What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is revolutionizing the way companies and individuals store, manage and access their data and applications. Unlike traditional IT infrastructures, where servers, software and data are physically installed on a company's premises, cloud computing shifts these resources (physical or virtual servers, data storage, network capabilities, application development tools, software, AI-powered analysis tools, etc.) to be accessed via the Internet. Cloud computing is revolutionizing the way in which data and infrastructures are secured, with the integration of data centers worldwide, such as UltraEdge in France, to provide hosting services. This approach offers greater flexibility, enabling data and applications to be retrieved from anywhere at any time, as long as an Internet connection is at hand.
Definition of cloud computing
Cloud computing consists of a range of remote IT services (servers, storage, databases, networks, software, etc.) that can be accessed from a terminal connected to the Internet, otherwise known as “the cloud”. In simple terms, it dematerializes IT resources by making them accessible remotely, without the need for local infrastructure. This means that companies no longer need to invest in and manage physical infrastructures and maintain them on site. They can instead rent these services on-demand from cloud providers.
Cloud computing differs from traditional on-premises infrastructures in its ability to adapt resources automatically as needed. Cloud computing services mainly offer three distinct types of solution: SaaS, PaaS and IaaS . This flexibility enables companies to only pay for the resources they need.
The various types of cloud computing
Cloud computing plays an active role in our daily routines, and has also become indispensable in professional environments, from start-ups to global corporations. Most of the applications and tools we use nowadays are on cloud environments, enabling us to work both autonomously and remotely. This ecosystem has created a framework for the evolution and expansion of computing power in data centers. It has also given a boost to cutting-edge technologies such as generative AI and quantum computing.
There are different types of cloud computing: public cloud, private cloud and hybrid cloud.
Public cloud
The public cloud is managed by third-party providers who offer cloud services to multiple users via the Internet. Companies rent resources, such as servers or storage, hosted in shared data centers. This offers simple, scalable and cost-effective access, helping small businesses with little infrastructure.
Private cloud
The private cloud is created, managed and dedicated to a single company, and can be hosted on the company's own premises or in an external data center like UltraEdge. It offers more control and greater security than the public cloud, which is ideal for organizations with strict compliance and confidentiality requirements. However, they offer more control, security and data management, while allowing internal users to benefit from a shared pool of compute, storage and network resources. It is more costly to manage and requires greater investment in infrastructure.
Hybrid cloud
The hybrid cloud brings together the advantages of both public and private clouds, enabling companies to split their workflow across them. Note that a hybrid cloud strategy becomes a multicloud approach when it combines the advantages of a private cloud with at least two distinct public clouds. Regardless of which cloud approach you opt for, a selected hybrid setup leverages the flexibility and scalability of the public cloud. Sensitive data on a private cloud is secured on the private cloud and stays in compliance with their internal regulations.
Key benefits of cloud computing
Flexibility and scalability
Cloud computing enables companies to rapidly scale their infrastructures as needs change. Whether to increase storage capacity or handle increased workloads, resources can be fine-tuned on request without the need to invest in new hardware.
Lower infrastructure costs
Regardless of the cloud model selected, businesses can reduce the cost of purchasing, maintaining and upgrading their IT infrastructure. The pay-as-you-go model enables them to contain costs by paying only for resources really used, and to better focus their IT staff on more innovative and strategic projects.
Data security
Cloud providers implement advanced security protocols to safeguard their customers' data, often offering better security than local infrastructures. Cloud computing security is generally recognized as stronger than in enterprise data centers, since the arrival of technologies such as AI, IoT, etc. Automatic backups, redundancy and disaster recovery are key services that maintain business continuity in the even of an outage. The security of cloud environments is in a constant evolution.
Easy access and collaboration
Collaborating in the cloud is becoming simpler and easier, and teams can access their files and applications from any Internet-connected device, enabling the rapid globalization of remote services. Data is centralized and accessible in real time, simplifying collaborative working, especially for globally-distributed teams.
The main features of Cloud Computing
Today's Cloud environments are hosted in high-performance data centers offering very high levels of availability and connectivity. These high levels of quality have made it possible to establish cloud computing services.
Data storage
The cloud is widely used for data storage, enabling companies to centralize and secure their information, while making it accessible at all times and with flexible capacity. Cloud storage eliminates the need to invest in and manage data storage infrastructures, offering agility, scalability and sustainability. Services such as Google Drive, Dropbox or Amazon S3 offer scalable storage solutions for all data types.
