What are cloud technologies and cloud services. Cloud technologies: advantages and disadvantages

And again, hello, dear readers! :) Let's talk about cloud technologies.

You mean, today another article will be entirely devoted to a very entertaining and promising technology (so to speak, the “gold mine” of the IT industry), hiding under the pseudonym - cloud technologies or in common parlance - “cloud”.

We will talk about the very concept of cloud computing, we will give a variety of examples of its implementation (at the level of solutions for ordinary users), namely, we will talk about the theory, then we will smoothly move on to practice and a little... wander in the clouds :-)

Thus, the purpose of our note, as always good (it cannot be otherwise) is to systematize the basic information related to this topic and sort everything out.

So, Earthlings, get ready, now we will talk about cloud technologies, which, every day, are becoming closer and closer to us.

Let's fly..

Cloud technologies. About everything, a little bit

In recent years, this topic has become one of the most popular in the IT sphere, many articles have been written about it, even more conferences have been held, and how many solutions already exist on the market (and are used to their full extent in everyday life, sometimes even unconsciously) , and can’t be counted at all.

However, as always, there is one “but”, namely, most users still don’t even know what kind of “know-how” cloud technologies are and why they gave up. Well, we will correct the current situation and we will start, as it should be, with theory.

Cloud computing is a distributed data processing technology in which computer resources and power are provided to the user as an Internet service. If you explain accessible language, then this is your, in a sense, work platform on the Internet, or rather on a remote server.

Let's look at an example to make sure that almost each of us, one way or another, has already encountered this decision.

Do you have an email (e-mail)? Of course have. So, if you work with mail on some service site (for example), which allows you to use this mail, then this is nothing more than a cloud service, which is part of such a thing as cloud technologies. Or, for example, image processing.

If you reduce the size or flip your photo in Photoshop or another special program, then you have nothing to do with cloud technology - everything happens and is processed locally on your computer. But if, having downloaded an image, for example, through , you process it on the other side, in the browser, then this is that very “cloud”.

More details about cloud technologies

Actually, the whole difference lies solely in the method of storing and processing data. If all operations take place on your computer (using its power), then this is not a “cloud”, but if the process takes place on a server on the network, then this is precisely the trendy thing that is commonly called “cloud technology”.

In other words, cloud technologies are various hardware, software, methodologies and tools that are provided to the user as Internet services to implement their goals, objectives, projects.

As practice shows, the terms “cloud technologies”/“cloud service”, with their generally accepted graphical representation in the form of “clouds”, only confuse users; in fact, their structure can be easily understood if it is presented in the form of the following pyramid.

The base of the pyramid is “infrastructure” - a set of physical devices (servers, etc.), above it is built a “platform” - a set of services and the top - software, available upon user request.

Also, you should know that cloud computing is a kind of basis vector obtained as a result of the synthesis of a number of technologies and approaches (so clever! :-)). To make it clear what I mean, here is the following diagram:

I think that now it has become a little clearer, since the scheme is quite simple. However, generally speaking, cloud technologies are a kind of mess that performs calculations with servers and other things without directly involving the resources of your computer.

It may happen that we will all return to computers that are close in power to, so to speak, the first ones and, in fact, will be just a screen with a microprocessor, and all calculations and power will be located and performed remotely, i.e. in servers living there somewhere, namely, in the cloud mentioned repeatedly.

Services provided by cloud systems

Everything related to cloud computing (hereinafter CC) is usually called the word aaS. This is simply deciphered - “as a Service”, that is, “as a service”, or “in the form of a service”.

Currently, cloud technologies and, in fact, their concept, involve providing the following types of services to their users:

• Storage-as-a-Service
  This is perhaps the simplest of the CC services, representing disk space on demand. Each of us has at some point encountered a situation where an ominous warning appears on the monitor: " The logical drive is full, to free up space, remove unnecessary programs or data". The Storage-as-a-Service service makes it possible to save data in external storage, in the “cloud”. For you, it will look like an additional logical drive or folder. The service is basic for the rest, since it is included in almost every Examples include other similar services.
• Database-as-a-Service
  This is probably more for administrators, because this thing provides the opportunity to work with databases, as if the DBMS were installed on a local resource. Moreover, in this case it is much easier to “share” projects between different performers, not to mention how much money can be saved on and required for the competent use of a DBMS in a large or even medium-sized organization.
• Information-as-a-Service ("information as a service")
  Makes it possible to remotely use any type of information that can change every minute or even every second.
• Process-as-a-Service
  Represents a remote resource that can link together multiple resources (such as services or data contained within a single cloud or other available clouds) to create a single business process.
• Application-as-a-Service
  It may also be called Software-as-a-Service (“Software as a service”). It is positioned as “software on demand”, which is deployed on remote servers and each user can access it via the Internet, and all updates and licenses for this software are regulated by the provider of this service. Payment, in this case, is made for the actual use of the latter. An example is Google Docs, Google Calendar, etc. online programs.
• Platform-as-a-Service
  The user is provided with a computer platform with an installed operating system and some software.
• Integration-as-a-Service ("integration as a service")
  This is the ability to receive a complete integration package from the cloud, including software interfaces between applications and management of their algorithms. This includes the familiar services and features of Enterprise Application Centralization, Optimization and Integration (EAI) packages, but delivered as a cloud service.
• Security-as-a-Service
  This type of service allows users to quickly deploy products that enable safe use web technologies, email correspondence, local network, which allows users of this service to save on deploying and maintaining their own.
• Management/Governance-as-a-Service("administration and management as a service")
  Makes it possible to manage and set operating parameters for one or many cloud services. These are mainly parameters such as topology, resource usage, virtualization.
• Infrastructure-as-a-Service ("infrastructure as a service")
  The user is provided with a computer infrastructure, usually virtual platforms (computers) connected to a network, which he independently configures for his own purposes.
• Testing-as-a-Service
  Makes it possible to test local or cloud systems using test software from the cloud (no on-premises equipment or software is required).

