Cloud and Cloud Computing 101: Why, What and How

“There is no cloud, it is just someone else’s computer.” oversimplifies the concept of the cloud, but it is important to understand that the cloud is much more than just someone else’s computer. We discuss why cloud computing exists, what it is offering and how it works, to better understand “What is Cloud computing?”

There is no cloud; it is just someone else’s computer

In today’s digital age, you often hear the phrase, ”There is no cloud, it is just someone else’s computer.” While this statement carries an element of truth and oversimplifies the concept of cloud computing, there is also a problem. This completely misses the point. It focuses your attention on the wrong thing. Let’s be clear with this: the statement “There is no cloud; it is just someone else’s computer” is somehow neglectful, dismissive, and minimizing. Like

• The cloud — what’s it about?
• Nooo… no big deal, just someone else’s computer

This just makes us underestimate how important the cloud already is, and how promising it is, for the future of technology.

There is a STATISTIA report that talks about the yearly revenue of commercial Public clouds. Commercial Cloud services are now on track to hit $500B+ yearly revenue by 2025. This just confirms that there is something huge there.

So, Is cloud or cloud computing vague and very ambiguous? Yes! Yes It is. But to better understand ’What is Cloud Computing?” and its importance, we need to get clear on some terminologies and some terms of cloud computing jargon like IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, On-demand delivery over the internet, etc., and understand what cloud service providers are offering and how we are benefiting from these services.

First things first

We need to begin at the beginning. What do we exactly mean when we say cloud or cloud Computing ? Can we even be exact about those terms ?

This really goes beyond Just understanding a few pieces of technical terminology Because if you want to go beyond that and actually feel fluent and comfortable when you’re talking about Cloud, you should understand it in these four main perspectives:

• Personal: How could you, just you, get more out of this ?
• Team: Now, widen your thinking and see how this can apply to your team.
• Business: In the same perspective, think about how it can help your organization
• Customers: Then push into that perspective and think about how this can solve the problems of your clients or customers.

And it is from combining these little technical understandings and a good awareness of the various audiences, that we can get a real sense of What Cloud Computing is, how you can use it in different situations and contexts, and why it is becoming crucial for almost all businesses. Because there is a Cloud, and it is much more than Just someone else’s computer.

Different use cases, same benefits

Usually, when we want to understand a technology, we tend to try to understand one or two examples, and that’s fine. But we don’t have that here. And the reason is that this is the best way to get confused about What Cloud computing is.

Let’s imagine we have four people from different walks of life, who are well informed about what cloud computing is and who are using it every single day. And we ask them, “Why are you using the cloud?”

This will just not make any sense to someone who is not informed about cloud computing. Because these are four descriptions of four unrelated things.

But indeed, they are all right! Now imagine if we see cloud computing from just the perspective of a student or a Software developer. We would have had a very narrow and limited understanding of what cloud computing is.

This is the key to getting started. The use cases of cloud computing can be extremely different between individuals and across teams or organizations. This is why cloud computing is a bit tricky to understand and very difficult to define. It evades this kind of simple and straightforward description like “Cloud computing is for doing this or Cloud computing is for doing that”.

But we can get a better understanding by asking additional questions on the use cases of various profiles of people, like, Can’t you do that already?, without the cloud ? Yes! We can do all of these, but with much more cool benefits. And this is where the four main benefits of the cloud come in:

By adding cloud computing, all these use cases become Cheaper, easier, and Faster. We will also be able to do other things that we couldn’t just do before — something that was technically impossible, time-consuming, or so costly to implement that we could never do it.

But here is the thing, moving to the cloud is not an instant guarantee that everything will become easier, faster, and cheaper. No! No, because these four benefits can be prioritized differently. For some organizations, for example, the top priority will be Speed, reducing time to market and doing things faster than ever before. In other organizations, the priority may be Cost.

Now that we have a better understanding of why the cloud is so important, let’s deep dive into cloud services to understand What the cloud is about and what it is offering.

Everything as a Service

There are thousands of cloud service providers out there, like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, etc,.

The list seems endless, with providers targeting individuals, enterprises, and small businesses. Some even focus on specific industries like healthcare, transportation, music, or education.

But regardless of the provider, there is a framework to categorize the services offered by these providers. By identifying the “Something as a Service” (XaaS) nomenclature, one can discern the primary category of the service being offered.

These are Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). You might also come across terms like Backend as a Service (BaaS), but these are just sub-categories that fall under one of the three main types we mentioned.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is like renting a fully equipped office space instead of buying all the furniture, computers, and equipment yourself. You can access virtual machines, storage, and networks provided by a cloud service provider over the internet. The provider takes care of all the underlying infrastructure, such as servers and data centers, while you have the flexibility to scale your computing power as needed without worrying about maintenance or upfront costs.

Platform as a Service (PaaS) is like renting a ready-to-use kitchen in a restaurant instead of building one from scratch. With PaaS, developers can focus on creating and deploying applications without the hassle of setting up and managing the underlying infrastructure. The cloud provider takes care of the servers, storage, and operating system, while providing tools and services that make coding and deployment easier. It’s like having a fully equipped kitchen where you can start cooking right away, without worrying about buying or maintaining the appliances.

Software as a Service (SaaS) is like subscribing to a streaming service to watch movies instead of buying DVDs or downloading them. With SaaS, you can access software applications directly through a web browser or dedicated app, without needing to install or update anything on your computer. The provider hosts the software on their servers and takes care of maintenance and updates, while you can simply use the application and access your files from anywhere with an internet connection. It’s like having access to a library of software that you can use whenever you need it, without the hassle of installation or management.

In simple terms, IaaS provides the basic infrastructure components, PaaS offers a complete development environment, and SaaS gives you ready-to-use software applications, all accessible through the cloud without the need for upfront investments or technical expertise.

Now that we have explored what services are offered by cloud service providers and how we are benefiting from these services, let’s have a look at “how.”

Delivered over the Internet

Cloud services are delivered over the internet. Cloud service providers have large data centers that host numerous powerful servers. These servers are connected to the internet through high-speed networks, ensuring a reliable and fast connection. The data centers are strategically located in various regions to ensure optimal performance and high availability.

When you interact with cloud services, such as storing files, running applications, or using online software, your data is securely transmitted over the internet to the provider’s servers. The servers process your requests and deliver the requested services or data back to your device via the internet.

Cloud service providers take measures to ensure the security and privacy of your data during transmission. They may use encryption, which is like putting your data in a secure digital envelope, to protect it from unauthorized access.

The internet acts as the medium that enables the delivery of cloud services, allowing users to seamlessly access and utilize resources and applications hosted remotely. It provides the connectivity that makes it possible for individuals and businesses to leverage the benefits of cloud computing from anywhere, at any time, with just an internet connection.

What is Cloud Computing ?

Cloud computing does not have a single, universally accepted definition. The interpretation of cloud computing can vary depending on the target audience, whether it’s individuals, teams, or businesses, as we have seen earlier.

The concept of cloud computing is dynamic and evolving, with new services and use cases emerging constantly. But with the context that we develop above, It will now make much more sense to say that cloud computing is the delivery of on-demand computing, storage, or software resources over the internet, providing scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness to businesses, teams, and individuals while relieving them from the complexities of infrastructure management and software maintenance.

Thanks for reading! And I hope you’re now convinced that the cloud is much more than Just someone else’s computer.