Cloud computing is an old concept that has been in operations for around two decades. It offers several advantages in terms of costs and process efficiencies. However, several businesses are yet to realize their true potential and continue to operate without it. Companies that invest in cloud, mobility and big data are increasingly witnessing better profits and growth. Let us take a look at some cloud computing examples and services that you should know of.
So, how do you define cloud computing services?
- Cloud computing is used to store and access the data over the internet and mainly acts as a service provider for databases, servers, and storage.
- Cloud Computing Providers offer computing services such as SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, and charge its users for utilizing such services.
Let’s start learning.
What is Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)?
- IaaS is a cloud-based alternative to on-premise infrastructure. It offers services such as pay-as-you-go, networking, and virtualization so businesses can avoid investing in expensive on-site resources.
IaaS Delivery:
- Over the internet.
IaaS platforms are:
- Highly flexible and highly scalable.
- Accessible by multiple users.
- Cost-effective.
When to Use IaaS:
- IaaS has complete control over your infrastructure and operates on a pay-as-you-use model, so this model is beneficial to businesses of all sizes, and shapes.
IaaS examples:
- Digital Ocean
- IBM
Digital Ocean
Location: New York, New York.
How it’s using the cloud: DigitalOcean’s platform helps users to create multiple virtual machines in seconds, and teams can deploy, manage, and scale new products.
Industry impact: WeWork, Splunk, and Slack use DigitalOcean’s IaaS platform to deploy and scale their products.
Also Read: Cloud Computing Industry Spends
IBM
Location: Armonk, New York.
How it’s using the cloud: IBM IaaS servers can be deployed in minutes to a few hours, depending on the cloud type, and are useful for scalable projects that require flexibility.
Industry impact: Many tech giants like Ricoh, American Airlines, Applift have used IBM’s IaaS Platform to make cloud-based product development more efficient.
What is Platform-as-a-Service ( PaaS )?
- PaaS is a cloud computing model that provides users with development kits, and database tools – Companies need to build, deploy, and launch their software applications.
PaaS Delivery:
- Over the internet.
PaaS Advantages:
- PaaS is the best choice for those who want to create unique applications without spending or taking on responsibility.
PaaS Characteristics:
PaaS platforms are:
- Accessible by multiple users.
- Scalable.
- They are built on virtualization technology.
- They are easy to run without extensive system administration knowledge.
When to Use PaaS:
- PaaS is the most cost-effective and time-effective; this helps the developers in creating a unique application and spend their brainpower in creating, testing, and deploying the app. This helps the developer to focus on the creative side of app development, such as managing software updates or security patches.
Also Read: Comparing Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud
PaaS Examples:
- Acquia
- AWS
- Heroku
Acquia
Location: Boston, Massachusetts.
How it’s using the cloud: The Acquia is built mainly for Drupal 8 sites and applications.
Industry impact: Acquia is used by IBM, the BBC, and Panasonic to update and innovate on their Drupal eight sites.
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Location: Seattle, Washington.
How it’s using the cloud: AWS Lambda is a pay-as-you-go model that helps developers to run code for any application or backend service without managing servers.
Industry impact: Well-known companies like the Coca Cola, Bustle, Company use AWS.
Heroku
Location: San Francisco, California.
How it’s using the cloud: Heroku is a multi-language (Ruby, Java, Python, Perl, and others ) cloud app platform that lets developers deploy, scale, and manage their applications.
Industry impact: Heroku is used by many tech giants like Lyft, Soundcloud, Macy’s.
What is Software-as-a-Service ( SaaS)?
- SaaS platform is the most well-known application for cloud computing which is available to users over the internet.
- SaaS platform is one of the most attractive sectors due to its subscription-based pricing, easy to understand, use, and low costs.
SaaS Delivery:
- Over the internet.
SaaS Advantages:
- SaaS is available over the internet, and you don’t need to install and run software applications on your computer (or any computer).
- As long as there is an internet connection, you can access the software from any device, anytime.
SaaS Characteristics:
SaaS platforms are:
- Multi-tenancy model.
- Automated provisioning.
- Single Sign-On.
- Subscription-based billing.
- High availability.
- Elastic Infrastructure.
- Data Security.
- Application Security.
SaaS examples:
- Salesforce
- Slack
- Zoom
Salesforce
Location: San Francisco, California.
How it’s using the cloud: Salesforce is an A.I. based CRM tool that helps to manage customer relations and generate sales leads.
Industry impact: Salesforce-cloud-based solutions have been used in all tire of business Eg: including Real-Estate, Spotify, Amazon Web Services, U.S. Bank.
Slack
Location: San Francisco, California.
How it’s using the cloud: Slack is a communication channel that helps organizations to communicate with each other on the same page, this includes individual chat, team chat, project, topic, etc.
Industry impact: Numerous major organizations use Slack to communicate and collaborate.E.g., Airbnb, Pinterest, Shopify, etc.
Zoom
Location: San Jose, California.
How it’s using the cloud: Zoom is an audio and video conferencing platform that helps record the meetings and saves them to the cloud so users can have access to them anytime, anywhere.
Industry impact: Pandemic has shown how zoom helps virtual meetings, video audio conferencing.
Other cloud computing Examples includes :
- Chatbot: Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant – all are cloud-based natural-language intelligent bots.
- Communication: Email, Skype, Whatsapp are cloud-based communication tools that allow you to access your information from anywhere via the internet.
- Productivity: Office tools like Microsoft Office and Google Docs use cloud computing.
- Social Networking: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter use cloud computing.
What are the differences between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS?
| Basis Of | IAAS | PAAS | SAAS |
| Stands for | Infrastructure as a service. | Platform as a service. | Software as a service. |
| Uses | IAAS is used by network architects. | PAAS is used by developers. | SAAS is used by end-users. |
| Access | IAAS gives access to resources like virtual machines and virtual storage. | PAAS gives a run time environment to deployment and development tools for application. | SAAS gives access to the end-user. |
| Model | It is a service model that provides visualized computing resources over the internet. | It is a cloud computing model that delivers tools that are used for the development of applications. | It is a service model in cloud computing that hosts software made available for clients. |
| Technical understanding. | It required technical knowledge. | In which you required knowledge of the subject to understand the basic setup. | There is no requirement that technical companies handle everything. |
| Popularity. | It is popular among developers and researchers. | It is popular among developers who focus on the development of apps and scripts. | It is popular among consumers and companies. such as file sharing, email, and networking. |
| Cloud services. | Amazon web services | Facebook, and google search engine. | M.S office web, Facebook, and Google apps. |
| Enterprise services. | AWS virtual private cloud. | Microsoft azure. | IBM cloud analysis. |
| Outsourced cloud services. | Salesforce. | Force.com, Gigaspaces. | AWS |
The world is moving to the cloud!
This brings us to the end of the blog on cloud computing examples and services. Using the right technology partner and choosing the best computing model for your business will help you to reach the end-goal without roadblocks! I hope that this article helped you to know more about cloud computing examples and services. If you wish to learn more such concepts and build a career in this field, join Great Learning’s PGP Cloud Computing Course and upskill today.
0 Source: GreatLearning Blog