For clarity, let’s summarize all these services of the “cloud” architecture, into one diagram behind which cloud technologies lie (sorry, it’s in English):

Which shows the classification of services by type of service.

Now let’s look at what cloud technologies there are, so to speak, according to the form of ownership. Here, there are three categories:

• Public
• Private
• Hybrid.

Briefly about each:

• Public cloud is an IT infrastructure used simultaneously by many companies and services. Users do not have the ability to manage and maintain this “cloud”, and all responsibility for these issues rests with the owner of the resource. Any company and individual user can become a subscriber to the services offered.
  Examples include online services: Amazon EC2, Google Apps/Docs, Microsoft Office Web.
• A private cloud is a secure IT infrastructure controlled and operated in the interests of a single organization. An organization can manage the private cloud in-house or outsource the task. The infrastructure can be located either on the premises of the customer or at an external operator (or partly at the customer and partly at the operator).
• Hybrid cloud is an IT infrastructure that uses best qualities public and private clouds when solving the problem. This type is often used when an organization has seasonal periods of activity, in other words, as soon as the internal IT infrastructure cannot cope with current tasks, part of the capacity is transferred to the public cloud (for example, large volumes of statistical information), as well as to provide access to users to enterprise resources through the public cloud.

Confused? It’s okay, we’ll look at the examples soon and everything will fall into place;)

Cloud computing capabilities

Now let's look at the possibilities of cloud computing:

• Access to personal information from any computer connected to the Internet
• You can work with information from different devices(PCs, tablets, phones, etc.)
• It doesn’t matter which operating system you prefer to work in - web services work in the browser of any OS
• Both you and those around you can view and edit the same information simultaneously from different devices
• Many paid programs have become free (or cheaper) web applications
• If something happens to your device (PC, tablet, phone), you will not lose important information, since it is no longer stored in device memory
• Fresh and updated information is always at hand
• You always use the most latest version programs and at the same time you do not need to monitor the release of updates
• You can combine your information with other users
• You can easily share information with loved ones or with people from anywhere in the world.

There are quite a lot of opportunities, however, there are also disadvantages (where would we be without them), which should also be mentioned.

“Fly in the ointment” - disadvantages:

• The need for constant connection.
  To gain access to cloud services, you need a constant connection to the Internet
• Software and its “customization”.
  There are restrictions on software that can be deployed on the clouds and provided to the user. The user has limitations in the software used and sometimes does not have the opportunity to customize it for his own purposes
• Confidentiality.
  The confidentiality of data stored in public clouds currently causes a lot of controversy, but in most cases, experts agree that it is not recommended to store the most valuable documents for a company on a public cloud, since there is currently no technology which would guarantee 100% data confidentiality
• Safety.
  The “cloud” itself is a fairly reliable system, but upon penetration, an attacker gains access to a huge data storage. Another disadvantage is the use of systems that use standard OS kernels (for example Windows) as a hypervisor, which allows exploit viruses and system vulnerabilities
• High cost of equipment.
  To build your own cloud, you need to allocate significant material resources, which is not beneficial for newly created and small companies
• Further monetization of the resource.
  It is possible that companies will in the future decide to charge users for the services they provide.

As you can see, there are two sides to the coin. However, this does not harm the development of technology, and may even spur it.

