Cloud Based Services

Cloud Computing can be defined as 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 a personal computer.
Companies offering such kinds of cloud computing services are called cloud providers and
typically charge for cloud computing services based on usage. Grids and clusters are the
foundations for cloud computing.
Types of Cloud Computing
Most cloud computing services fall into five broad categories:
1. Software as a service (SaaS)
2. Platform as a service (PaaS)
3. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
4. Anything/Everything as a service (XaaS)
5. Function as a Service (FaaS)
These are sometimes called the cloud computing stack because they are built on top of one
another. Knowing what they are and how they are different, makes it easier to accomplish your
goals. These abstraction layers can also be viewed as a layered architecture where services of a
higher layer can be composed of services of the underlying layer i.e, SaaS can provide
Infrastructure.
Software as a Service(SaaS)
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a way of delivering services and applications over the Internet.
Instead of installing and maintaining software, we simply access it via the Internet, freeing
ourselves from the complex software and hardware management. It removes the need to install
and run applications on our own computers or in the data centers eliminating the expenses of
hardware as well as software maintenance.
SaaS provides a complete software solution that you purchase on a pay-as-you-go basis from a
cloud service provider. Most SaaS applications can be run directly from a web browser without
any downloads or installations required. The SaaS applications are sometimes called Web-based
software, on-demand software, or hosted software.
Advantages of SaaS
1. Cost-Effective: Pay only for what you use.
2. Reduced time: Users can run most SaaS apps directly from their web browser without
needing to download and install any software. This reduces the time spent in installation
and configuration and can reduce the issues that can get in the way of the software
deployment.
3. Accessibility: We can Access app data from anywhere.
4. Automatic updates: Rather than purchasing new software, customers rely on a SaaS
provider to automatically perform the updates.
5. Scalability: It allows the users to access the services and features on-demand.
The various companies providing Software as a service are Cloud9 Analytics, Salesforce.com,
Cloud Switch, Microsoft Office 365, Big Commerce, Eloqua, dropBox, and Cloud Tran.
Disadvantages of Saas :
1. Limited customization: SaaS solutions are typically not as customizable as on-premises
software, meaning that users may have to work within the constraints of the SaaS
provider’s platform and may not be able to tailor the software to their specific needs.
2. Dependence on internet connectivity: SaaS solutions are typically cloud-based, which
means that they require a stable internet connection to function properly. This can be
problematic for users in areas with poor connectivity or for those who need to access the
software in offline environments.
3. Security concerns: SaaS providers are responsible for maintaining the security of the data
stored on their servers, but there is still a risk of data breaches or other security incidents.
4. Limited control over data: SaaS providers may have access to a user’s data, which can be
a concern for organizations that need to maintain strict control over their data for regulatory
or other reasons.
Platform as a Service
PaaS is a category of cloud computing that provides a platform and environment to allow
developers to build applications and services over the internet. PaaS services are hosted in the
cloud and accessed by users simply via their web browser.
A PaaS provider hosts the hardware and software on its own infrastructure. As a result, PaaS
frees users from having to install in-house hardware and software to develop or run a new
application. Thus, the development and deployment of the application take place independent
of the hardware.
The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including
network, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications
and possibly configuration settings for the application-hosting environment. To make it simple,
take the example of an annual day function, you will have two options either to create a venue
or to rent a venue but the function is the same.
Advantages of PaaS:
1. Simple and convenient for users: It provides much of the infrastructure and other IT
services, which users can access anywhere via a web browser.
2. Cost-Effective: It charges for the services provided on a per-use basis thus eliminating the
expenses one may have for on-premises hardware and software.
3. Efficiently managing the lifecycle: It is designed to support the complete web application
lifecycle: building, testing, deploying, managing, and updating.
4. Efficiency: It allows for higher-level programming with reduced complexity thus, the
overall development of the application can be more effective.
The various companies providing Platform as a service are Amazon Web services Elastic
Beanstalk, Salesforce, Windows Azure, Google App Engine, cloud Bees and IBM smart
cloud.
Disadvantages of Paas:
1. Limited control over infrastructure: PaaS providers typically manage the underlying
infrastructure and take care of maintenance and updates, but this can also mean that users
have less control over the environment and may not be able to make certain customizations.
2. Dependence on the provider: Users are dependent on the PaaS provider for the
availability, scalability, and reliability of the platform, which can be a risk if the provider
experiences outages or other issues.
3. Limited flexibility: PaaS solutions may not be able to accommodate certain types of
workloads or applications, which can limit the value of the solution for certain
organizations.
Infrastructure as a Service
Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a service model that delivers computer infrastructure on an
outsourced basis to support various operations. Typically IaaS is a service where infrastructure
is provided as outsourcing to enterprises such as networking equipment, devices, database, and
web servers.
It is also known as Hardware as a Service (HaaS). IaaS customers pay on a per-user basis,
typically by the hour, week, or month. Some providers also charge customers based on the
amount of virtual machine space they use.
It simply provides the underlying operating systems, security, networking, and servers for
developing such applications, and services, and deploying development tools, databases, etc.
Advantages of IaaS:
1. Cost-Effective: Eliminates capital expense and reduces ongoing cost and IaaS customers
pay on a per-user basis, typically by the hour, week, or month.
2. Website hosting: Running websites using IaaS can be less expensive than traditional web
hosting.
3. Security: The IaaS Cloud Provider may provide better security than your existing software.
4. Maintenance: There is no need to manage the underlying data center or the introduction of
new releases of the development or underlying software. This is all handled by the IaaS
Cloud Provider.
The various companies providing Infrastructure as a service are Amazon web services,
Bluestack, IBM, Openstack, Rackspace, and Vmware.
Disadvantages of laaS :
1. Limited control over infrastructure: IaaS providers typically manage the underlying
infrastructure and take care of maintenance and updates, but this can also mean that users
have less control over the environment and may not be able to make certain customizations.
2. Security concerns: Users are responsible for securing their own data and applications,
which can be a significant undertaking.
3. Limited access: Cloud computing may not be accessible in certain regions and countries
due to legal policies.
Anything as a Service
It is also known as Everything as a Service. Most of the cloud service providers nowadays
offer anything as a service that is a compilation of all of the above services including some
additional services.
Advantages of XaaS:
1. Scalability: XaaS solutions can be easily scaled up or down to meet the changing needs of
an organization.
2. Flexibility: XaaS solutions can be used to provide a wide range of services, such as
storage, databases, networking, and software, which can be customized to meet the specific
needs of an organization.
3. Cost-effectiveness: XaaS solutions can be more cost-effective than traditional on-premises
solutions, as organizations only pay for the services.
Disadvantages of XaaS:
1. Dependence on the provider: Users are dependent on the XaaS provider for the
availability, scalability, and reliability of the service, which can be a risk if the provider
experiences outages or other issues.
2. Limited flexibility: XaaS solutions may not be able to accommodate certain types of
workloads or applications, which can limit the value of the solution for certain
organizations.
3. Limited integration: XaaS solutions may not be able to integrate with existing systems
and data sources, which can limit the value of the solution for certain organizations.
Function as a Service :
FaaS is a type of cloud computing service. It provides a platform for its users or customers to
develop, compute, run and deploy the code or entire application as functions. It allows the user
to entirely develop the code and update it at any time without worrying about the maintenance
of the underlying infrastructure. The developed code can be executed with response to the
specific event. It is also as same as PaaS.
FaaS is an event-driven execution model. It is implemented in the serverless container. When
the application is developed completely, the user will now trigger the event to execute the
code. Now, the triggered event makes response and activates the servers to execute it. The
servers are nothing but the Linux servers or any other servers which is managed by the vendor
completely. Customer does not have clue about any servers which is why they do not need to
maintain the server hence it is serverless architecture.
Both PaaS and FaaS are providing the same functionality but there is still some differentiation
in terms of Scalability and Cost.
FaaS, provides auto-scaling up and scaling down depending upon the demand. PaaS also
provides scalability but here users have to configure the scaling parameter depending upon the
demand.
In FaaS, users only have to pay for the number of execution time happened. In PaaS, users
have to pay for the amount based on pay-as-you-go price regardless of how much or less they
use.
Advantages of FaaS :
 Highly Scalable: Auto scaling is done by the provider depending upon the demand.
 Cost-Effective: Pay only for the number of events executed.
 Code Simplification: FaaS allows the users to upload the entire application all at once. It
allows you to write code for independent functions or similar to those functions.
 Maintenance of code is enough and no need to worry about the servers.
 Functions can be written in any programming language.
 Less control over the system.
The various companies providing Function as a Service are Amazon Web Services –
Firecracker, Google – Kubernetes, Oracle – Fn, Apache OpenWhisk – IBM, OpenFaaS,
Disadvantages of FaaS :
1. Cold start latency: Since FaaS functions are event-triggered, the first request to a new
function may experience increased latency as the function container is created and
initialized.
2. Limited control over infrastructure: FaaS providers typically manage the underlying
infrastructure and take care of maintenance and updates, but this can also mean that users
have less control over the environment and may not be able to make certain customizations.
3. Security concerns: Users are responsible for securing their own data and applications,
which can be a significant undertaking.
4. Limited scalability: FaaS functions may not be able to handle high traffic or large number
of requests.

