Advantages, capabilities, security of cloud technologies. Cloud technologies

The term “cloud technology” is now on everyone’s lips. An active discussion of the possible nuances of working with such technologies is taking place both on the forums of large Internet companies and among novice users. And there really is something to discuss.

Every day, computer owners increasingly ask the question “what is cloud technology” in search engines. This is not surprising, because more and more users are learning about this innovation. A striking example is antivirus programs. New versions of Norton Internet Security, Kaspersky and many others offer to activate the cloud protection option in the settings. Since curiosity is human nature, it is logical that people are becoming interested in cloud technologies.

Alas, one should not expect anything revolutionary. In part, these technologies have existed on the Internet for a long time, they simply lacked an accurate and comprehensive definition, systematization and understanding of potential opportunities. Cloud technologies are a way of processing digital data outside the environment of the initiating computer. Since many people become familiar with the term thanks to antivirus applications, let’s consider the work of “clouds” using the example of this group of programs.

Let's imagine that an antivirus application encounters suspicious program code, the description of which is not in the virus databases. If the user does not know what cloud technologies are and has not allowed their use (check the box in the settings), then the antivirus will try to localize the suspicious file until the databases are updated. Everything is completely different if cloud technologies are activated. In this case, information about the strange code is automatically transmitted to the server of the antivirus program developer, where it is promptly checked by specialists for potential danger. If a threat is confirmed, all computers connected to this resource are sent instructions on how to neutralize the threat. The result is an unprecedented speed of response to the emergence of new viruses. What is cloud technology in this example? The answer is to process suspicious code on the developer’s servers, away from the computers of ordinary users. This is the key feature.

Cloud technologies give a second life to low-power computing devices. Let's assume that we have a calculator that has access to the Internet and is connected to a specialized “cloud” consisting of clusters of high-performance computers. We can perform basic operations ourselves, but what should we do if complex calculations are required? In this case, the calculator sends the task data to the cloud service, and in return receives a ready-made solution. For the user, the actions performed between typing commands and receiving a response went unnoticed. After all, the main thing is the result, and it was achieved. Of course, a calculator is an extreme, but, on the other hand, it’s easier to understand the principle of operation.

In addition to such unobvious clouds, there are special services that largely replace full-fledged applications on the local computer. For example, a user needs to edit a text file in Word. To do this, you will need to purchase the program itself (and the licensed version is not cheap), allocate free disk space on the media, and connect the necessary modules. Of course, all this can be solved, but what to do if there are a lot of computers (enterprise)? Spending money on purchases It is much easier to use a cloud service that provides access to certain programs hosted on its sites. The user needs to go to the desired site through a browser, launch Word remotely and open his file for editing. By the way, convenient interfaces are usually implemented in this way.

The benefits of cloud technologies can be listed for a long time. There are fewer disadvantages, but they are significant: reduced confidentiality and dependence on the work of a third-party resource.

Since “clouds” are a collective concept, it makes sense to classify them according to some criteria. Below are the classifications of “clouds”, one of which was proposed by InfoWorld, and the other by the commercial director of Parallels, one of the leaders in the virtualization systems market.

InfoWorld suggests dividing all “clouds” into six types:

SAAS - directly applications as a service (for example, Zoho Office or Google Apps).

SERVICE COMPUTING - for example, virtual servers.

WEB SERVICES IN THE CLOUD - Internet services optimized for working in a virtual environment (for example, Internet banking systems).

PAAS is a “platform as a service”, that is, a new generation of web applications that make it possible to build a set of capabilities at the user’s request (for example, Live Mesh from Microsoft).

MSP is a provider of managed services (Managed Service Provider), serving service providers (for example, built-in anti-virus scanners for mail portals).

COMMERCIAL PLATFORMS for services - a combination of PaaS and MSP (for example, Cisco WebEx Connect).

Clouds are divided into private, public, hybrid and clan.