Cloud technologies - the view from the user's side. Solutions overview

We have come to perhaps the most interesting (and so beloved by many readers) part of the article - examples and, so to speak, practice. Here we will look at what solutions, services, programs already exist on the market and what you should pay attention to. Let's start with the services:

• iCloud
  iCloud cloud service from Apple(which replaced MobileMe), fully automatic and free (albeit with minor functional limitations). It stores all your content (mail, calendar, contacts, documents, music, videos and images, etc.) on servers, and then delivers it to all devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC) using wireless technology Push.
• Google Play
  A fresh cloud service called Google Play from the “good corporation”, which is designed for users to place movies, music, applications and books on servers specially designed for storing digital information. Access to the service is provided directly from the browser, regardless of the OS, and therefore can be done both from a PC and from mobile devices based on Android. Each user has the opportunity to place and store up to 20 thousand music records for free, as well as directly download to the server purchased in stores (Android Market, Google Music and Google eBookstore) digital goods – movies, e-books, programs, music tracks, both purchased and rented.
• OnLive
  I think that everyone is familiar with the service, fortunately I have already written about it. Provides the opportunity to play modern games even on the simplest and weakest computer. Technically, it looks like this: the game itself is located on a remote server, and the graphics are processed there and are sent to the user’s computer in a “ready” form. Simply put, those calculations that are performed during a normal game on a computer, etc., are already performed on the server, and your computer is used only as a monitor that receives the final picture. If you don’t understand, all this means is that all problems with computer performance and quantity are automatically removed. free space on your hard drive, because you don’t even need installation. In addition, there is no need to pay quite a lot of money right away for a product (game, etc.) that you do not necessarily like. Moreover, it’s no secret that you don’t want to play through most games again, so it turns out that the cost of several hours (or even several days) of pleasure is unreasonably high. A much more convenient option would be one in which you pay only for the time you play. Or - you would pay some small fixed amount monthly, which would allow you to play any of the available games without restrictions. That's exactly what OnLive offers.
• Xbox Live
  Another well-known gaming service, which also provides rich Internet functionality and is related to cloud technologies. The essence of the service is that owners of Xbox 360 consoles and PDAs based on Windows Phone 7, can play with each other computer games and communicate, as well as buy add-ons and various multimedia content, in the online store. It turns out that the service creates a kind of virtual universe for gamers, the components of which are located not on end-user consoles, but in the cloud.

Thus, the last two services offer games as a service. Now let’s imagine that we are not talking about games, but about software. That is, you pay not for the product as such (for the box with the disc), but for the specific functions/opportunities that it provides you. Interesting? Here it is for me :)

Small note

And since we, as users, are most interested in software (and not all sorts of platforms as a service), now we will look at the “software landscape” (SaaS) of clouds. In other words, let's list the most popular software solutions, which, within the framework of the concept of cloud technologies, actually now exist on the market.

Actually, according to the SaaS concept, as mentioned above, you do not pay a lump sum when buying a product, but, as it were, rent it. Moreover, you use exactly those functions that you need (and, accordingly, pay for them). For example, once a year you need a certain program and you are not going to use it more often. So why buy a product that will sit idle?

And why waste space on it (in an apartment, if it’s a box with a disk, or on a hard drive, if it’s a file)? That's right, no need, because there is an alternative option - a free online service (providing complete functionality this program).

Working with documents in cloud technologies

It was along this path that the two headliners of the IT industry (and also competitors) - Google and Microsoft - took this path. Both companies have released sets of services that allow you to work with documents.

From Google's side, this is their Google Docs (now Google Drive ):

Free online office, including a word processor, spreadsheet processor and “stuff” for creating presentations, as well as an Internet service cloud file storage with file sharing functions.

This is web-based software, that is, a program that runs within a web browser without installation on the user’s computer, i.e. alternative version all sorts of Word, Excel, etc. without the need to purchase or anything like that. Documents and tables created by the user are saved on a special Google server or can be exported to a file.

This is one of the key advantages of the program, since access to the entered data can be carried out from any computer connected to the Internet (access is protected by a password).

From Microsoft's side, this is their Microsoft Office Web Apps:

Microsoft Office Web Apps allow you to use the capabilities of Microsoft Office through a web browser and work with documents (and not only view them, but also edit them) directly on the website on which they are stored.

Thus, documents look exactly the same in the browser as they do in Office programs, i.e. complete, so to speak, unification.

It is also worth noting that both services are closely interconnected with mail (Gmail in the first case and Hotmail in the second) and file storage, so to use Google Docs, you just need to create a free Google account and you will receive a set of programs for working with texts, spreadsheets and etc., right in the browser. For many, Google Docs has completely replaced, as mentioned above, the paid MS Office.

To sum it up briefly (for these two services), we can say that the user is transferred from his usual offline environment to online.
Let's move on.

Cloud technologies and data storage

Cloud file storage is no less popular. The most famous repository is considered...

• Dropbox.
  You may have several computers, but with the help of this cloud storage you can do shared folder with files for all your PCs and even smartphones. The most interesting thing is that you don’t have to do any special actions here, because the operating system itself will perceive the shared folder, like all other folders on the hard drive, and Dropbox will simply take care of synchronization. The service allows you to store up to 2 GB of data for free. Its main emphasis is on synchronization and information exchange. Dropbox keeps a history of downloads so that after deleting files from the server, it is possible to restore data, plus it keeps a history of file modifications, which is available for the last 30 days.
• Windows Live SkyDrive.
  The SkyDrive service allows you to save up to 7 GB (and you can exchange files up to 100 MB) of information organized using standard folders form. Images have a preview mode, as well as the ability to show them in the form of slides. In addition to the fact that the service is integrated with Microsoft Office, it also supports the new operating system (more precisely, the SkyDrive client is built into Metro apps and allows you to upload documents and photos to the cloud in one click, and open files from remote storage).
• And of course Google Drive. There will be a separate article about it.

