Transformation TO CLOUDs

(AN industry based approach)

Name of the Team Members : Arun Anand Raj. V.B

Dinesh. M

Ganesh. K

Department / Year: MCA II year

Institution Name: Velammal Engineering College

E – Mail ID: [email protected]

Mobile Number: +91 - 9894947611

ABSTRACT
 This overview gives the basic concept, defines the terms used in the industry, and
outlines the general architecture and applications of Cloud computing. It gives a
summary of Cloud Computing and provides a good foundation for understanding.

1. INTRODUCTION

Cloud Computing,” to put it simply, means “Internet Computing.” The Internet is

commonly visualized as clouds; hence the term “cloud computing” for computation done
through the Internet. With Cloud Computing users can access database resources via the
Internet from anywhere, for as long as they need, without worrying about any
maintenance or management of actual resources. Besides, databases in cloud are very
dynamic and scalable.The best example of cloud computing is Google Apps where any
application can be accessed using a browser and it can be deployed on thousands of
computer through the Internet.

2. WHAT IS CLOUD COMPUTING?

Cloud computing provides the facility to access shared resources and common
infrastructure, offering services on demand over the network to perform operations that
meet changing business needs. The location of physical resources and devices being
accessed are typically not known to the end user. It also provides facilities for users to
develop, deploy and manage their applications ‘on the cloud’, which entails virtualization
of resources that maintains and manages itself.

Some generic examples include:

• Amazon’s Elastic Computing Cloud (EC2) offering computational services that
enable people to use CPU cycles without buying more computers.
• Storage services such as those provided by Amazon’s Simple Storage Service
(S3).
• SaaS companies like Salesforce.com delivering CRM services, so clients can
manage customer information without installing specialized software.

3. SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE(SAAS)

SaaS is a model of software deployment where an application is hosted as a

service provided to customers across the Internet. Saas is generally used to refer to
business software rather than consumer software, which falls under Web 2.0. By
removing the need to install and run an application on a user’s own computer it is seen as
a way for businesses to get the same benefits as commercial software with smaller cost
outlay. SaaS can alleviate the burden of software maintenance and support but users
relinquish control over software versions and requirements. Other terms that are used in
this sphere include Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

4. CLOUD STORAGE
 Over time many big Internet based companies (Amazon, Google…) have come to
realise that only a small amount of their data storage capacity is being used. This has led
to the renting out of space and the storage of information on remote servers or "clouds".
Information is then temporarily cached on desktop computers, mobile phones or other
internet-linked devices. Amazon’s Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud
(EC2) and Simple Storage Solution (S3) are the current best known facilities.
Data Cloud
Along with services the cloud will host data. There has been some discussion of
this being a potentially useful notion possibly aligned with the Semantic Web, though it
could result in data becoming undifferentiated .

5. CLOUD COMPUTING ARCHITECTURE

Cloud computing architecture, just like any other system, is categorized into two
main sections:
Front End and Back End.
Front End can be end user or client or any application (i.e. web browser etc.) which is
using cloud services. Back End is the network of servers with any computer program and
data storage system. It is usually assumed that cloud contains infinite storage capacity for
any software available in market. Cloud has different applications that are hosted on their
own dedicated server farms. Cloud has centralized server administration system.
Centralized server administers the system, balances client supply, adjusts demands,
monitors traffic and avoids congestion. This server follows protocols, commonly known
as middleware. Middleware controls the communication of cloud network among them.

Cloud Architecture runs on a very important assumption, which is mostly true.

The assumption is that the demand for resources is not always consistent from client to
cloud. Because of this reason the servers of cloud are unable to run at their full capacity.
 To avoid this scenario, server virtualization technique is applied. In sever virtualization,
all physical servers are virtualized and they run multiple servers with either same or
different application.
As one physical server acts as multiple physical servers, it curtails the need for more
physical machines.
As a matter of fact, data is the most important part of cloud computing; thus, data security
is the top most priority in all the data operations of cloud. Here, all the data are backed up
at multiple locations. This astoundingly increases the data storage to multiple times in
cloud compared with a regular system. Redundancy of data is crucial, which is a must-
have attribute of cloud computing.

