So, let us start with what cloud computing is.
Basically, Cloud Computing is the delivery of computing services – servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and moreover the internet (“the cloud”). And, companies offering these computing services are called cloud providers like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. And, typically, cloud computing services will be charged based on the usage, which means you pay for only the things that you use and based on how much you use.
So, let us see what are the benefits of using the cloud.

Benefits of Cloud Computing

  • Cost
    Hugely reduced capital costs of buying hardware & software so it is not that costly.
  • Speed
    Computing resources can be provisioned in minutes typically within a few mouse clicks.
  • Scalability
    Computing resources can be scaled up and down within a matter of minutes according to business requirements.
  • Productivity
    Cloud computing takes out hardware setup, patching, etc. so IT teams can focus on achieving business goals.
  • Reliability
    Cloud computing makes data backup, DR, and business continuity less expensive and faster recovery.
  • Flexibility
    The user can easily scale their service according to their needs and whenever they want and can do it from anywhere.
  • Efficiency
    The user can get their application to the market without worrying about the underlying infrastructure cost or maintenance.

Types of cloud services

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

With IaaS, you rent IT infrastructure – servers and virtual machines (VMs), storage, networks, operating systems – from a cloud provider on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Platform as a service (PaaS) refers to cloud computing services that supply an on-demand environment for developing, testing, delivering and managing software applications.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Software as a service (SaaS) is a method for delivering software applications over the Internet, on demand and typically on a subscription basis. With SaaS, cloud providers host and manage the software application and underlying infrastructure and handle any maintenance, such as software upgrades and security patching.

Types of cloud deployments

Public cloud

Public clouds are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service provider, which delivers computing resources such as servers and storage over the Internet.

Private cloud

A private cloud refers to cloud computing resources used exclusively by a single business or organization. A private cloud can be physically located in the company’s on-site datacenter. Some companies also pay third-party service providers to host their private cloud.
So what is Azure now?
  • Microsoft Azure is a growing collection of integrated cloud services – analytics, computing, database, mobile, networking, storage, and web.
  • Azure is generally available in 34 regions around the world and has announced plans for 6 additional regions. Not all products are available in all regions
  • A region can contain one or more data centers.
  • Microsoft Azure can provide a bridge from your data center to the cloud.
I will cover more in the next article. I hope it is useful. Stay tuned!
Thanks :)