The arrival of all kinds of cloud services has been a big and very efficient transformation for businesses and their thinking about IT resources. Cloud computing provides different services such as databases, software, analytics, servers, storage, and network.
Due to the numerous advantages of cloud services, many companies today have used flexible cloud resources. Statistics show that the cloud services market has grown significantly since 2019, and it is predicted that 99% of companies and businesses worldwide will use its various services shortly. In the following, you can get more information about the types of cloud computing services and models and the benefits of using them.
Cloud computing and its various models
Cloud computing is a broad term that refers to the provision of a set of services, including servers, cloud storage space, networks, databases, software and analysis tools, and the like, through the Internet or, in fact, clouds.
In this model, you only pay for what you use, which helps reduce your operating costs, prepare your infrastructure more efficiently, and take advantage of the flexibility and scalability of the cloud as your business needs change.
Considering the multitude of cloud computing models and types of cloud services, choosing the cloud and service can be an important decision. None of the types of cloud services are the same and are not used to solve a single problem. However, there are common and similar features among them.
When we talk about cloud computing models, we mean cloud types, Not cloud services. In general, there are three main types of cloud models, which include the following:
Public clouds
Public clouds are a type of cloud space where the IT infrastructure does not usually belong to the end user, and for many businesses, it is accessible via the Internet and in the form of pay-per-use.
In public clouds, the infrastructure is maintained by a third party. Therefore, implementation and maintenance costs are removed from the budget of businesses, and IT operational costs are saved.
With this in mind, public clouds are ideal for small and medium-sized businesses with limited budgets. The largest public cloud providers are Amazon Web Services, Alibaba Cloud, IBM, and Google Cloud.
Although public clouds do not provide a secure space for your sensitive data compared to private clouds, they can provide users with several advantages such as easy scalability, no geographic restrictions, cost-effectiveness and reliability, and ease of management.
Private clouds
Unlike public clouds, private clouds can provide high security to your sensitive information. This cloud model is a customized infrastructure that belongs to a single business. In other words, it offers the customer a more controlled environment where access to IT resources is more centralized.
When IT infrastructure is assigned to a single user with complete remote access, that cloud becomes a private cloud. The management, configuration, and maintenance of the infrastructure of this cloud computing model are also done by a third party.
In private clouds, the level of information security improves, and more control is applied to the server. Of course, it should be noted that private clouds require IT expertise, and it is more difficult to access data stored in them from remote locations.
hybrid clouds
Hybrid clouds are suitable for businesses requiring private and public cloud computing models. Combining these two models creates a hybrid cloud model that can provide a more suitable solution to meet specific business needs.
Therefore, each hybrid cloud needs at least one private and one public cloud. The hybrid cloud is also cost-effective, flexible, and highly scalable like all other cloud computing models. Information security is higher compared to the previous two models.
Types of cloud computing services
We mentioned different models of using the cloud. In the following, we refer to different types of cloud processing services.
These cloud services are infrastructure, platforms, or software hosted by a third-party provider and made available to users over the Internet. There are three main types of cloud services, which are:
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service or IaaS is the most basic and basic type of managed cloud computing service made available to customers by providers.
In this service, hardware resources maintained and managed by a third party are provided to customers with a pay-per-use model. Through IaaS, users can enjoy network, operating system, and data storage space at a more affordable cost.
IaaS is a fully outsourced pay-per-use service and can be offered in public, private, or hybrid cloud types. Resources are available only when needed; Therefore, none of the unused resources are wasted, and there is no delay in providing the infrastructure to the clients.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
PaaS can be considered an advanced version of IaaS. Through PaaS, web applications can be created more easily and faster.
Because this service is flexible and strong enough to support them, the scalability of this service is such that it allows several developers to work on the same project.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS involves deploying software over the Internet, which can be used as a subscription or pay-per-use model.
Software as a service allows businesses to use the software in a web or online form. For example, we can refer to a cloud or online accounting software that users can access through their browsers without the need to install a physical version.
Different advantages of different types of cloud computing services and models
What drives businesses to use cloud computing services and models is the multiple benefits of cloud computing. Here are 6 of the most important reasons and benefits of cloud computing services:
Reduce costs
Before providing cloud services, businesses had to spend high costs to buy, run and maintain IT hardware and resources. These resources should be open 24/7 so that access is possible at any time.
Therefore, round-the-clock electricity consumption to keep servers and coolers on, salaries of IT experts to manage the infrastructure, the cost of development in case of increased business needs, and other maintenance and repair costs are among the things that are eliminated by cloud computing.
Speed
Most cloud computing services are provided through self-service and on-demand; Therefore, access to information is easily possible. This can give businesses a lot of flexibility.
Flexibility
Another advantage of cloud services is flexibility in time and place of activity. This means you use the system as much as you need at any time and from any geographical point.
Efficiency
On-premises data centers usually require a lot of things like hardware setup, software patching to fix existing holes, and other time-consuming IT management activities that slow down their setup and productivity. Cloud computing has been able to solve many of these issues.
Therefore, the productivity of the hardware becomes available quickly, and the IT team can spend more time on achieving more important business goals.
Reliability
Types of cloud computing can be considered a more cost-effective and reliable solution for business continuity. The provision of a backup version of information, recovery, and support of data centers is made by the service provider.
Security
Many providers of cloud computing services provide a set of policies, technologies, and controls that generally increase the security of the services provided. This can help protect your data, applications, and infrastructure from potential threats.
Conclusion
The selection of cloud services among its various types should be according to business needs and budgets. Along with deciding to choose the cloud, paying attention to the service provider is very important.
A good provider should be able to provide services with high speed and security, and in addition to good resource management, it should also provide proper support.
With the support of years of experience in providing enterprise software to reduce costs and increase productivity, System Partners has also offered its software on the cloud platform. Cloud Solutions is a collection of cloud software that includes finance, retail, sales, distribution, logistics, human capital, costing, and business intelligence. Contact us for more information and free consultation.
In addition, if you have any questions, doubts, or comments about the types of cloud computing services and models and the issues raised in this article, be sure to raise them in the comments section.