What is cloud computing? What are your options and which ones are right for you?

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What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet (“the cloud”) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale. Cloud computing differs from traditional hardware and software in that it allows businesses to stay at the forefront of technology with out spending large sums of money in maintenance.

Who uses cloud computing?

Businesses of all sizes use cloud computing. For example, small businesses can use cloud-based solutions to reduce their capital and operational costs. Large enterprises can use the cloud to offload some of their non-core services so they can focus on their core business. And global organizations can leverage the cloud to quickly scale their operations to meet customer demand. There are many different applications for cloud computing such as: Email, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Data Mining and Backup and Disaster Recovery, so for example an accounting firm may use cloud computing for their bookkeeping, or a hospital for their patient records. With a little bit of creativity and computing knowledge you can find practical applications for any industry to save time and money, sometimes all it takes a conversation to get the ball rolling.

3 types of cloud computing:

1. SaaS

Literally meaning “Software as a Service”, this type of cloud computing allows businesses to access and use software that is hosted on a remote server. The most popular examples of SaaS are web-based email like Gmail and Google Docs. With these email services you can create custom domains (email suffix after the @ symbol) while still using their cloud services. Other examples of SaaS are: Adobe Creative Cloud, Autodesk, Microsoft Office 365 and Oracle.

2. Paas

Platform as a Service is a cloud computing model that delivers a platform to customers that can be used to develop, test, run and manage applications without the need for infrastructure or middleware. PaaS provides customers with everything they need to create an application from scratch or use an existing application. Some examples of PaaS are: AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Google App Engine, Heroku, OpenShift and Windows Azure. With Google App Engine you can create a custom website or web application using their platform and host it on their servers.

3. IaaS:

Infrastructure as a Service is a cloud computing model that provides customers with access to storage, networking, servers and other computer infrastructure that can be accessed over the internet. Customers only pay for the resources they use, making it a more cost-effective solution for businesses. Some examples of IaaS are: AWS, Google Compute Engine, Azure and Rackspace. AWS is Amazon’s IaaS and it’s a popular choice for because of its features, scalability and reliability. On AWS you can make use of their pre-configured templates called Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) to launch instances, which are basically VMs, or you can launch your own custom AMIs.

What type of cloud is right for your business?

Public Cloud

A public cloud is a cloud service that makes resources, such as applications and storage, available to the general public over the internet. Public clouds are owned and operated by third-party cloud service providers, which charge users on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Private Cloud

A private cloud is a cloud service that is deployed within a company’s firewall. Private clouds are owned and operated by the company, which has full control over the data and applications that are stored in the cloud.

Hybrid Cloud

A hybrid cloud is a cloud service that combines public and private clouds, giving businesses the best of both worlds. Hybrid clouds are typically used for data backup and disaster recovery.

Community Cloud

A community cloud is a cloud service that is shared by a group of organizations that have similar requirements. Community clouds are typically used by government organizations and nonprofits.

Cloud computing has become an increasingly popular way for businesses to store data and run applications. There are many different types of clouds, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The type of cloud that is right for your business will depend on your specific needs and requirements.

Do you have any questions about cloud computing? Contact us today

Contact ecom industries today to learn more about cloud computing and how it can benefit your business. Our team of experts can help you choose the right cloud solution for your needs and budget. Call us toll-free at 646-818-9426 or email us at info@ecomindustries.com.

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