As cloud computing systems are gaining in popularity, understanding what cloud architecture is becoming a vital industry skill for software engineers, IT technicians, data scientists, and even some non-technical professionals. For beginners with cloud services, there is a lot to learn about creating cloud environments.
Think of the cloud architecture as elements of a cloud computing system and its system. These include the relationships between these components and the business benefits provided by the system.
Read on to describe the important element of cloud computing architecture and how each one is a crucial part of cloud adoption.
4 Key Concepts of Cloud Architecture
When cloud architects create a company’s cloud environment, they build it around four key concepts:
- Cloud Infrastructure – Basic Computing, Storage, and Network Systems.
- Cloud Delivery Model – Cloud Platform front-end (client-side) and back-end (provider-side).
- Cloud Service Model – Service types like IaaS, SaaS, or PaaS
- Cloud Deployment Model – This is related to the access and management of the cloud platform.
Each of these ideas can be considered.
- Cloud infrastructure
Cloud infrastructure includes computing, network, and storage systems running cloud services. Cloud infrastructure generally enables virtualization to build resources from computing, network, and storage building blocks that can be programmatically managed and resized.
Specified as a “cloud computing” platform, a vendor will usually provide a self-service portal as needed. The service will also offer monitoring abilities and will most likely use meter billing.
- Cloud Delivery Model
The end-to-end delivery of cloud-based services includes a front-end platform (client computer, mobile device, or IoT device) and a back-end platform.
Front-end systems (clients) reach the cloud surroundings utilizing the Internet or, in unusual events, a virtual private network (VPN) connection. It can use a web browser, mobile application, or client-based software.
The back-end contains pooled cloud infrastructure resources, data, and applications. It is usually delivered from multiple data centers for high availability and disaster recovery.
- Cloud Service Model
What are the most common types of Cloud technology services?
Let’s look at some of the most popular examples and their related cloud service model.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
This is a cloud service model where the cloud provider provides virtualized servers or “instances.” As a consumer, you can request resources for your event (such as CPU, RAM, disk space, etc.) and operating system. Resources can be programmed using the REST-based application programming interface API or through the console.
As a customer of this service, you are liable for handling the operating system and any fixed applications. The cloud service provider is liable for settling the availability of basic resources.
The most popular example of the IaaS service is the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Cloud (EC2). With Amazon EC2, you can quickly establish a virtual server in the cloud.
Operating System (PaaS)
Some of the overhead features of your cloud service that you might like. For instance, you may need to reduce the load of tasks like operating system maintenance, connection control, and middleware management. As such, a passing service may be for you.
Beside PaaS, the operating system, and application software like Node.js, docker-engine is provided as a managed service. The main benefit of this model is that as a consumer, you can readily deploy software applications with the least configuration or functionality overhead.
Bass is preferred because it gives the class developers priority to sort and test their code. Bass allows you to quickly and easily implement agile software development and continuous integration and distribution (CI / CD) models.
Examples of BOS services are Microsoft Azure Web Applications and AWS Elastic Beanstalk. Both of these services offer fully managed platforms that perform OS adhesion, capability delivery, servers, and load balancing.
In both IaaS and PaaS, you have a fixed-price contract with pay peruse. There is, however, a fixed-term contract to lock in a significant discount.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
You will be familiar with SaaS services. In the consumer world, SaaS services include cloud storage services such as Facebook, Gmail, Instagram, and Dropbox. Corporate instances comprise Salesforce.com, ServiceNow, and Office 365.
As far as SaaS is concerned, consumers have very little control over the configuration of the software service. On the opposite side, you don’t need to worry about the platform, the data, or the apps; all will be managed for you.
You can typically access the SaaS service using a web browser or mobile app. SaaS services is commonly provided on a subscription basis.
- Cloud Deployment Model
You may be familiar with the words private cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud, and so on. These terms associate to the dedicated use of the cloud service and its control model.
Private Cloud
If you develop one of the cloud services discussed above in your private data center for your own business use, this is termed a private cloud. And, if the cloud is dedicated to a tenant, it is termed a private cloud.
With a private cloud, you have more power over the design and implementation of the layer, as well as the hardware and software it includes. This type of cloud can be quite costly, and this flexibility can come at a cost as there are limits to its versatility.
Public cloud
A third-party system, such as AWS or Microsoft with Public Cloud, provides customers with access to its cloud services. The Cloud Platform is a multi-tenant, allowing multiple consumers to run services on the same basic hardware.
Due to the massive economies of scale, public cloud services are very cost-effective. Scalability is virtually unlimited, so you can improve your business flying on these platforms and only pay for what you use.
Hybrid cloud
The utilization of private as well as public clouds by the same system is referred to as a hybrid cloud. Typically, this includes VPN connections to connect clouds together and highlights such as the capacity to “explode” workloads within the public cloud as needed.
You may want to build hybrid cloud architecture to take advantage of public and private cloud options. This is advantageous when the requirements of particular applications are compatible with one deployment model versus the other.
Multiple clouds
Sometimes an organization may benefit from using services from multiple, different cloud service providers. These services can be delivered in managed (or on-premises) private clouds and public clouds. Often called “multi-cloud” because of the use of services from multiple cloud providers. An example of this system can be used on both Amazon EC2 and Microsoft Azure web applications.
Again, you may want to use multiple cloud architectures when various applications are more relevant to one cloud deployment model or the other. For example, you can see that your Microsoft applications are strongly tailored to Microsoft Azure, while your associated database requirements are better served on AWS.
Where now?
Cloud design principles, business drivers, and at least one of the major cloud providers require in-depth technical expertise to create cloud architecture.
For these reasons, Cloud Architect – also known as Solutions Architect – roles are not only the most demanding roles in the information technology industry today, but they are also highly paid. You need to improve your cloud capabilities to advance in this competitive market.
In my AWS Certification Course, I take students from beginner level knowledge to AWS professional knowledge. This is an important qualification in Cloud Computing requiring certification. If you are interested in getting hands-on, practical expertise and certification in AWS, join me in this course.