Cloud services offer a variety of tools and resources that enable businesses to quickly and easily access computing power, data storage, applications, and more. By utilising cloud services, companies can save money, reduce IT overhead costs, scale up or down as needed, and deploy resources faster than ever. With cloud services, companies gain the flexibility to create unique solutions that meet their individual needs. Understanding the fundamentals of cloud services can help businesses make informed decisions about which services are best for them.
Characteristics of cloud services
One of the key benefits of cloud services is that they offer various features and options. Companies have access to countless tools and resources, all tailored to meet specific business needs. Some popular features include:
Cloud delivery models
There are four key cloud computing delivery models; IaaS (infrastructure as a service), PaaS (platform as a service), SaaS (software as a service), DaaS (data as a service).
IaaS (infrastructure as a service)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud-computing model which enables customers to rent virtualised computing resources on demand. This allows customers to streamline the process of purchasing, configuring and managing their IT infrastructure to reduce costs and improve responsiveness.
Benefits of using IaaS include scalability, cost savings, faster deployment times, greater flexibility, and automated resource management.
Drawbacks include that customers do not have full control over their physical servers or applications as the cloud service provider manages them.
Functionality and control levels vary depending on the specific IaaS offering. Still, they typically include options for storage, networking and security configurations, and access to high-level services such as analytics or artificial intelligence.
PaaS (platform as a service)
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model that enables customers to rent pre-configured, ready-to-use application development platforms. With PaaS, businesses can get their applications up and running quickly without worrying about the cost and complexity of managing physical infrastructure.
Benefits of using PaaS include scalability, cost savings, faster deployment times, ability to quickly deploy new features or services, access to high-level services such as analytics or artificial intelligence, no need to manage physical hardware, and automated resource management.
Drawbacks include that customers do not have full control over the underlying technology stack used by the application and thus don’t have unlimited flexibility when it comes to customising the platform for their specific needs.
Functionality and control levels vary depending on the specific PaaS offering but typically include options for hosting web apps or mobile backends, integrated analytics tools and messaging systems.
SaaS (software as a service)
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud-computing model which enables customers to rent software applications on demand. This allows businesses to access their applications without having to maintain and manage physical infrastructure, allowing them to reduce costs and improve responsiveness.
Benefits of using SaaS include scalability, cost savings, faster deployment times, greater flexibility, automated resource management, the ability to deploy new features or services quickly, and access to high-level services such as analytics or artificial intelligence.
Drawbacks include that customers do not have full control over the underlying technology stack used by the application and thus don’t have unlimited flexibility when it comes to customising the platform for their specific needs.
Functionality and control levels vary depending on the specific SaaS offering but typically include options for hosting web apps or mobile backends, integrated analytics tools and messaging systems.
DaaS (data as a service)
Data as a Service (DaaS) is a cloud computing model that enables customers to store, access and analyse data without maintaining and managing physical infrastructure. This allows businesses the freedom to access their data more quickly and flexibly, allowing them to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
Benefits of using DaaS include scalability, cost savings, faster deployment times, greater flexibility, automated resource management, the ability to deploy new features or services quickly, and access to high-level services such as analytics or artificial intelligence.
Drawbacks include that customers do not have full control over the underlying technology stack used by the application and thus don’t have unlimited flexibility when it comes to customising the platform for their specific needs.
Functionality and control levels vary depending on the DaaS offering but typically include options for storing large amounts of data in the cloud, integrated analytics tools and messaging systems.
Deployment models
Four main deployment models exist Public, Community, Private and Hybrid.
Public
Public Deployment Model (PDM) is a cloud deployment model that enables customers to access their data and applications hosted on public infrastructure. This allows businesses to access their applications without having to maintain and manage physical infrastructure, allowing them to reduce costs and improve responsiveness.
Benefits of using PDM include scalability, cost savings, faster deployment times, greater flexibility, automated resource management, the ability to deploy new features or services quickly, and access to high-level services such as analytics or artificial intelligence.
Drawbacks include that customers do not have full control over the underlying technology used by the application and thus don’t have unlimited flexibility when it comes to customising the platform for their specific needs.
Functionality includes elastic scalability allowing businesses to pay only for resources they use; high availability enabling applications running on public clouds not to be affected by single points of failure; and integration with other cloud services such as storage and databases.
Features typically include self-service provisioning, which allows users to set up an environment in a matter of minutes; IT automation tools that enable quick provisioning of resources; security policies applied across all layers, including identity management, encryption at rest/in transit and firewall setup; billing and reporting features that allow customers to monitor usage; and cost optimisation capabilities.
Community
The Community Deployment Model (CDM) is a cloud deployment model that enables customers to access their data and applications hosted on shared public infrastructure, managed collectively by a group of cooperating organisations. This allows businesses to access their applications without having to maintain and manage physical infrastructure, allowing them to reduce costs and improve responsiveness.
Benefits of using CDM include scalability, cost savings, faster deployment times, greater flexibility, automated resource management, the ability to deploy new features or services quickly, and access to high-level services such as analytics or artificial intelligence.
Drawbacks include that customers do not have full control over the underlying technology used by the application and thus don’t have unlimited flexibility when it comes to customising the platform for their specific needs.
Functionality includes elastic scalability allowing businesses to pay only for resources they use; high availability enabling applications running on public clouds not to be affected by single points of failure; and integration with other cloud services such as storage and databases.
Features typically include self-service provisioning, which allows users to set up an environment in a matter of minutes; IT automation tools that enable quick provisioning of resources; security policies applied across all layers, including identity management, encryption at rest/in transit and firewall setup; billing and reporting features that allow customers to monitor usage; shared data protection standards ensuring adequate levels of data integrity; community support through forums or mailing lists helping with common tasks or problems encountered while using the service; and cost optimisation capabilities.