The large amount of unstructured data from Machine Learning (ML) and files of all types has led cloud providers to implement object storage. Objects are stored in secure compartments that offer virtually unlimited scalability. It's less expensive to store large volumes of data.
Cloud storage enables cost-effective, scalable storage while supporting ML, artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics to drive insights and innovation for your business.
IT infrastructure management
The cloud enables simplified management of IT infrastructures, by outsourcing server maintenance, software updates and network management to cloud providers. This relieves hardware investment and allows in-house IT teams to focus on more strategic tasks.
Application and software development
The cloud has revolutionized application development, with containerization and microservices solutions, coupled with tools that automate the entire chain for better security and continuous delivery. Modern application development is an approach that enables rapid innovation using cloud-native architectures with microservices, managed databases, AI, DevOps support and integrated monitoring. Platform as a Service (PaaS) platforms such as Heroku or AWS Elastic Beanstalk greatly simplify these processes, offering flexible, scalable environments.
Big data and AI
Cloud computing is a pillar for Big Data analysis and artificial intelligence (AI). The foundation of today's digital revolution lies in these 3 pillars: Cloud, Big Data and AI.
The modernization of data centers provides an increasing layer of modern and complex infrastructure for the storage of bulk metadata. With the ultra-low latencies of big data and analytics engines, objectives are achieved much faster and with more precise relevance.
Thanks to its ability to handle huge volumes of data quickly, the cloud enables companies to harness valuable information to upgrade their services, optimize their processes and tailor their offerings.
Risks and challenges of cloud computing
Data security and confidentiality
Cloud computing is generally more secure than onsite IT systems. Cloud providers are incentivized to provide the best possible security, as any failure, interruption or leakage could harm their business profits. Although the cloud offers security features, it also exposes companies to new cybersecurity risks. Data theft, security breaches and unauthorized access are major concerns, requiring the implementation of reinforced security policies.
The strong interconnection of more and more cloud environments is the big difference compared to legacy IT environments.
Dependence on an Internet connection
One of the main limitations of the cloud is its dependence on a stable internet connection. Without access to the Internet, users cannot interact with applications or stored data in the cloud, which can cause problems in areas with poor connectivity. This is why data center and telecoms service providers have been working closely together for several years on new, more innovative solutions. We can see that data centers offer highly-available service levels in line with available and approved certification standards. They are also assisting in the implementation of intelligent network solutions to meet very high bandwidth connectivity needs.
One might conclude that cloud computing would not exist without data centers, which are becoming ever more modern and offer ever greater connectivity speeds.
Long-term costs
Although the cloud's pay-as-you-go model may seem more economical in the short term, costs can rise significantly as storage and computing power requirements increase. Cloud computing may reduce physical infrastructure costs, but it also generates recurring costs. Depending on the type and model of cloud chosen, it is imperative to call on the expertise of a FinOps specialist to properly assess needs and costs. It's important for companies to monitor their cloud spending to avoid surprises.
What does the future of cloud computing look to us?
Multicloud and Edge Computing
The use of cloud computing services is a cornerstone for companies to achieve their business objectives. Cloud computing enables data to be processed in more accessible, faster and more agile environments. For cloud storage issues, it calls more and more for complex multi-cloud environments. The future of cloud computing is now driven by the emergence of multicloud, where companies use multiple cloud service providers for different needs depending on their business. In addition, Edge computing is becoming essential to process data nearer to its source in correlation with the widespread use of Edge data centers, reducing latency and improving system efficiency.
Multicloud and Edge computing solutions enable businesses to benefit from access to a variety of IT resources, and from the flexibility as well as cost-effectiveness of these models.
The cloud's influence on technology innovation
In recent years, the explosion of the Internet has created tremendous opportunities and new challenges for IT managers. But an even greater revolution is occurring with the Cloud, which enables value-creating solutions of unlimited scale.
Cloud computing continues to drive technological innovation. It enables companies to experiment with emerging technologies such as AI, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning, and opens up new opportunities for large-scale innovation.
Beyond the technological innovations offered by cloud computing, it has drastically transformed the IT ecosystem with micro-services technology, native cloud, storage and network services that enable applications to be delivered and scaled faster, and to co-exist in different environments.
Cloud computing has become an invaluable lever for businesses, offering flexibility, cost savings and access to cutting-edge technologies. However, it is equally important to understand the advantages and challenges associated with this technology, to maximize its benefits while ensuring data security and cost control.