Private cloud

Private cloud is an infrastructure intended for use by one organization, including several consumers (for example, divisions of one organization), possibly also clients and contractors of this organization. A private cloud may be owned, operated and operated by the organization itself or by a third party (or some combination thereof), and may physically exist within or outside the owner's jurisdiction.

Public cloud

Public cloud is an infrastructure intended for free use by the general public. A public cloud can be owned, managed, and operated by commercial, academic, and government organizations (or some combination thereof).

Hybrid Cloud

A hybrid cloud is a combination of two or more different cloud infrastructures (private, public or public), which remain unique objects, but are interconnected by standardized or proprietary technologies for data transfer and applications (for example, short-term use of public resources clouds for load balancing between clouds).

Clan cloud or community cloud

Community cloud is a type of infrastructure designed for use by a specific community (clan) of consumers from organizations that have common goals (for example, mission, security requirements, policies, and compliance with various requirements). A community cloud may be cooperatively owned, managed and operated by one or more community organizations or a third party (or some combination thereof), and may physically exist within or outside the jurisdiction of the owner.

1.3 Main directions of development of cloud technologies

The four main directions of development of cloud computing are:

Some products directly provide users with Internet services such as storage, middleware, collaboration, and databases.

Infrastructure as a service ( IaaS, English Infrastructure-as-a-Service) is provided as the ability to use cloud infrastructure to independently manage processing, storage, networking and other fundamental computing resources, for example, a consumer can install and run arbitrary software, which may include operating systems, platform and application software. The consumer may control the operating systems, virtual storage systems, and installed applications, as well as have limited control over the set of available network services (eg, firewall, DNS). Control and management of the main physical and virtual infrastructure of the cloud, including the network, servers, types of operating systems used, and storage systems, is carried out by the cloud provider. Examples of users (system developers, administrators, IT managers).

Platform as a service ( PaaS, English Platform-as-a-Service) is a model where the consumer is given the opportunity to use a cloud infrastructure to host basic software for subsequent deployment of new or existing applications (in-house, custom-developed or purchased replicated applications). Such platforms include tools for creating, testing and executing application software - database management systems, middleware, programming language execution environments - provided by the cloud provider. Control and management of the underlying physical and virtual infrastructure of the cloud, including network, servers, operating systems, storage, is carried out by the cloud provider, with the exception of developed or installed applications, as well as, if possible, environment (platform) configuration parameters. Examples of users (application developers, testers, administrators)

Software as a service ( SaaS, English Software-as-a-Service) - a model in which the consumer is given the opportunity to use the provider's application software running in the cloud infrastructure and accessible from various client devices or through a thin client, for example, from a browser (for example, webmail) or through program interface. Control and management of the underlying physical and virtual infrastructure of the cloud, including network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities (except for a limited set of user-defined application configuration settings) is carried out by the cloud provider. Example users (business users, application administrators).

Other *aaS: for example:

DaaS (Desktop-as-a-Service) offers each user a standardized virtual workplace, with the ability to configure and install other programs. Access is carried out over the network through a thin client, which can be anything from a regular PC to a smartphone (Google Chrome OS).

CaaS (Communications-as-a-Service) is a combination of software and hardware for organizing all types of communication (voice, mail) between employees of one enterprise using third-party solutions.

An alternative SaaS option promoted by Microsoft is called S+S (Software+Services) and combines the strengths of a typical SaaS and a regular accessible application. This is ordinary software, but focused on remote services. Cloud computing is becoming a serious technology trend - many experts believe that in the next five years cloud computing will change not only IT processes, but also the information technology market itself. Thanks to this technology, users of a wide variety of devices, including PCs, laptops, smartphones and PDAs, will be able to access programs, storage systems and even application development platforms over the Internet, through services offered by cloud computing providers, with resources in this case are hosted on the servers of providers.