Cloud Service Provider

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Tutorial
This AWS tutorial is designed for beginners and professionals to learn AWS’s basic and
advanced concepts. Learn about the various topics of AWS such as introduction, history of
AWS, global infrastructure, features of AWS, IAM, storage services, database services,
application Services, etc., and other AWS products such as S3, EC2, Lambda, and more. By the
end of this tutorial, readers will have a basic understanding of what AWS is and how it can be
used to support their computing needs.
AWS or Amazon Web Services is a cloud computing platform that offers on-demand computing
services such as virtual servers and storage that can be used to build and run applications and
websites. AWS is known for its security, reliability, and flexibility, which makes it a popular
choice for organizations that need to store and process sensitive data.
Prerequisites to Learn AWS
Before jumping to the AWS Tutorial, it’s recommended to have a basic foundational
understanding of operating systems, computer networking, basic coding commands in Linux
terminals, and some prior knowledge of cloud computing.
Introduction to Amazon Web Services
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a leading top platform in providing the web services of various
domains. AWS follows the trends of digital IT and comes up needy services with optimized
performances covering a wide range of services from Compute to Storage. It covers a wider
range of customers of different domains to expand their business operations. This Article covers
the fundamentals of AWS and its scope of IT business.
What Is AWS And Why Is It Used?
AWS stands for Amazon Web Services , It is an expanded cloud computing
platform provided by Amazon Company. AWS provides a wide range of services with a pay-
as-per-use pricing model over the Internet such as Storage, Computing
power, Databases, Machine Learning services, and much more. AWS facilitates for both
businesses and individual users with effectively hosting the applications, storing the data
securely, and making use of a wide variety of tools and services improving management
flexibility for IT resources.
History Of AWS
Then providing Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) revolutionized with scalable
management of Storage. Coming up with effective compute and storage services and providing
them rental basis helped many startup companies and users with the cost of manual Hardware
Infrasture setup. Introducing the concept of serverless computing with AWS lambda services
enhanced its business globally. It came up with services like Elastic Beanstalk made the
deployment of applications much easier bringing large audiences. AWS always came with
diverse array of services offering with technical innovations, updated services with current
trends. AWS has emerged as a powerhouse in the world of Cloud Computing.

Microsoft Azure Tutorial

Designed by Microsoft in 2010, Microsoft Azure is one of the widely used cloud computing
platforms. Azure provides a wide variety of services such as cloud storage, compute services,
network services, cognitive services, databases, analytics, and IoT. It makes building,
deploying, and managing applications very easy. All the Microsoft Azure fundamentals are
also described for a better understanding of readers.
Microsoft Azure tutorial is designed for beginners to learn about Microsoft Azure and its
various cloud computing services. It covers important concepts and provides a comprehensive
understanding of Azure’s services. The tutorial includes a variety of topics that delve into the
uses and services of Azure in depth.
Google Cloud Platform Tutorial
Google Cloud Platform is a set of cloud computing services provided by Google that allows
you to store, manage, and analyze data. It is also used for developing, deploying, and scaling
applications on Google’s environment. It was announced as the leading cloud platform in
Gartner’s IaaS Magic Quadrant in 2018. Likewise, it provides tools for developers to build and
deploy applications in a secure and reliable manner, with access to advanced security features.
Services of Google Cloud Platform can be accessed by developers, cloud administrators, and
other enterprise IT professionals through the public internet or through a dedicated network
connection.
What is Google Cloud Platform (GCP)?
Before we begin learning about the Google Cloud Platform, we will talk about what is Cloud
Computing. Basically, it is using someone else’s computer over the internet. Examples- GCP,
AWS, IBM Cloud, etc. Some interesting features of cloud computing are as follows:
 You get computing resources on-demand and self-service. The customer has to use a simple
User Interface and they get the computing power, storage requirements, and network you
need, without human intervention.
 You can access these cloud resources over the internet from anywhere on the globe.
 The provider of these resources has a huge collection of these resources and allocates them to
customers out of that collection.
 The resources are elastic. If you need more resources you can get more, rapidly. If you need
less, you can scale down back.
 The customers pay only for what they use or reserve. If they stop using resources, they stop
paying.
What is Google Cloud Platform(GCP)?
Starting from 1998 with the launch of Google Search. google has developed one of the largest
and most powerful IT Infrastructures in the world. Today, this infrastructure is used by billions
of users to use services such as Gmail, YouTube, Google Photos, and Maps. In 2008, Google
decided to open its network and IT infrastructure to business customers, taking an infrastructure
that was initially developed for consumers’ applications to public service and launching the
Google Cloud platform.
All the services listed above are provided by Google hence the name Google Cloud Platform
(GCP). Apart from these, there are many other services provided by GCP and also many
concepts related to it that we are going to discuss in this article.
Regions and zones
Let’s start at the finest grain level (i.e. the smallest or first step in the hierarchy), the Zone. A
zone is an area where Google Cloud Platform Resources like virtual machines or storage are
deployed.