The Concept of Cloud Computing - Research Paper Example

ID Number: Research Paper: Cloud Computing I. Introduction The research paper is centered towards the concept of cloud computing. Advantages, disadvantages and various working procedures of cloud computing would e highlighted in the research study. Cloud computing is a popular concept in the field of information technology. It is related to delivery of computing which is considered to be service rather than any product. In this form of method software, information and resources are given to devices and computers in the form of utility across a network. This research study would deal with working method of this innovative technology. These clouds are often considered as private, hybrid or public. Research question or thesis statement of the study is – “what is the working style of cloud computing in group and personal uses and ways in which it can replace physical storage comprising of its advantages and disadvantages”. The entire study would be based on secondary research to identify the probable benefits and loophole of the mechanism. This study would even reveal the ease which is provided by cloud computing in context of group use as well as personal use. II. Findings: How cloud computing works? Cloud computing is a network that enables resource, information and capability sharing which makes work simpler and quicker. “Cloud computing is all about resource sharing in order to achieve economies of scale and coherence that is almost similar to utility across network” this was stated by Jon Brodkin. This statement highlights the fact that cloud computing deals with information sharing or forming a network. The foundation of the concept states it to be a broader approach of shared services and converged infrastructure. Cloud computing majorly focuses on maximizing the overall efficiency of different shared resources. The cloud resources are not only associated with sharing across multiple users but on demand are even dynamically reallocated. Some of the proponents stated that “cloud computing enables a firm to eliminate upfront infrastructure costs and be aligned towards projects which would help in differentiating their firm from competitors (Brodkin 10).” There are two essential components of cloud computing which is known as front end and back end. Internet is the medium through which these two parts connect with each other. A sample architecture of cloud computing is given in figure1. Figure 1: Cloud Computing Architecture (Source: Furht and Escalante 102) The front end is that part which is viewed by customer or client and the back end represents the system’s cloud section. Front end encompasses the computer network and applications essential to access cloud computing mechanism. Same user interface is not shared across all systems of cloud computing. For instance email programs which are web based can easily operate on Firefox or Internet explorer but other systems require specific applications in order to enable network access to customers. The back end of the entire mechanism represents servers, data storage systems and computers involved in developing “cloud’ for computing services (Furht and Escalante 117). There are certain essential characteristics of cloud computing such as self service on demand, resource pooling, and broad access of network, measured service and rapid elasticity. Self service on demand states that consumer do not have to interact with service provider in terms of network storage and server time. Broad network access of cloud computing provides IT capabilities that are available across network and can be easily accessed utilizing standard mechanism (Mellon). Resource pooling factor is all about computing resources of provider being pooled to many customers through multi-tenant model with virtual and physical resources reassigned or assigned dynamically on consumer demand. On the other hand rapid elasticity makes the capabilities and resources appear to be unlimited to the customers. In practicality the cloud computing concept can comprise of any program ranging from video games to data processing. Each of the applications involved in cloud computing will consist of a specific server. However there is a central server that administers system, monitors customer demand and traffic so that the operations are performed smoothly (Michael 97). Cloud computing is usually governed by set of rules that is known as protocols and even encompasses middleware which is a special type of software. Middleware software enables those computers which are networked to communicate effectively. The basic working structure of cloud computing is illustrated in figure 2. Figure 2: Cloud Computing (Source: Michael 90) As per figure2 it can be stated that cloud computing is not just about forming a network across multiple computing devices but it comprises of many functions such as monitoring, maintaining data storage and database, establishing communication, setting collaboration and allocating or reallocating resources as and when required. There are three basic models through which providers of cloud computing offer their services as described in figure3. Figure 3: Service Models (Source: Jamsa 112) IaaS or infrastructure as a service model states that application software and operating system needs to be maintained by cloud users whereas providers would only be associated with billing services of IaaS on basis of utility computing. The cost of the service reflects the amount of resources being consumed and allocated. In PaaS or Platform as a Service model computing platform is delivered by the provider comprising of programming language, web server, operating system and database. This helps in cutting down costs in relation to buying and maintaining software and hardware layer in the system. The storage resources on the cloud automatically match with demand eliminating the factor of manually allocating resources by users. Software as a Service or SaaS model enables user to directly access databases and application software. Cloud providers in the model are the ones who manage platform and infrastructure to run applications (Jamsa 132). This is on demand software and