Based on all of the above, we can conclude that when using cloud computing, information technology consumers can significantly reduce capital costs - for the construction of data centers, the purchase of server and network equipment, hardware and software solutions to ensure continuity and performance - since these costs are absorbed cloud service provider. In addition, the long construction and commissioning time of large information technology infrastructure facilities and their high initial cost limit the ability of consumers to flexibly respond to market demands, while cloud technologies provide the ability to respond almost instantly to increased demand for computing power.

When using cloud computing, consumer costs shift towards operational costs - this is how the costs of paying for the services of cloud providers are classified.

The Internet has become an integral part of people's lives, and new opportunities are regularly emerging that can make various tasks easier. What’s new is cloud technologies that can be used in various fields: education, medicine, logistics, and so on.

What is cloud technology?

Let's start with the definition, so cloud technologies imply the user's ability to access data without installing applications on his device, since all the software is provided by servers. It is important to know that such services can be either free or paid, and it all depends on the requests. To understand what the use of cloud technologies is, you need to understand their difference from conventional conditions.

For example, let's take email, when the email client is installed on the computer and all data is saved on the hard drive. In this case, the user decides what to do with the files.
If we talk about mail, which a person uses through a browser, then this is already a cloud technology. It is clear here that if problems arise with the server, then access to mail will be lost.

Benefits of cloud services

First, let's look at the existing advantages, which include:

To store information, you do not need to buy expensive computers and components, because everything will be stored on the cloud.
PC performance increases, because cloud technologies in office work and other areas launch programs remotely, so there is a lot of free space on the computer.
Maintenance problems are decreasing every year, because the number of physical servers is constantly decreasing, and the software is constantly being updated.
The cost of purchasing software is reduced, since you only need to buy a program for the “cloud” once and that’s it, and sometimes you can even order its rental.
Cloud technologies have no restrictions on the amount of data stored. In most cases, the volume of such services amounts to millions of gigabytes.
Programs are updated automatically, so there is no need to monitor this, as is the case with downloaded applications.
The cloud can be used on any operating system since programs are accessed through web browsers.
New cloud technologies make it possible to have access to documents anytime and anywhere, because the main thing is the availability of the Internet.
Good security and protection against information loss, since sent data is automatically saved and copies are sent to backup servers.

Disadvantages of cloud technologies

The “cloud” also has a number of disadvantages that are worth knowing and taking into account:

Access is not possible in the absence of the Internet, and if there is no Internet, then it will be possible to work only with documents downloaded to the computer. It is worth noting that the Internet must be fast and of high quality.
The cloud service may be slower when transferring a large amount of information than with the installed program.
It's rare that security is poor, but in most cases the Cloud takes backups so there's no need to worry.
Many people are confused by the fact that they need to pay for the provision of a number of services, but this is a business project from which people need to earn money.

Application of cloud technologies

There is a certain classification of cloud services, so the following categories of “clouds” are distinguished:

Public. This is an IT infrastructure that can be used by a large number of companies and services at once. The subscriber can be any company or individual. Users of public cloud technologies do not have the ability to manage and maintain the cloud, since this is only done by the owner of the service.
Private. When describing the types of cloud technologies, we should focus on this secure IT infrastructure, controlled and operated in the interests of only one organization. It can be located on the customer's premises or at an external operator.
Hybrid. This type has the main advantages of both previous options. This “cloud” is in most cases used by organizations that have seasonal periods of activity, that is, when there is not enough internal IT infrastructure, then part of the capacity is transferred to cloud technologies.

Cloud technologies in education

Computers and the Internet have also made their way into the education system, making it possible to improve and facilitate the process of performing a number of tasks. Cloud technologies in the educational process can be used for the following purposes:

Organizing the collaboration of employees on important documents, for example, an annual plan or program. Everyone is responsible for their own part of the document, and if necessary, all users will have the opportunity to leave comments and add information.
General project work, so the teacher can assign assignments to students, divide responsibilities and check reports, giving comments.
Cloud technologies can be used to create an electronic diary and transfer any written assignments. This is a great option for children who are homeschooled or miss school for some reason.

