CLOUD |
Most of us have heard of the term ‘cloud’ and some of us understand the ubiquitous technology. Today, many entities have adopted cloud platforms and leveraged the power of the cloud. It is a rapidly growing sector and industry experts predict that the trend is likely to accelerate in the future. The reality is that we cannot ignore cloud technology. If you have not used the latter, do it at the earliest and retain your organization’s competitive edge.
A cloud platform keeps server hardware, databases, software, and other IT resources in remote data centers. Individuals and organizations can remotely access cloud services via the Internet. Access by users is mostly through a web browser or some kind of interface/panel. For your information, there is a plethora of cloud platforms in the market. Many businesses use the services of cloud platforms to boost productivity and performance.
Cloud platforms usually offer the following services
The platform lets the user use different software remotely over the Internet. The service is usually availed through a web browser.
A suitable platform is offered on top of which users can create, test, and deploy applications. Users need not have a development environment on their company premises.
In this model, users can avail of hardware, networking resources, databases, servers, and other IT resources remotely.
These types of platforms have multiple tenants. It is not exclusive to any single entity or organization. More than one user uses the services of this type of cloud platform. Examples include AWS (Amazon Web Services), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. It is usually cheaper than private clouds as many entities are using it. Security is a concern since many users exist.
Only a single individual or organization uses this type of platform. In other words, there is only a single tenant. The platform is exclusive to a single entity. Private clouds can exist on the premises of the organization or be remotely located. It has relatively better security than public cloud platforms. Generally, the cost is more than availing of public clouds. Organizations desiring a dedicated cloud can opt for a private cloud.
This is a combination of public and private cloud platforms. Some data may be hosted by a public cloud platform and some data hosted on a private cloud platform. It offers the benefits of both public and private clouds. Hybrid cloud platforms offer more flexibility than other types of cloud platforms.
In this model, the client uses the services of more than one cloud platform. Reasons include saving costs and all features not available with any single cloud platform.
What are Availability Zones?
A region is a physical area in the world having multiple availability zones of a particular cloud service provider. The zones have one or more isolated data centers. The latter are in separate buildings with independent power supply as well as connectivity.
We take a look at a few of the popular and powerful cloud platforms in the market today.
One million customers avail of Linode’s IaaS capabilities. This cloud platform is reasonably priced and attracts entities with smaller budgets.
This leading cloud platform focuses on smaller clients such as small and medium-sized enterprises. Currently, DigitalOcean has a presence in 8 regions and features 14 data centers. Note that the platform has customers in as many as 185 nations.
This cloud service provider has a strong presence in Europe. OVHcloud also operates data centers in Singapore and the United States. The former boasts of as many as 400,000 physical servers. The cloud platform has a customer base of over 1.6 million which includes 800 businesses. For your information, OVHcloud is a relatively affordable choice for users when benchmarked against other major cloud platforms.
In China, Tencent Cloud is behind only Alibaba Cloud as a cloud service provider. The quality provider operates in 65 availability zones and has a presence in 21 regions.
This powerful cloud platform is present in 11 regions and operates in 29 availability zones. Did you know that Kyndryl has forged alliances with Google Cloud as well as Microsoft Azure?
Most of us have heard of Oracle, a leader in databases worldwide. Oracle Cloud is an offering from the renowned Oracle Corporation. The former boasts of an impressive list of clients including the US and UK governments. Users are offered Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) as well as Oracle Cloud Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).
Alibaba dominates the market in China, the world’s second-largest economy. The platform is in as many as 27 regions and has an impressive 84 availability zones. Prominent offerings include machine learning, network virtualization, elastic computing as well as big data analytics. Alibaba Cloud is the world’s fourth largest cloud service provider globally.
GCP figures among the top 3 cloud providers in the world today. The platform is in 34 regions and has 103 availability zones. GCP offers superior capabilities in data management as well as analytics. The platform boasts of an estimated revenue of $23.3 billion.
This globally popular service is an offering from the industry giant Microsoft. This cloud platform was released in 2010. Today it ranks second in market share among public cloud platforms. Top features include sophisticated security, extensive use of AI (Artificial Intelligence), and enhanced productivity of developers. The platform is in 60 regions and has 116 availability zones. Did you know that more than 200 physical data centers of Microsoft Azure exist across the globe?
This is today’s leading public cloud platform. Did you know that AWS was the first entity to enter the cloud computing space way back in 2006? Prominent features include centralized billing as well as management. The signing-up process is simple and user-friendly. Users will experience very fast deployments from this top platform. To your knowledge, AWS is an offering from the leading company Amazon. Presently the platform has an impressive 26 regions and 84 availability zones.
First, explicitly identify your requirements. Document them and start researching which cloud platforms satisfy your requirements. An important factor is an affordability. You must have a budget and then shortlist the cloud platforms that match your budget. Sometimes one cloud provider doesn’t offer all the desired features. Then you can opt for multiple cloud providers. Check if their services are available in your region. Verify security credentials and conduct a background check. Finally, choose a reputed as well as reliable cloud platform.
The majority of cloud platforms encrypt data both during communication or idle states. The staff of the cloud provider is restricted to logical access to client data. A good idea would be to host vital data on-premises and the remaining data with the cloud platform.
Look at their past track record. Contact past clients and ask them whether they were satisfied with the security aspect. Go through the SLA (Service Level Agreement) document diligently. Examine whether they have the standard security certifications. Do they have matured and established security processes and practices in place? Inquire about what security challenges they had faced in the past and how they were able to overcome them. This will give you an idea about how robust their knowledge is and whether they can satisfactorily address your security concerns. Finally, get your technical experts to evaluate how sound the cloud platform is in terms of security.
Focaloid is a stellar software development products and services company catering to clients in the US & UK. We have the necessary expertise and experience in cloud platforms. For your information, Focaloid has a team of talented and seasoned professionals with extensive expertise in cloud platforms. Over time we have established a mature outsourcing model which is productive, efficient as well as effective. You can safely rely on us to deliver outstanding software solutions and services within stipulated deadlines. Contact us at the earliest to know how we can help you. We are comm
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