By the way, not only all kinds of offices and file storage use cloud technologies. For example, in the fight against digital “evil spirits” they also relied on cloud computing. And here is the result - free antivirus Panda Cloud Antivirus.

It is based on innovative "collective intelligence" technology (which automatically identifies new threats in a minimum period of time) and allows you to minimize the impact of protection on your computer's system resources, using the computing power of cloud technologies for most operations: analysis, blocking and attempts to remove malware.

Antivirus servers use information collected from millions of users of Panda antivirus products around the world to automatically detect and classify new types of malware emerging every day.

In a nutshell, it’s something like this, although there are still a lot of services that could be talked about, but then you’ll have to write a volume of War and Peace :)
So let's get to the results slowly.

Cloud technologies. Cloudy or clear?

Simply put, the cloud is an opportunity to always have guaranteed and secure access to all your personal information, as well as avoiding the need to keep a lot of unnecessary things in your pocket (all sorts of flash drives, disks, wires and all that other stuff) or buy a new computer/components /programs/games, etc. There is no doubt that at the moment, cloud technologies are one of the most popular and interesting topics in the IT sphere and more and more interesting solutions appearing in the world are connected with them.

Certainly, to the average user It is still difficult to fully evaluate (and reveal) their full potential, but the fact that it exists is visible to the naked eye.

Thus, without any doubt, the future of cloud technologies seems very bright, because such giants (Microsoft, Apple and Google) are simply not doing anything and it is absolutely clear that if they have entered this uncharted territory, they are clearly not going to it should go away, because two years ago the concept of “cloud” seemed only a beautiful idea and a bold experiment, and today the benefits of cloud technologies can be felt even by those people who are not associated with program development, web technologies and other highly specialized things (the above-mentioned Xbox Live, Windows Live, OnLive, Google Docs- vivid examples of this).

Afterword

Something like that. I hope that the information was interesting, useful and exciting for you. Stay with the project - you are always welcome here;)

As usual, if you have questions, additions, and other differences, then comments are at your service.

PS: Thanks to team member 25 KADR for the existence of this article

Advantages of cloud technologies

The main advantages are as follows:

· Resource pools. In a private cloud, all resources are combined into pools, which allows for high efficiency in their use and scalability when allocating resources for specific tasks. By distributing resources from a common pool across multiple tasks and business units, IT can increase the efficient utilization of existing resources.

· Elasticity. After combining resources into pools, the IT service has the ability to automatically increase and decrease the amount of resources allocated for a specific task. In fact, this allows you to quickly scale services according to business requirements.

· Self-service. When requesting, configuring, and managing IT services, service providers and consumers use an interactive portal or system designed to automatically provision resources.

· Absolute control. A private cloud is built on the resources available to your organization. This means you have absolute control over all aspects of the architecture and processes running in your cloud.

Let's look at the benefits of the cloud using a private cloud built on the Microsoft Windows Server 2012 platform with support for the Windows Server ActiveDirectory identity system, Hyper-V virtualization, and deep application analytics using SystemCenter. This “cloud” is a convenient solution for implementing a private “cloud” in an enterprise.

Microsoft private cloud solves the following problems:

· Helps focus on key business issues through application services management;

· Allows you to manage a hybrid cloud model through common management, identity and development tools across private and public clouds;

· Provides scalability and flexibility of the cloud computing model on existing resources, and at the same time allows you to maintain full control over the infrastructure;

· Works on different platforms and with different low-level “shells” (hypervisors), including Hyper-V, VMware and Citrix;

· Ensures that existing investments and expertise of IT staff are utilized as efficiently as possible.

Benefits of Microsoft Private Cloud

· Comprehensive virtualization platform

Improved scalability and performance

· Integration with public cloud services

· Continuous availability

· Economic efficiency

Management efficiency

· Flexible development options - locally and in the cloud

· Scalable and elastic infrastructure

· Open environment for developing standard and network applications

· Access from any device, from anywhere in the world

· Fully functional Windows environment at any time

· Increased security and data security

Cross-platform approach from start to finish

Microsoft private cloud supports hypervisors from Microsoft and third parties, OS and development platforms that leverage existing skills and infrastructure investments.

Cloud solutions tailored to your organization's needs

Microsoft helps you control applications wherever you choose to deploy them. Only Microsoft provides common management, identity, and development tools that work in both the private cloud and the public cloud. Windows environment Azure.

Best-in-class performance

In building private cloud environments, more companies are using Microsoft virtualization technologies to deploy server applications such as Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft OfficeSharePoint Server, as well as packaged and custom business applications. Such clients receive significant benefits: optimal use of resources, increased levels of business continuity, and a more flexible and efficient management solution.