Cloud technologies in medicine

Recently, the “cloud” has been actively introduced into medicine, which raises it to a new level. New technologies provide enormous potential for revolutionary changes, because it becomes much easier to maintain and systematize medical documentation. The use of cloud technologies in medicine is important because they help to quickly determine the diagnosis and make a conclusion. At the moment, such a service is just beginning to be implemented, since there are no regulatory mechanisms for maintaining medical confidentiality.

Cloud technologies in logistics

The cloud has excellent potential in transport and warehouse logistics. With the help of cloud technologies, it is possible to ensure full interaction of all participants in the chain, that is, the sender, operators, transport company and recipient. All of them can communicate in real time, regardless of location. Using cloud technologies provides the following advantages:

conduct open tenders for contractors;
determine the most successful routes;
control delivery;
process and store all transportation data;
improve the quality of order fulfillment.

Cloud technologies in banking

Competition among banks is enormous and not all are able to withstand times of crisis. Such financial institutions are beginning to use innovative technologies to reduce costs. Cloud data storage services are aimed at automating financial processes. As a result, there is an increase in the efficiency of credit institutions by reducing the cost of reporting. It is important to note that since there is a threat of attackers entering cloud storage, customer information is not stored there.

Cloud technologies for business

Business people use the cloud for the following purposes:

A virtual server is rented, thanks to which the manager can fully control all hosted services, regardless of the provider.
It’s easy to create a virtual contact center online, so you can save on renting premises and organizing workspaces. Work can begin within two days from the date of submission of the application to the provider.
Cloud services for business are used to create a virtual office, that is, the workplace will not be tied to a specific computer. The “cloud” reproduces the company’s internal network, that is, it includes disks, folders and planning programs.

Games via cloud service

In the 2000s, cloud streaming services began to appear, allowing users to play heavy games over the Internet without downloading or loading their computer. In America and China this direction is already well developed. Recently, Microsoft made an official statement that they will be developing a DeLorean system, thanks to which a person will play through a cloud service, and the system will predict his actions before he presses the keys.

And again, hello, dear readers! :) Let's talk about cloud technologies .

You mean, today another article will be entirely devoted to a very entertaining and promising technology (so to speak, the “gold mine” of the IT industry), hiding under the pseudonym - cloud technologies or in common parlance - “cloud”.

We will talk about the very concept of cloud computing, we will give a variety of examples of its implementation (at the level of solutions for ordinary users), namely, we will talk about the theory, then we will smoothly move on to practice and a little... wander in the clouds :-)

Thus, the purpose of our note, as always good (it cannot be otherwise) is to systematize the basic information related to this topic and sort everything out.

So, Earthlings, get ready, now we will talk about cloud technologies, which are becoming closer and closer to us every day.

Let's fly..

Cloud technologies. About everything, a little bit

In recent years, this topic has become one of the most popular in IT-sphere, many articles have been written about it, even more conferences have been held, and how many solutions already exist on the market (and are used to their full extent in everyday life, sometimes even unconsciously) is impossible to count.

However, as always, there is one thing "But"namely, the majority of users still don’t even know what kind of “know-how” cloud technologies are and why they gave up in the first place. Well, we will correct the current situation and we will begin, as it should be, from theory.

Cloud Computing ( cloud computing) is a distributed data processing technology in which computer resources and power are provided to the user as an Internet service. If you explain it in accessible language, then this is your, in a sense, work platform on the Internet, or rather on a remote server.

Let's look at an example to make sure that almost each of us, one way or another, has already encountered this decision.

Do you have an email ( e-mail)? Of course there is. So, if you work with mail on some service site (for example), which allows you to use this mail, then this is nothing more than a cloud service, which is part of such a thing as cloud technologies. Or, for example, image processing.