6. CHARACTERISTICS OF CLOUD COMPUTING

Cloud computing, typically entails:

• High scalability
Cloud environments enable servicing of business requirements for larger
audiences, through high scalability.
• Agility
The cloud works in the ‘distributed mode’ environment. It shares resources
among users and tasks, while improving efficiency and agility (responsiveness).
• High availability and reliability
Availability of servers is high and more reliable as the chances of infrastructure
failure are minimal.
• Multi-sharing
With the cloud working in a distributed and shared mode, multiple users and
applications
can work more efficiently with cost reductions by sharing common infrastructure .
• Services in pay-per-use mode
• SLAs between the provider and the user must be defined when offering services
in
pay per use mode. This may be based on the complexity of services offered .
• Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) may be offered to the users so they
can access services on the cloud by using these APIs.
• Support for all service oriented applications

7. COMPARISON WITH RELATED TECHNOLOGIES

Several technologies are related to cloud computing, and the cloud has emerged
as a convergence of several computing trends. It seeks to address certain key aspects that
may have been lacking in each of these trends, individually. The features of each of these
related technologies and how they compare with
cloud computing has been outlined in the table.

Types of cloud computing environments

The cloud computing environment can consist of multiple types of clouds based
on their deployment and usage.
 Public clouds
This environment can be used by the general public. This includes individuals,
corporations and other types of organizations. Typically, public clouds are administrated
by third parties or vendors over the Internet, and services are offered on pay-per-use
basis. These are also called provider clouds. Business models like SaaS (Software-as-a-
Service) and public clouds complement each other and enable companies to leverage
shared IT resources and services.
• Advantages
• Public clouds are widely used in the development, deployment and management
of enterprise applications, at affordable costs.
• Allows organizations to deliver highly scalable and reliable applications rapidly
and at more affordable costs.
• Limitations
Security is a significant concern in public clouds.
Private clouds
This cloud computing environment resides within the boundaries of an
organization and is used exclusively for the organization’s benefits. These are also called
internal clouds. They are built primarily by IT departments within enterprises who seek to
optimize utilization of infrastructure resources within the enterprise by provisioning the
infrastructure with applications using the concepts of grid and virtualization.
• Advantages
• They improve average server utilization, allow usage of low-cost servers and
hardware while providing higher efficiencies; thus reducing the costs that a greater
number of servers would otherwise entail.
• High levels of automation, reducing operations costs and administrative
overheads.
• Limitations
IT teams in the organization may have to invest in buying, building and managing
the clouds independently.
External clouds
This cloud computing environment is outside of the boundaries of the
organization, though it is not necessarily a public cloud. Some external clouds make their
cloud infrastructure available to specific other organizations, but not to the general
public.
Hybrid clouds
This is a combination of both private (internal) and public (external) cloud
computing environments.
Variations of clouds
Clouds can be classified as:
• Infrastructures
• Platforms
• Applications
8. INFRASTRUCTURES
• Salient features
 • Known also as IaaS (Infrastructure-asa-Service), acknowledged as the most
potent cloud.
• Provides access to shared resources on need basis, without revealing details like
location and hardware to clients.
• Provides details like server images on demand, storage, queuing, and
information about other resources, among others.
• Vendors who provide this type of service enable cloud platforms and cloud
applications. Some may even leverage others within the space to provide competitive
viability as well.
• Offers full control of server infrastructure, not limited specifically to
applications, instances and containers.
• Limitations
• Service providers may demand higher prices for services offered.
• Issues pertaining to resource and server down time.

Platforms:
• Salient features
• Known also as PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service).
• Empowers developers to deploy, deliver and manage their applications. They
can build applications, upload (deploy) the same into the cloud platform and simply run
and test them.
• Developers can also leverage additional benefits like authentication and data
access provided by the platform.
• This cloud takes away the concept of servers, while providing an application
centric environment
• While creating this kind of cloud computing platform, a vendor “builds a cloud
platform first and then develops applications that run on it” (OR) “develops a hostable
application and then plugs it into the cloud”. But considering the advantages and
disadvantages, the latter would be the better approach.
• Limitations
Significant dependency on cloud infrastructure providers.

Applications:
• Salient features
Companies host applications on the Internet and users sign up and use them,
without concerning themselves about its maintenance and whereabouts. This is also
called as SaaS (Software-as-a-Service).
• Advantages
Mostly free, very easy to use, feature rich, easy to access and promises good
consumer adoption.
• Limitations
User can only use the application and would not know the technology leveraged
to develop the application, thereby user has little control over application development.

9. CONCLUSION
 After so many years, Cloud Computing today is the beginning of “network based
computing” over Internet in force. It is the technology of the decade and is the enabling
element of two totally new computing models, the Client-Cloud computing and the
Terminal-Cloud computing. These new models would create whole generations of
applications and business. Our prediction is that it is the beginning to the end of the
dominance of desktop computing such as that with the Windows. It is also the beginning
of a
new Internet based service economy: the Internet centric, Web based, on demand,
Cloud applications and computing economy.

REFERENCES:
1. Wikipedia:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_as_a_service>
2. < http://www.ejournal.co.in/gjeis/Index.php/GJEIS/article/view/49>