Server virtualization in Windows Server 2012

Hyper-V is a technology provided as a separate product or an integrated Windows Server role; is a virtualization platform that will help you use cloud computing within your organization.

The role of Hyper-V virtualization in Windows Server 2012 will help increase the scalability and performance of servers and provide more efficient interaction with cloud services.

More secure multi-tenant architecture

Virtualized data centers are becoming more widespread, and many IT organizations and hosting providers have begun offering infrastructure as a service (IaaS). The IaaS model provides a flexible, virtualized infrastructure—“server instances on demand”—for multiple organizations (tenants). Such solutions must ensure security and be isolated from each other.

Hyper-V supports multi-tenancy and provides new security and isolation features; virtual machines remain isolated even if they are stored on the same physical network or on the same server. In addition, the ExtensibleVirtualSwitch included in Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V supports third-party extensions that improve network connectivity and security. The result is a turnkey solution that reduces the complexity of any virtual environment and reduces the requirements for it.

Flexible infrastructure

Flexibility is needed to simplify management and access virtual network. New network virtualization features in Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V provide the ability to go beyond VLAN implementations. A virtual machine can be placed on any host, regardless of its IP address - locally, on a server or in the cloud - the network infrastructure becomes truly invisible. Now migration of virtual machines and virtual machine storages is carried out independently of each other and without restrictions, including outside the cluster environment.

Scale, performance and density

Enterprises need to run the largest workloads in their virtualized environment. To help, the current beta version of Windows Server Hyper-V provides support for up to 32 virtual processors and 1 terabyte (TB) of memory for Hyper-V guests and up to 4,000 virtual machines in a cluster. Additional features: resource accounting for showback (internal accounting) and chargeback (external clients) scenarios, support for OffloadedDataTransfer technology, as well as improved maintenance for compliance purposes minimum requirements to throughput (even for network-attached storage).

High Availability

To ensure the availability of virtual machines - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or depending on the service level agreement - Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V offers turnkey solutions that help an enterprise meet its needs without additional costs. Some of the features that help improve accessibility include: support for incremental backup copies, enhanced cluster environments with support for virtual FiberChannelHyper-V adapters in the virtual machine, parallel live migration, and new Hyper-V Replica features. Windows Server 2012 replicates virtual machines to another location and ensures that the workload can be moved to another department if the underlying hardware fails.

Flexible Virtualization Platform

Regardless of the specific stage of the IT lifecycle, an enterprise should have multiple virtualization options. It may be starting to virtualize its first group of workloads to reduce IT costs. Perhaps trying to standardize or automate the environment to improve reliability and be able to respond more quickly to business needs. Or creates a private cloud to provide flexibility - anywhere and anytime the need arises.

Dynamic shared architecture allows you to scale and improve reliability of workloads, including the creation of a private cloud.

Many modern users of computers and mobile devices can no longer imagine life without the Internet, which has become firmly established in our everyday life. Relatively recently, new cloud technologies have appeared that are quite different from classical models of computer systems, although in some respects they work on similar principles. However, for many, the very concept of “cloud,” although familiar, still remains unclear. Read on to find out what it is.

What is cloud technology?

If we talk about the concept itself in simple language, we can say that technological solutions of this type basically involve the storage and use of information, software or special services without actual use on computers hard drives(they are used only for the initial installation of client software for the purpose of accessing cloud services).

In other words, the use of cloud technologies allows you to use only the purely computing resources of a computer terminal or mobile device. This explanation may seem too confusing to many. Therefore, in order to understand what the use of cloud technologies looks like in practice, we can give the simplest example.

Most modern users, one way or another, use email. Often, it is precisely the presence of such an address that is necessary for registration in Internet services, in social networks, online games, etc. In any Windows system has a built-in mail client Outlook. When receiving or sending letters, they are all saved directly on the hard drive in the program folder.

It's another matter when the mailbox is located on a remote server (for example, Mail.Ru, Gmail, Yandex mail, etc.). The user simply enters the site, enters his registration data (login and password), after which he gains access to his mail. This is cloud technology in the simplest sense, since all correspondence is stored not on the user’s computer (hard drive), but on a remote server. Actually, and special program to access mailbox not needed (a very ordinary web browser is sufficient, which in this case plays the role of a client application).

Thus, the most important thing that distinguishes cloud technologies from standard IT methods is precisely the storage of information or some software on a remote server, which at one time was called the “cloud”, and the possibility of sharing access to data or BY. Today you can see many services that are built exactly according to the principles of the cloud. But it was not always so.

Development of cloud technologies

In general, conversations about the introduction of such models have been going on since the late 60s of the last century. Then came the concept of using the computing power of computer systems around the world with an organization in the form of a public utility, the authors of which were Joseph Licklider and John McCarthy.

The next step was the introduction in 1999 of so-called CRM systems in the form of websites provided by subscription, which provided access to computing resources via the Internet, which the online bookstore Amazon began to actively use in 2002, which later transformed into a huge IT corporation.