If you reduce the size, flip your photo to Photoshop or another special program, then you have nothing to do with cloud technology - everything happens and is processed locally on your computer. But if, having downloaded an image, for example, through , you process it on the other side, in the browser, then this is the very “cloud”.

More details about cloud technologies

Actually, the whole difference lies solely in the method of storing and processing data. If all operations take place on your computer (using its power), then this is not a “cloud”, but if the process takes place on a server on the network, then this is precisely the trendy thing that is commonly called “cloud technology”.

In other words, cloud technologies are various hardware, software, methodologies and tools that are provided to the user as Internet services to realize their goals, objectives, and projects.

As practice shows, the terms “cloud technologies”/“cloud service”, with their generally accepted graphical representation in the form of “clouds”, only confuse users; in fact, their structure can be easily understood if it is presented in the form of the following pyramid.

The base of the pyramid is “infrastructure” - a set of physical devices (servers, etc.), above it is built a “platform” - a set of services and the top - software available upon user request.

Also, you should know that cloud computing is a kind of basis vector obtained as a result of the synthesis of a number of technologies and approaches (so clever! :-)). To make it clear what I mean, here is the following diagram:

I think that now it has become a little clearer, since the scheme is quite simple. However, generally speaking, cloud technologies are a kind of mess that performs calculations with servers and other things without directly involving the resources of your computer.

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It may happen that we will all return to computers that are close in power to, so to speak, the first ones and, in fact, will be just one screen with a microprocessor, and all calculations and power will be located and performed remotely, i.e. in servers living there somewhere, namely, in the cloud mentioned repeatedly.

Services provided by cloud systems

Everything that concerns cloud computing(further SS), usually called the word aaS. This is simply deciphered - " as a Service", that is, "as a service", or "as a service".

Currently, cloud technologies and, in fact, their concept, involve providing the following types of services to their users:

Storage-as-a-Service("storage as a service")
This is perhaps the simplest of SS- services, which is disk space on demand. Each of us has at some point encountered a situation where an ominous warning appears on the monitor: " The logical drive is full, to free up space, remove unnecessary programs or data". Service Storage-as-a-Service makes it possible to save data in external storage, in the cloud. For you, it will look like an additional logical drive or folder. The service is basic for the rest, since it is included in almost all of them. An example would be other similar services.
Database-as-a-Service("database as a service")
This is probably more for administrators, because this thing provides the opportunity to work with databases, as if DBMS was installed on a local resource. Moreover, in this case it is much easier to “share” projects between different performers, not to mention how much money can be saved on and required for proper use DBMS in a large or even medium-sized organization.
Information-as-a-Service("information as a service")
Makes it possible to remotely use any type of information that can change every minute or even every second.
Process-as-a-Service("process control as a service")
Represents a remote resource that can link together multiple resources (such as services or data contained within a single cloud or other available clouds) to create a single business process.
Application-as-a-Service("application as a service")
It may also be called Software-as-a-Service(“Software as a service”). Positioned as “software on demand”, which is deployed on remote servers and each user can access it via the Internet, and all issues of updating and licenses for this software are regulated by the provider of this service. Payment, in this case, is made for the actual use of the latter. An example is Google Docs, Google Calendar etc. online programs.
Platform-as-a-Service("platform as a service")
The user is provided with a computer platform with an installed operating system and some software.
Integration-as-a-Service("integration as a service")
This is the ability to receive a complete integration package from the cloud, including software interfaces between applications and management of their algorithms. This includes well-known services and features of enterprise application centralization, optimization and integration packages ( EAI), but provided as a "cloud" service.
Security-as-a-Service("security as a service")
This type of service allows users to quickly deploy products that enable the secure use of web technologies, email correspondence, and local networks, which allows users of this service to save on deploying and maintaining their own.
Management/Governance-as-a-Service("administration and management as a service")
Makes it possible to manage and set operating parameters for one or many cloud services. These are mainly parameters such as topology, resource usage, virtualization.
Infrastructure-as-a-Service("infrastructure as a service")
The user is provided with a computer infrastructure, usually virtual platforms (computers) connected to a network, which he independently configures for his own purposes.
Testing-as-a-Service("testing as a service")
Makes it possible to test local or cloud systems using test software from the cloud (no on-premises equipment or software is required).