Private
A Private Deployment Model (PDM) is a cloud deployment model that enables customers to access their data and applications hosted on private infrastructure. This model allows businesses full control over their data and applications, enabling them to keep their data secure and compliant with any in-house policies or regulations they may have.
Benefits of using PDM include the highest level of customisation to meet specific business needs, complete control over all aspects of the platform, including security, performance, availability and scalability; cost savings through the elimination of hardware costs; improved reliability through isolation from connectivity issues commonly encountered on public platforms; high throughput due to dedicated resources; privacy through protecting customer information from third-parties; and compliance with in-house policies or regulations.
Drawbacks include that businesses need to maintain and manage physical infrastructure, leading to higher administrative costs; stricter regulation means more time needed to deploy resources and test applications before going live; increased complexity associated with running an entire IT infrastructure in-house; limited access to high-level services such as analytics or artificial intelligence offered by public clouds; and lack of interoperability resulting in incompatibilities between private cloud technology components.
Functionality typically includes automation tools for quickly provisioning resources, the ability for businesses to integrate other cloud services such as storage databases, reports on utilisation and usage trends which help optimise resource spending, and security policies applied across all layers, including identity management, encryption at rest/in transit and firewall setup as well as failover mechanisms for disaster recovery.
Features also include billing tools which enable customers to track expenses accurately and swiftly adjust resource allocations when needed.
Hybrid
Hybrid Deployment Model (HDM) is a cloud deployment model that allows customers to leverage private and public resources to meet their needs. This model bridges the flexibility and cost savings associated with public clouds such as Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure combined with the control, privacy and compliance offered by private clouds.
Benefits of using HDM include scalability, cost savings, greater flexibility, improved reliability through isolation from connectivity issues commonly encountered on public platforms; high throughput due to dedicated resources; privacy through protecting customer information from third parties; and compliance with in-house policies or regulations.
Drawbacks include that businesses need to maintain two sets of infrastructure, leading to higher administrative costs; stricter regulation means more time needed to deploy resources and test applications before going live; increased complexity associated with managing multiple layers of cloud services from different providers; limited access to high-level services such as analytics or artificial intelligence available on public clouds; and lack of interoperability resulting in incompatibilities between technology components.
Functionality includes elastic scalability allowing businesses to pay only for resources they use when demand requires it; automation tools enabling quick provisioning of resources across both private and public clouds; integration with other cloud services such as storage databases, and reports on utilisation & usage trends, helping optimise resource spending; security policies applied across all layers including identity management, encryption at rest/in transit and firewall setup as well as failover mechanisms for disaster recovery.
Features typically include billing tools which enable customers to track expenses accurately, shared data protection standards ensuring adequate levels of data integrity among different providers, self-service provisioning capabilities enabling users to set up an environment within minutes and community support through forums or mailing lists helping tackle common tasks or problems.
DNS Records
DNS records map a domain name to its associated IP address in cloud services. These include A Records, which direct users to a specific IP address; CNAME (Canonical Name) records point a specific domain name or subdomain to another domain; MX (Mail Exchanger) records identify which server should receive an email for a certain domain; TXT (Text) records provide additional data related to the domain name, such as authentication information; PTR (Pointer) records map an IP address to a domain or hostname, and NS (Name Server) records specify which DNS servers are authoritative for the specified zone. For more complex applications, AAAA and SRV (Service Locator) records may also be used for IPv6 addresses and special services such as VoIP or streaming media, respectively.
A records
A Records is a type of DNS record that maps a domain name to its associated IP address. These records allow users to enter URLs such as www.example.com instead of the actual IP address (e.g.192.168.0.1). A Records must point to an IPv4 address, and each domain can have up to 256 A Records attached to it, though this number varies depending on the configuration of your DNS provider. A Records are typically used for top-level domains, such as example.com or extensions like .net, .org, and others; they can also be used for directing subdomains, such as blog.example.com or store. example.com to different servers or services hosted on different networks or data centres.
CNAME
CNAME (Canonical Name) records point a specific domain name or subdomain to another domain. These records are typically used when multiple domains or subdomains point to the same location, such as when www.example.com and example.com point to the same web server. Unlike A Records, which must always point to an IP address, CNAME Records can point to any other domain name. Each domain can have up to 255 CNAME Records associated with it, though this number may vary based on the configuration of your DNS provider. It is also important to note that CNAME Records cannot be used at the root level of a domain, meaning they cannot be used for top-level domains like .com or .net.
TXT records
TXT (Text) records store text associated with a domain name. These pieces of text can include information related to authentication and verification, such as DKIM, SPF, DMARC and Sender-ID records that help protect users from spam, phishing, and spoofing attacks. They can also be used to provide additional contact or payment information, depending on the purpose of the record. TXT records have no specific character limit, but each domain can have up to 255 such records attached to it; however, this number may vary based on the configuration of your DNS provider.
AAAA records
AAAA (Quad A) records store IPv6 addresses associated with a domain name. These records allow a particular web server or mail server to be reached using the IPv6 protocol. Typically, each domain can have up to 255 AAAA Records associated with it; however, this number may vary based on the configuration of your DNS provider. It is important to note that AAAA Records can’t be used at the root level of a domain and must point to an IPv6 address instead of a domain name.
MX records
MX (Mail Exchange) records direct incoming emails addressed to your domain to certain mail servers. These records can have a priority value that tells mail exchangers which server to send emails to first, second and so on. Each domain can have up to 255 Mail Exchange Records associated with it; however, this number may vary based on the configuration of your DNS provider. It is important to note that MX Records can’t be used at the root level of a domain and must point to an IP address or domain name instead of an email address.