And only in 2006, thanks to the emergence of the Elastic Compute Cloud project, they started talking seriously about the full-scale implementation of cloud technologies and services. Naturally, the launch of the familiar Google Apps service, which took place in 2009, also played an important role in the provision of computing resources.

Modern cloud services

Since then, the cloud technology market has undergone quite serious changes. And the matter was not limited to providing computing resources alone.

New cloud technologies and services have begun to appear, which today can be roughly divided into several large categories:

• cloud information storage;
• gaming portals;
• antivirus platforms;
• web-based software.

Each of these groups includes many subcategories, but in general terms they are all built on the same principles.

Required characteristics

According to the generally accepted requirements of the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, there is a single list of conditions that cloud information technologies must meet:

• independent user service on demand (the ability of the user to determine the degree of use of technological and computing resources in the form of data access speed, server processing time, storage volume, etc., without mandatory coordination or interaction with the service provider);
• access to a universal level network (access to data transfer regardless of the type of device used);
• pooling of computing resources (dynamic redistribution of power by combining resources for a large number of users into a single pool);
• elasticity (the ability to provide, expand or narrow the range of services at any time automatic mode and at no additional cost);
• accounting for services provided to consumers (abstracting the traffic used, the number of users and the transactions they make, bandwidth, etc.).

Common classification of deployment models

Speaking about cloud technologies, one cannot fail to mention their division by types of cloud service models used.

Among them there are several main groups:

• A private cloud is a separate infrastructure used only by one organization or enterprise that includes several users, or partner companies (contractors), which may belong to the organization itself or be outside its jurisdiction.
• A public cloud is a structure intended for use by the general public in free access and, as a rule, under the control of the owner (service provider).
• A public cloud is an organizational structure designed for groups of users who have common interests or goals.
• A hybrid cloud is a combination of two or more of the above types, which in the structure remain unique independent objects, but are interconnected according to strictly defined standardized rules for data transfer or application use.

Types of Service Models

Separately, we should highlight the methodology for classifying service models, that is, the entire set of tools and tools that a cloud service can provide to the user.

The main models include the following:

• SaaS (software as a service) is a model of a set of software provided by a cloud provider to a consumer, which can be used either directly in the cloud service from some device, or through access through thin clients, or through the interface of a special application.
• PaaS (platform as a service) is a structure that allows the user, based on the provided tools, to use the cloud to develop or create basic software for the purpose of subsequently hosting other software (own, purchased or replicated) based on database management systems, programming language execution environments, middleware Software, etc.;
• IaaS (infrastructure as a service) is a model for using a cloud service with independent resource management and the ability to host any type of software (even OS), but with limited control of some network services (DNS, firewall, etc.).

Blocks of cloud services

Since cloud technologies require minimal user participation in the operation of the entire complex and are models consisting of many technological combinations that interact with each other through the use of middleware, at this stage of considering such services, we can separately highlight some important components of any software and hardware complex that are accepted call them blocks:

• Self-service portal - a tool that allows the user to order certain type services with clarification of additional details (for example, for IssA this is an order virtual machine with clarification of processor type, volume random access memory And hard drive or refusal to use it).
• Service catalog is a set of basic services and associated templates for creation, which, through the transfer of automation, will be able to configure the created service in real-life computer systems and with a specific type of software.
• Orchestrator is a specialized tool for monitoring the actions of the operations performed, provided by the template for each service.
• Tariffing and billing - accounting for services provided to the user, issuing invoices for payment to coordinate financial issues.

Additional methods

Among other things, sometimes, in order to distribute the load, virtualization technology can be used in the form of a virtual server part, which is a kind of layer or connection between software services and hardware (distribution virtual servers according to real ones). This approach is not mandatory, however, cloud technologies in education use this technique quite often.

Antiviruses also look quite interesting; they download suspicious files not to computers, but to the cloud or “sandbox” (Sandbox), where a preliminary check is carried out, after which permission is given to send it to the computer, or it is quarantined in the very cloud.

Pros and cons of using cloud services

As for the pros and cons, of course there are. The positive aspect is that by accessing software, storage or creating their own infrastructure for users of such services, the costs associated with purchasing additional or more powerful hardware or licensed software are significantly reduced.

On the other hand, most experts harshly criticize the use of cloud services simply because of their low security from outside interference. The issue of storing huge volumes of outdated or unused data is also on the agenda. A striking example of this is Google services, in which the user cannot delete any data groups or unused services.

Payment issues

Naturally, the use of such services is paid, especially if these are cloud technologies in education (specialized libraries, educational platforms), access to specialized software or regular data storage with large reserved volumes disk space.

But for the average user, the same information storage services like DropBox, OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive), Cloud Mail.Ru, Yandex.Disk and many others make concessions, allocating, depending on the service itself, about 15-20 GB disk space without payment. By modern standards, of course, not much, but enough to save some important data.

