Ivy May 10, 2014 No Comments
Decoding Cloud Computing
This month we focus on cloud computing and cloud analytics – a core functionality for every enterprise-wide solution. With SMAC (social, mobile, analytics, cloud) fast becoming a chosen technology for small to large enterprises, it has become necessary for professionals and students of analytics and data science to get familiar with components of SMAC.
You must already be using social media and mobile technology in your daily lives. What about ‘cloud computing’? If you think this is an unfamiliar technology, then you would be mistaken. For, you are already using ‘cloud services’. Applications like e-mail, web conferencing or even customer relationship management (CRM) run in cloud, and you use them every day of your life. So let us decode the ‘cloud’ component in SMAC.
So what is cloud computing?
Simply put, cloud computing is storage and access of your data and programs on the internet instead of your computer hard drive or other local storage device like the USB flash drive. You forego local computing i.e. your computer workstation or a dedicated hardware server; and process your data using an online connection from anywhere, using any computer, anytime. Cloud computing makes use of the internet and central remote servers using a virtual infrastructure – to manage data and applications.
Some instance of cloud services that you may be using – Google mail, Google Calendar, Google Voice, Flickr, Picassa, Facebook – all of which offer you the choice of storage, access or sharing of your data, pictures, files or comments. Picture storage and sharing is perhaps the most popular cloud computing use today, as you save hard disk space while having security against data loss.
What are the benefits of using cloud services?
# Access data or applications from anywhere on any device, using internet
# Economics of space and data storage expansion.
# Ability to use, run, manipulate and configure applications anytime
# No need to install applications or programs on your hard drive.
# Efficient computation due to centralised storage, memory, processing and band width
# Flexibility of operations, deployment, and applications
# Greater advantage to small businesses, over data centres
# Efficiency of cost and load balancing
# Advantage of geographic distribution, wide resource-pooling with advanced security and virtualisation
# Hybrid cloud computing – for storage of sensitive data in own data centre, while making use of public and private cloud services for infrastructure and general computing.
Types of Cloud computing models
Cloud computing has various working models to offer easy access and operation. It runs on 2 models namely
The bottom-line is that cloud computing offers you many benefits, with the additional scope of seamless computing and analytics in a secure ecosystem.
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Why is SMAC the buzzword of 2014?
Skills you need to become an Analytics Professional
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