From Paperless Offices to Server-less

First we were making our offices paperless and now we are basically trying to eliminate server rooms. Atleast, that's exactly what organizations can achieve through storage and server services over the internet (cloud). Techopedia describes cloud computing as the use of various services over the Internet such as servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, intelligence and more.

Cloud computing is not so mystic when you consider its uses. The Microsoft Azure website brings out how "if you use an online service to send email, edit documents, watch movies or TV, listen to music, play games or store pictures and other files, it is likely that cloud computing is making it all possible behind the scenes. "

We can now begin to understand its most profound benefit: convenience. Not only are we creatures of habit but also convenience which is why technology is the bedrock of civilization.

Types of Cloud Services

The following are the four types of cloud services described in the Microsoft Azure website:

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

This is the most basic category of cloud computing services. IaaS entails renting IT infrastructure such as servers, virtual machines, storage, networks and operating systems, from a cloud provider on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Some examples taken from bmc.com are: DigitalOcean, Linode, Rackspace, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco Metapod, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine (GCE)

Platform as a service (PaaS)

PaaS reduces the complexity of creating web or mobile apps in that developers don't have to set up or manage the underlying infrastructure of servers, storage, network and databases needed for development.

Some examples taken from bmc.com are: AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Windows Azure, Heroku, Force.com, Google App Engine, Apache Stratos, OpenShift

Serverless Computing

Serverless computing focuses on building the functionality of software applications without spending time to continually manage the servers and infrastructures required to do so. The setup, capacity planning and server management is handled by the cloud provider. Resources are only used when a specific function or trigger occurs making serverless architectures highly scalable and event-driven.

Some examples taken from cloudreach.com are: AWS Lambda, Microsoft Azure Functions, Google Cloud Platform Cloud Functions

Software as a service (SaaS)

SaaS is a method for delivering software applications over the Internet on demand. This is typically done on a subscription basis. Cloud providers host and manage the software application and underlying infrastructure and handle any maintenance, like software upgrades and security patching, and users connect to the application over the Internet.

Some examples taken from bmc.com are: Google Apps, Dropbox, Salesforce, Cisco WebEx, Concur, GoToMeeting

Advantages

The top benefits of cloud computing also mentioned on Microsoft Azure include cutting the cost of the capital expense of buying hardware and software and setting up and running on-site data centers, speed, global scale, productivity, and performance. Cloud computing helps developers to focus on the important parts of the product rather than the underlying hardware and software infrastructure.

Disadvantages

As with every technology there are cons. One major disadvantage of cloud computing that Andrew Larkin (2018) addresses is downtime. If your business cannot afford an outage then do not use cloud services as they are entirely dependent on internet access.

Another con to take note of is inflexibility which Susan Ward (2018) warns us of. Make sure your cloud vendor allows you to migrate to another and is not trying to lock you down forever as a client. It's also very restrictive if the applications or data formats of a cloud provider do not allow easy transfer or conversion of information into other systems.

Susan also brings out the issues with customer support and its expenses especially if your business needs a rapid response to customer support issues.

In conclusion, cloud computing is very convenient for start-ups in that they can focus on the product rather than the underlying hardware and software infrastructure especially if the business can effectively handle the disadvantages of cloud computing.

Cloud computing is the way forward for most businesses because of its advantages and most Internet users use it everyday for convenience.

References:

1. Techopedia (n.d.) Cloud Computing [online] Available from: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/2/cloud-computing [Accessed 13 October 2018]
2. Mirosoft Azure (n.d.) What is Cloud Computing? [online] Available from: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/overview/what-is-cloud-computing/ [Accessed 13 October 2018]
3. BMC (n.d.) SaaS vs PaaS vs IaaS: What’s The Difference and How To Choose [online] Available from: https://www.bmc.com/blogs/saas-vs-paas-vs-iaas-whats-the-difference-and-how-to-choose/ [Accessed 13 October 2018]
4. Stewart, N. (2017) Serverless Computing - What is it? [online] Available from: https://www.cloudreach.com/blog/serverless-computing-what-is-it/ [Accessed 13 October 2018]
5. Larkin, A. (2018) Disadvantages of Cloud Computing [online] Available from: https://cloudacademy.com/blog/disadvantages-of-cloud-computing/ [Accessed 13 October 2018]
6. Ward, S. (2018) The Cons of Cloud Computing for Business [online] Available from: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/disadvantages-of-cloud-computing-4067218 [Accessed 13 October 2018]