What is Cloud Computing: Pros and Cons

Cloud computing is the new concept in which all the resources are made available virtually. The word “Cloud” refers to the center which provides services across the network via the internet. Virtualization of information, application software and resources is the key feature of cloud computing. For e.g. one such example of a cloud-based computing model is provided by Microsoft, i.e. Google Apps. 

This program is designed to increase the security of data, productivity, and reliability by providing a backup function. E-mail messaging, calendar management, creating or modifying files, hosting websites, etc. are the features provided by Google Apps.

Evolution of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing model has evolved as an emerging trend in the field of Information Technology. The basic architecture of cloud computing is inherited from the fundamentals of a distributed computing environment. It is called so because all the data and resources lie on the cloud of internet servers. Applications, data, and resources of a network can be shared without any involvement of the management technique. Every technology has its own set of pros and cons. Similarly, cloud computing also consists of some pros and cons.

Basic Architecture of Cloud Computing

The fundamentals of cloud computing model lie under a scenario that all the nodes are logically separated from each other and every single node is considered as a physical machine. Distinct heterogeneous computers are linked with each other to form a large logical network. This big virtual computer is capable of handling a large number of information and computations on it. The virtualization technology allows all the nodes to appear as a separate heterogeneous computer.

How Cloud is Different from Web-Based Server?

Cloud can be available by the internet which allows users to access their data from any location. Users pay for the services they use. Whereas web servers are physical-based servers which have the entire server for a website.

Advantages Of Cloud Computing

• It has been successful in solving the major problem of the IT industry by satisfying the growing need of storing, analyzing and accessing data. It is highly scalable.
• Costs involved in buying and maintaining the equipment required for infrastructure can be saved now. It has reduced the margin of investing capital.
• Users can access the resources easily; they just need to connect to the cloud of a web server over the network.
• It is also served as an application to the clients according to their requirements.

Cons of Cloud Computing

• Many re-sellers claim to provide the service of cloud-based computing model to their clients but in actual they just provide some specified services managed by its hosted network.
• If you are utilizing cloud services, then it should provide a good quality of service. Clients or users should understand the compatibility between the need for resource and offered resource.
• Compromising with the performance of this model can affect your company’s goodwill and services.

Conclusion

Before winding up the discussion, I would like to let you know the fact that the security issue is one of the major issues with the network. Since cloud computing is wholly based on the internet, this issue is persisted by a cloud-based computing environment. But the benefits of cloud computing overshadow the cons of it. At this stage, it is just in its initial stage and many advanced cloud techniques are expanding gradually. In the future, the desktop computing environment will be included in a thing of past.