and shared across organizations.
Private cloud is cloud computing that is dedicated solely to your organization.
A hybrid cloud is an environment that uses both public and private clouds.

3. What are the various cloud models?

IaaS (Infrastructure as a service) is also known as Hardware as a Service (HaaS). It is a computing infrastructure managed over the internet. The main advantage of using IaaS is that it helps users to avoid the cost and complexity of purchasing and managing the physical servers.

PaaS (Platform as a Service) cloud computing platform is created for the programmer to develop, test, run, and manage the applications.

SaaS (Software as a Service) is also known as “on-demand software”. It is software in which the applications are hosted by a cloud service provider. Users can access these applications with the help of an internet connection and a web browser.

BaaS( Backup as a Service) is also known as cloud backup which requires is a modern alternative to traditional data approaches. Instead of building and maintaining in-house data backup solutions, businesses and organizations purchase backup and recovery services from outside, cloud service providers. Cloud-based backup is more cost-effective, requires much less maintenance, and has been proven to be safer and more reliable.

There are newer cloud models that are emerging such as AIaaS (Artificial Intelligence as a Service) and DaaS (Data as a Service).

4. How do vendors charge for cloud services?

There are different pricing mechanisms for cloud service providers depending on the usage, subscription-based, dynamic usage etc. There is also a terminology called as “PAYG” model i.e., Pay as you Go, which means Pay for what you have used and terminate the services when you do not need them. This works out extremely well for cloud vendors to incur low hardware costs and operations cost through outsourcing.

5. What are the security measures for applications on the cloud?

The responsibility for different cloud models varies greatly. Administrators are responsible for ensuring the right permissions on global servers by using public subnets. Data breaches are avoided by encryption methodologies to secure important data. IAM roles are created who have special privileges such as making API calls. Threat Detection, Fraud Prevention, Cybersecurity Framework, Network Monitoring, Endpoint Monitoring are implemented by the cloud vendors to ensure the security posture of the company’s technical environment.

6. How is migration to cloud computing beneficial for start-ups or large-scale companies?

Some of the biggest benefits of cloud computing to startups are cost-flexibility and scalability. There is a high level of flexibility provided to large companies who invest in cloud-based services.

Business Continuity.
Cost Efficiency.
Improved Collaboration.
Scalability and Performance.
Automatic Software Updates.
Environmentally Friendly.
Automatic Software Integration.

7.What is cloud architecture?

Cloud architecture refers to the various components in terms of databases, software capabilities, applications, etc. engineered to leverage the power of cloud resources to solve business problems.

8. What is the need for a virtualization platform for implementing the cloud?

Virtualization separates the back-end level and user level for the creation of a seamless environment between the two. Virtualization is used for the deployment of models of cloud hosting services including Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) among others. Setting up a virtualization platform is simpler, cost-effective and highly efficient.

Here is a blog for you to know more about Virtualization.

9. How should I check if the cloud is right for my business or not?

Firstly, you should evaluate if cloud services are right for your business from a strategic and operational perspective. Then, you will need to evaluate your current set-up by doing due diligence on SLA to estimate the outcome. An estimated time frame must be chalked out since a complete cloud migration process may take potentially several months. The duration depends on the size of the business, the amount of data and the number of applications that need to be migrated. The organization needs to assess which type of cloud to migrate to and then plan and strategize the cloud migration. The costs can be minimalized by good preparation and doing heavy emphasizing on the management plan. For the initial stage, migrating to a hybrid cloud will be considered a healthy step.

10. What are the prerequisites for cloud migration?

The cloud migration steps checklist includes:

Establish the migration-architect role.
Choose your level of cloud integration.
Choose a single cloud or go multi-cloud.
Establish cloud KPIs.
Establish performance baselines.
Prioritize migration components.
Perform any necessary refactoring.
Create a data migration plan.
Switch overproduction.
Review application resource allocation.

Conclusion:

The scope of cloud computing is very bright. According to a report, the cloud computing market in India is at $2 billion and is expected to grow with an annual growth rate of 30%.

Cloud computing has spread across the world and is exploding in the market at an exponential rate. Moving to the cloud can be a strategic move for your company that can garner your desired results.

To get started, go through the Expert Advisory page and Managed Services Package that is CloudThat’s offerings. You can easily get in touch with our highly accomplished team of experts to carry out any of your cloud requirements. CloudThat is Microsoft Gold Partner, AWS Advanced Consulting Partner, and a Google Cloud Partner and has successfully led many migration projects for our esteemed clients. Get in touch with us for quick results.

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CloudThat is a leading provider of cloud training and consulting services, empowering individuals and organizations to leverage the full potential of cloud computing. With a commitment to delivering cutting-edge expertise, CloudThat equips professionals with the skills needed to thrive in the digital era.