Conclusion

That's it for cloud technology. Many specialists and analysts promise them a great future, but the issue of information security or data confidentiality arises so acutely that without the use of new developments in the field of information security, such a bright prospect looks very doubtful.

In recent years, SaaS solutions or, in other words, IT services implemented on cloud platform. We can say that cloud technologies have confidently entered our lives and continue to gain momentum. In this article we will try to find out what does cloud computing mean and what are its benefits for business?

In a nutshell, cloud solutions are software products that can be accessed via the Internet. If previously people downloaded software exclusively to a computer or server, today cloud technologies have given us access to programs through a web browser. Such applications are especially popular among small and medium-sized businesses. And the well-known IT magazine “CRN” has calculated that today small businesses spend about 100 billion US dollars on purchasing cloud tools.

Today, many software developers offer business software on a cloud platform. Such solutions include office suites, systems for managing customer relationships, as well as industry-specific applications for managing sales, production, logistics, etc. And, for example, separate products have been developed for each area of ​​logistics: warehouse automation, transport logistics automation and tender automation procurement

So why are so many businesses moving to the cloud? The answer is simple. Cloud tools increase productivity, reduce costs for businesses, and, in addition, offer the user many other benefits.

So, let's look at the main advantages of cloud technologies:

1. Flexibility

If a company is actively developing and, as a result, the network of its branches and representative offices is expanding, because such services are hosted on remote servers.

2. Disaster recovery

When using cloud technologies, companies do not need to worry about the problems of disaster recovery of systems. Suppliers of such solutions take care of all the worries about maintaining the functionality of systems, and problems are resolved very quickly. According to Aberdeen Group research, enterprises that used the cloud solved system recovery problems four times faster than other companies.

3. Automaticsoftware update

According to research, in 2010, UK companies spent 18 working days per month maintaining non-cloud systems and managing their security. Cloud service providers are independently responsible for maintaining and updating servers, including guaranteeing the safety of data.

4. No capital costs

Cloud solutions do not require capital investments for the purchase of servers and their support, and since they are implemented very quickly, minimal effort is required from the customer to “launch” the project.

5. Expanding the scope of interaction

Cloud technologies allow all company employees, regardless of their current location, to synchronize work with documents and applications, working in real time.

6. Work from anywhere in the world

To work with the cloud system you only need mobile device and access to the Internet.

7. Document management

According to one foreign publication, 73% of knowledge workers interact with people in other time zones and regions at least once a month. If the company does not use the cloud, employees are forced to share files via e-mail, resulting in multiple versions of the same document. Cloud solutions allow all files to be stored in one place, and employees can simultaneously work in one central copy, as well as communicate with each other as changes are made. Such cooperation improves overall work productivity.

8. Security of information

It is known that tens of thousands of laptops are lost at airports every year. Valuable and confidential information is lost along with laptops. If information is stored in the cloud, then if the device is lost, there is no data loss.

9. Competitiveness
The cloud allows companies to act faster in emergency situations than their competitors. Enterprises that do not use cloud services are forced to resort to backup and involve complex data recovery procedures, which is slow and painstaking work.

10. Eco-friendliness

Research shows that using cloud technologies reduces carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption by at least 30%, which gives an additional benefit to business.

As Internet connection speeds increase, services that provide ubiquitous and convenient network access to various computing resources and data storage devices. In this material you will learn what cloud computing is and what opportunities it provides to users.

Introduction

Initially, computer systems received the name “cloud” because of a completely innocent simplification invented by mathematician programmers. They proposed that all computers located on the same network be designated as a cloud with data depicted inside it. In this case, each computer is not considered as an independent unit, but is part of the whole. By whole we mean that area of ​​the system that is directly involved when working with the user. Thus, all network resources available to us through servers can, in fact, be called a “cloud”.

Cloud services for storing files

“Cloud” systems have gained the greatest popularity due to the development of services that allow files to be stored not in computer memory, but in a specially created Internet storage. Such functionality provided users with unprecedented freedom of choice, because all files stored in the cloud are available to the owner at any time and from any device connected to the Internet. Among other things, in this case there is no need to store data on local drives, which can save time (for downloading information, etc.) and money for the user.

Cloud services can also be used as backup storage for personal data. If your computer's hard drive fails, you can always return all the necessary information previously saved in the clouds.

Cloud storage can be used just as effectively to synchronize data between different computer devices. For example, you can make changes to a file on your work computer and be sure that all the changes made will be made to all copies of it stored on other devices that are synchronized with the cloud service.

The most popular cloud file storages include: Google Drive, Yandex.Disk, Microsoft SkyDrive, Dropbox, iCloud and others. Almost all of them, after registration, provide users with a certain amount of free space for storing files (usually from 5 GB to 10 GB). If this does not seem enough, then for an additional fee you can organize storage with a capacity of 20 GB to several tens of terabytes.

