Day 1: Azure AZ-900 Series: Cloud Hosting Deep Dive — On-Premise vs. IaaS, PaaS, SaaS

The Evolution of Cloud Hosting

Let’s take a quick trip back in time. In the 1990s, dedicated servers were the norm. These were physical servers rented or purchased exclusively for a single organisation’s needs. While offering maximum control and performance, they were expensive and lacked flexibility. Dedicated servers are still around, but cloud-based solutions have reshaped the landscape.

Virtual Private Servers (VPS) entered the scene, partitioning a single physical server into multiple virtual environments. This struck a balance between cost and control, offering dedicated resources and scalability.

Shared hosting is the budget-friendly kid on the block. Here, multiple websites live on a single server, sharing its resources. This is perfect for small websites with lower traffic that need a simple, cost-effective way to get online.

Then comes, Cloud Hosting, remember those long waits for a massive game to download on your clunky old computer? That frustration is a thing of the past thanks to cloud computing! Imagine a world where powerful applications and all your data live online, ready for instant access from any device. That’s the magic of the cloud.

Think of the cloud as a vast network of interconnected servers acting like a giant online supercomputer. Instead of your device shouldering the load, the cloud handles the heavy lifting. This means you can access powerful software, vast storage space, and serious processing power on demand. It’s the difference between downloading a whole movie and streaming it instantly — a total game-changer!

In technical terms, Cloud computing is an architectural framework that allows for the delivery of computing services — servers, storage, databases, networking, software, you name it — over the internet. The goal is to offer businesses faster innovation, resources that scale to their needs, and cost savings galore. Since users can access cloud services from anywhere with an internet connection, they can customise applications and tap into resources previously out of reach.

This flexibility eliminates the need for companies to invest in their own expensive IT infrastructure. They can simply pay for what they use, when they use it. That translates to better agility, lower costs, improved performance, and tighter security for businesses embracing the cloud.

Common Cloud Services

A cloud provider can have 100s of cloud services that are grouped various types of services. The 4 most common types of cloud services for Infrastructures as s Service(IaaS) would be:

1. Compute — Imagine having a virtual computer that can in application, programs and code,
2. Networking — Image having a virtual network being able to define internet connections or network isolations
3. Storage — Imagine having a virtual hard-drive that can store files
4. Databases — Imagine a virtual database for storing reporting data or a database for general purpose web-application.

Benefits of Cloud computing

Cloud computing has revolutionised the way businesses of all sizes operate. By shifting IT infrastructure and services to the cloud, companies can enjoy a whole host of benefits that traditional on-premises solutions simply can’t match. Let’s break down some of the most important advantages:

• Cost Savings: One of the biggest draws of the cloud is its potential for significant cost reduction. With a pay-as-you-go pricing model, you eliminate the large upfront investments in hardware, software, and IT maintenance. You only pay for the resources you actually use, which can offer major savings and streamline budgeting.
• Scalability and Flexibility: Need to ramp up resources for a big project or seasonal demand? The cloud excels at scaling on demand! You can quickly access additional storage, computing power, or bandwidth, and just as easily scale back down when you don’t need it. This flexibility supports business growth and agility without long-term commitments or overprovisioning.
• Reliability and Disaster Recovery: Cloud providers invest heavily in top-tier infrastructure and security measures. They often have multiple data centers located around the world, ensuring your data and applications are highly available. Built-in redundancy and backup features provide disaster recovery capabilities that many smaller businesses couldn’t afford on their own.
• Enhanced Collaboration: Cloud services make it easy for teams to collaborate, even when they’re geographically dispersed. Real-time document editing, shared storage, and video conferencing tools all thrive in the cloud environment, boosting productivity and innovation.
• Greater Accessibility: Since cloud services are accessible via the internet, users can work from anywhere on any device with a connection. This empowers remote workers and provides incredible flexibility for the modern workforce.
• Automatic Updates: Cloud providers handle the updates and maintenance of software applications, saving you time and resources. You’ll always have access to the latest versions without manual upgrades or compatibility concerns.
• Focus on Core Business: By outsourcing a chunk of your IT infrastructure, you free up internal teams to focus on strategic initiatives and core business growth drivers instead of spending valuable time and resources on infrastructure management.

Types of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing offers a variety of service models to meet different business needs. The three primary models are:

• Software as a Service (SaaS): SaaS is the most widely used model. With SaaS, you access fully-functional, ready-to-use applications delivered over the internet. The cloud provider manages everything — the application, underlying infrastructure, middleware, and data. Examples include email services (Gmail, Outlook), CRM software (Salesforce), and collaboration tools (Microsoft Teams, Slack).
• Platform as a Service (PaaS): PaaS provides a cloud-based development and deployment environment. It includes tools, frameworks, databases, and other resources that enable developers to build, test, and deploy web applications without worrying about setting up or managing the underlying infrastructure. Examples include Heroku, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, and Google App Engine.

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• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): IaaS offers the highest level of flexibility and control. You get access to virtualised computing resources like servers, storage, and networking. This gives you the freedom to install and configure operating systems, middleware, and applications as needed. Examples include Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines, and Google Compute Engine.
• On-Premise: You own and manage everything: the physical servers, network, operating systems, applications, and of course, your data.

When using a cloud provider, you’ll always be responsible for:

• The information and data stored in the cloud
• Devices that are allowed to connect to your cloud (cell phones, computers, and so on)
• The accounts and identities of the people, services, and devices within your organisation

The cloud provider is always responsible for:

• The physical datacenter
• The physical network
• The physical hosts

Your service model will determine responsibility for things like:

• Operating systems
• Network controls
• Applications
• Identity and infrastructure

Think about a challenge your business faces. Maybe it’s sudden traffic spikes straining your website, or the need to share sensitive data securely with global teams. Now, imagine what if you could scale resources instantly, or have a private network with rock-solid security? Tomorrow we’ll see how different cloud deployment models make these ‘what ifs’ a reality.

Thank you for reading! Let’s connect on LinkedIn.