is charged on the basis of pay per use. It even consists of load balancer that facilitates work distribution across virtual machines. III. Advantages of cloud computing Cloud computing has various advantages which has made it a renowned concept in the field of information technology. The most important advantage of cloud computing is that it enhances cost efficiency. Through leveraging capabilities of cloud it saves time and cost associated with data storage, management, having standing alone software or software updates. Cloud computing has not only lowered costs for the organizations but has even improved productivity and performance. For an organization this mechanism ensures security and reallocation of IT resources as and when required depending on the fluctuating market demand. In personal context cloud computing facilitates an individual to share resources and information across the network in the least time possible. The other benefits are continuous availability and convenience in terms of wherever the end user is located, recovery and backup is additional features as all the data are stored not in any physical devices but cloud, it is environmentally friendly as it uses less number of resources for computing and is highly efficient, provides redundancy and resiliency to users as it is built on robust architecture, high performance and scalability, cloud system triggers ease in integration and facilitates quick deployment, it has high capacity for data storage, cloud applications encompass small curve of learning, is independent of user location and enhance device diversity. Cloud computing even ensures security in the form of measured services where resources are monitored, reported and controlled providing transparency for customers as well as providers of the utilized service. IV. Disadvantages of cloud computing On the contrary the disadvantages of the approach are also enormous such as privacy and security in the cloud system as confidential information is shared at times which can be easily exploited (IBM). As stated by Lohr in his studies “Cloud computing makes the IT infrastructure totally dependent on the Internet and even leads to corrupting elements due to exposure of confidential information (Lohr 8).”Other loopholes are high dependency on the vendor, increasing technical difficulties in the system, limited flexibility and control as all the applications and services operate on third party remote and virtual environments and increased vulnerability as cloud based solutions are majorly exposed to public internet which is a vulnerable target for hackers and malicious users. Thus it can be stated that the major drawback of cloud computing is its nature of transparency in terms of information sharing and resource allocation. V. Cloud computing replaces physical storage and it works with group & personal uses Cloud computing can be considered to be a platform through which information can be effectively exchanged without any interference. However the working procedure of the concept changes across personal and group uses. In context of group use this technique is highly observed in big as well as small scale organizations. Cloud system is enabled in the group system on the basis of the framework of client and server. Common server connects to all the computers in network. This helps in faster data sharing and even working in collaboration with other group members. On the other hand cloud computing provide the ease of integration as well as storing large volumes of data. It is easy to be implemented as different service models are available which can be analyzed and then selected by a group. On the other hand cloud computing is even easy to be operated for personal use and the most prominent example is the evolution of Internet. There are large applications based on this concept which has made life easy for individuals. Information sharing was a major problem earlier but in the recent times it became easy due to this new innovative concept. Organizations can effectively eliminate the need of technical expertise within individuals through this concept in comparison to previous years where technical capabilities were considered to be a major competency for an organization. In context of personal use, there are two elements in the cloud system one is the provider and the other is the client. Multiple devices can be used by the client to access wide set of data and information available on the cloud. In present scenario it has been observed that cloud computing is replacing the concept of physical storage. This approach has higher capacity in terms of storage which is not available in physical storage. It even encompasses backup and recovery facilities which are not available in physical storage. VI. Conclusion As per the research study it can be concluded that cloud computing has gained popularity due to its enormous benefits and even has high potential for growth in the upcoming years. Though the concept has certain loopholes but it has helped individuals to save time as well as money. The user base for cloud computing are increasing wit passing days and large number of players are attracted in order to provide fine tuned solutions and services. Information technology has been made simpler and easier to a great extent with the emergence of cloud computing. It enables user located in any corner to communicate across network and share valuable information and data. Works Cited Brodkin. Jon., IBM unveils Cloud computing. Network World, 24 (45). 2007. Print. Furht. Borko., and Armando, Escalante. Handbook of Cloud Computing. USA: Springer Science & Business Media. 2010. Print. IBM., IBM Introduces Ready-to-Use Cloud Computing.". 2007. web. 28 August. 2014. . Jamsa. Kris., Cloud Computing: SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, Virtualization, Business Models, Mobile, Security and More. USA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. 2013. Print. Lohr. Steve., Google and I.B.M. Jon in Cloud Computing Research. New York Times, 8. 2007. Print. Mellon. Carnegie., Middleware. 2004. web. 28 August. 2014. . Michael. Miller., Cloud Computing. New Delhi: Pearson Education India. 2011. Print. Read More