Cloud software services

However, the importance of cloud computing and its capabilities is difficult to assess only as a universal file storage, because the scope of its application is much wider. For example, some cloud services, such as Zoho Docs or Google Docs, already provide the ability to store not only files, but also a wide variety of applications.

The benefits for the creators of such services are very obvious. The development company receives unlimited opportunities to implement its own software products, and there is no need to even transfer the program itself to the user; it is stored and hosted within the cloud. That is why the risk of hacker attacks is minimized, and the program’s technical support service is able to continuously monitor its operation, ensuring stability and ease of use.

Cloud hosting allows developers to control the legality of data entering the server, therefore the risk of distribution and use of illegally produced or simply counterfeit software is sharply reduced. We think there is no need to remind you about the dangers lurking in such “profitable download” files. With them, you can get anything you want: from a fresh Trojan to something worse. This is why it is so important to control the origin of files entering cloud storage.

One of the brightest representatives of cloud programs is office Microsoft package Office 365. Including all the most popular office applications, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and so on, it provides access to your documents from anywhere you have access to the Internet and allows you to work on them from a wide variety of devices, even on those that are not installed Office package. In addition, users get the opportunity to collaborate on documents, exchange instant messages and not worry about the security of their own data.

Cloud Computing Service Models

In fact, all cloud systems available to the modern user can be divided into four categories. The first one includes a proposal own developments Software to all users interested in this. At the same time, the programs themselves are permanently hosted on the developers’ websites and are accessible only through a network connection. This category of systems is designated by the abbreviation SaaS(software as a service) and is presented in the form of Adobe online services, Google Docs, Microsoft Office Live Workspace and some others. This way, you don’t have to buy expensive software, but use it on a rental basis for the required time.

The second service model is called PaaS(platform as a service) and provides users with access in the cloud to use various information platforms: operating systems, development and testing tools, database management systems and others. At the same time, consumers can not only operate selected platforms, but also install their own software on them for operation. For example, this way you can try out any new software environment without installing it on your own PC.

The third category of services proposes to move all the tools necessary for work, including the desktop itself, inside the “cloud,” thus providing users with ready-made workstations that can be accessed from anywhere there is an Internet connection. Such systems are united by the name DaaS(desktop as a service). There can be two options for hosting and displaying such a service: either direct access to all used applications, or access to links to them. In any case, all work is carried out only through the browser, and it is impossible to use applications outside of it.

Today, DaaS technology is considered a promising cloud direction and allows you to deploy a full-fledged workplace, ready to work around the clock with all the necessary software. Moreover, all applications are stored in a special data center, which allows you to effectively use this tool even on low-power computers, laptops, tablets and even smartphones.

Latest service model IaaS(infrastructure as a service) allows users to independently manage cloud resources by renting both hardware (servers, client systems, network equipment, etc.) and operating systems and the necessary application software. For the most part, this technology is used by corporate clients to create their own cloud computing service.

Disadvantages and advantages of cloud services

Despite quite a few positive aspects in using cloud services, it is worth noting certain disadvantages when working with them. Not the most pleasant fact for the user is the news that all of his data located in one or another “cloud” is practically freely available to law enforcement agencies at various levels (upon request, although no one is obliged to notify you about the request for data), as well as software developers of the service. That is, if you want to find out as much information about you as possible, including from personal correspondence or photo/video files stored in the cloud, anyone who has shown an interest in this and has certain powers will be able to find out. There is only one way to avoid such unwanted intrusion - to abandon the “cloud” in favor of a local connection through the software available on the computer itself.

An even greater danger is fraught with a “cloud” service that does not have sufficiently reliable protection against hacking. In this case, after completing hacker attack Your data can not only fall into the wrong hands, but also be completely destroyed.

For dessert, we’ll add that in addition to access to your information stored in the “cloud,” a particularly successful hacker will be able to receive as a bonus the opportunity to control the operation of your computer or computers (if there are several of them), and this can lead to much more serious consequences.

So, let's summarize. Advantages of using cloud services:

• Use of software of legal origin;
• The ability to log in and access personal data from any device connected to the Internet;
• Possibility of organizing backup data storage;
• Sync data across all your devices;
• Small requirements for the initial software and hardware of devices for working in cloud services;
• Possibility of using complex software systems on low-power equipment.

• Inability to control access to stored data of third parties;
• The need to establish an Internet connection with the service every time you need to gain access to files or applications;
• The need to use the services and offers of a specific developer who owns the service;
• The need to regularly pay for some cloud services and services.

Conclusion

Whether to use cloud services or leave the option of working using a regular desktop and computer file storage system is up to everyone to decide for themselves. However, in our age, when only a very naive person relies on the security of an Internet connection, the risks of using such innovative developments sometimes outweigh the benefits. It’s worth considering which of the following is more important to you: freedom of access to files, the ability to remotely store applications and tools used in your work, or the security of data, which can sometimes be very personal. And only if the benefits outweigh the risks, should you choose the “cloud” as an alternative solution to the problem of storing information.