Cloud computing technology has come a long way since it was first introduced to the public as the next big thing. If you’re not quite sure what it actually is, or how it works, or which elements make up the cloud, or which ones you should know about and use in your own business, this article can help give you a better idea of the topic. We’ll cover the big picture (i.e., what the cloud actually is), then we’ll look at the specific technologies that make up the cloud (i.e., how cloud computing actually works). Technologies in Cloud Computing You Didn’t Know Existed
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Disaster Recovery
As we discussed earlier, failure is a necessary part of success. In order to prevent data loss when a drive fails or an entire data center goes offline, you need disaster recovery (DR) software. This keeps your most critical files safe in a secure location that won’t be affected by any hardware or network failures. Ideally, DR works so seamlessly that you don’t even notice it’s happening. But if something does go wrong, you want to know that your backups are intact and ready for action.
Automated Backup
Backup is important because it protects your data against loss and theft. But if you have to do manual backups, there’s a good chance they’re not happening as often as they should be. With automated backup software, you can set up automatic file transfer on a schedule that works for you.
This saves time and ensures that your data is safe against almost any type of disaster, whether it’s human error or a fire. Plus, since it’s automated, you don’t need to worry about forgetting to do something manually—your computer will take care of everything for you.
Virtualization
The idea of virtualization has been around for decades, but didn’t become widely used until technology caught up with it. Virtualization lets you run many different systems within a single computer. The benefit is that you can reduce your hardware expenses because one server can run multiple systems at once. Data centers are filled with servers and storage equipment from companies like Dell and EMC, but a company called Citrix has led an effort to bring virtualization to homes and small businesses as well. With products like VMware, Citrix makes it possible for ordinary consumers to own their own personal cloud.
Hybrid Cloud
The term hybrid cloud is used to describe a single infrastructure that houses different deployment models under one roof. One example of a hybrid deployment model is a multi-cloud application. This occurs when an application, such as a mobile application, is deployed across several clouds from one or more cloud providers. In many cases, multi-cloud applications are built to run on both private and public clouds for resilience and fault tolerance; however, there are other business reasons for using multiple cloud deployments.
Containers
Container technology was a precursor to cloud computing, with IBM taking home two US patents for container technology back in 1979. The basic idea behind containers is that it allows you to isolate applications from one another while still maintaining what they need to operate independently. For example, if your Web app needed a certain version of PHP and couldn’t run on any other version, you could use a container that holds just that software package. Containers also allow applications to be moved around between machines as needed—say if your database server died and had to be replaced. A new machine would then deploy its own version of containers for every application it hosts, allowing you full control over which apps are running where and why—even if it means an outage because of application dependencies needs adjustment.
API Management
In an increasingly mobile and distributed world, application programming interfaces (APIs) have emerged as a popular way to develop web-based applications. For businesses that have large numbers of users who are interacting with their cloud-based applications over multiple devices, having APIs can be especially useful. One useful tool that is often used with APIs is API management, which allows companies to monitor activity across all of their APIs and better manage issues that may arise. Some tools even allow companies to set up rate limits on specific activities if they’re concerned about abuse or spikes in activity. There are a number of different ways that API management can be deployed; whether it’s hosted by a third party or you prefer to run it yourself, there are several options available for you to use.
Testing and Development Platforms
Whether you’re looking to build or launch a new application or upgrade an existing one, these platforms can help you. Testing and development platforms are designed to make it easy for developers to spin up virtual servers on demand and connect them with software applications that run inside of those virtual machines. It helps if your app needs multiple servers—and if you’re often changing server configurations, testing and development platforms might be ideal. By spinning up new test servers at will, developers can rapidly debug code issues and try out new features before putting them into production.
What are the technologies in cloud computing?
It’s no secret that there are a lot of buzzwords and terminology floating around within cloud computing. Some of it is confusing; some of it can even make you feel like you don’t know anything at all about cloud computing. The most common question cloud consumers have is: What are these technologies? The answer? More than you probably think. In fact, many times, cloud providers use different technologies for each service they offer–but how does that work exactly? How do multiple services from one provider come together to provide everything that’s needed for a business? That’s where we step in. Here are some examples of these additional (and often) unknown technologies within your favorite, or soon-to-be favorite, applications for 2016
What are the 4 types of cloud computing?
There are three primary ways to describe what a cloud is, depending on your point of view. If you’re looking at it from a consumer perspective, clouds can be public or private. If you’re looking at it from an infrastructure perspective, clouds can be hoster-managed or self-managed. If you’re looking at it from a technologist’s perspective, clouds have four different services: software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and lastly backup and disaster recovery as a service (BDRaaS). Depending on who you ask, there may be other terms for these four types of cloud computing.