For clarity, let’s summarize all these services of the “cloud” architecture, into one diagram behind which cloud technologies lie (sorry, it’s in English):

Which shows the classification of services by type of service.

Now let’s look at what cloud technologies there are, so to speak, according to the form of ownership. Here, there are three categories:

Public
Private
Hybrid.

Briefly about each:

Public cloud is an IT infrastructure used simultaneously by many companies and services. Users do not have the ability to manage and maintain this “cloud”, and all responsibility for these issues rests with the owner of the resource. Any company and individual user can become a subscriber to the services offered.
Examples include online services: Amazon EC2, Google Apps/Docs, Microsoft Office Web.
Private cloud is a secure IT infrastructure controlled and operated in the interests of a single organization. An organization can manage a private cloud in-house or outsource the task. The infrastructure can be located either on the premises of the customer or at an external operator (or partly at the customer and partly at the operator).
Hybrid cloud is an IT infrastructure that uses the best qualities of the public and private cloud to solve the problem. This type is often used when an organization has seasonal periods of activity, in other words, as soon as the internal IT infrastructure cannot cope with current tasks, part of the capacity is transferred to the public cloud (for example, large volumes of statistical information), as well as to provide access to users to enterprise resources through the public cloud.

Confused? It’s okay, we’ll look at the examples soon and everything will fall into place;)

Cloud computing capabilities

Now let's look at the possibilities of cloud computing:

Access to personal information from any computer connected to the Internet
You can work with information from different devices (PCs, tablets, phones, etc.)
It doesn’t matter which operating system you prefer to work in - web services work in the browser of any OS
Both you and those around you can view and edit the same information simultaneously from different devices
Many paid programs have become free (or cheaper) web applications
If something happens to your device (PC, tablet, phone), you will not lose important information, since it is no longer stored in the device memory
Fresh and updated information is always at hand
You always use the latest version of programs and do not need to monitor the release of updates
You can combine your information with other users
You can easily share information with loved ones or with people from anywhere in the world.

There are quite a lot of opportunities, however, there are also some disadvantages (where would we be without them), which should also be mentioned.

“Fly in the ointment” - disadvantages:

The need for constant connection.
To gain access to cloud services, you need a constant connection to the Internet.
Software and its “customization”.
There are restrictions on software that can be deployed on the clouds and provided to the user. The user has limitations in the software used and sometimes does not have the opportunity to customize it for his own purposes
Confidentiality.
The confidentiality of data stored in public clouds currently causes a lot of controversy, but in most cases, experts agree that it is not recommended to store the most valuable documents for a company on a public cloud, since there is currently no technology which would guarantee 100% data privacy
Safety.
The “cloud” itself is a fairly reliable system, but upon penetration, an attacker gains access to a huge data storage. Another disadvantage is the use of systems that use standard OS kernels as a hypervisor (for example Windows), which allows the use of viruses and system vulnerabilities
High cost of equipment.
To build your own cloud, you need to allocate significant material resources, which is not beneficial for newly created and small companies
Further monetization of the resource.
It is possible that companies will in the future decide to charge users for the services they provide.

As you can see, there are two sides to the coin. However, this does not harm the development of technology, and may even spur it.

Cloud technologies - a view from the user's side. Solutions overview

We have come to perhaps the most interesting (and so loved by many readers) part of the article - examples and, so to speak, practice. Here we will look at what solutions, services, programs already exist on the market and what is worth paying attention to. Let's start with the services:

iCloud
Cloud service iCloud from the company Apple(replaced MobileMe), fully automatic and free (albeit with minor functional limitations). It stores your all kinds of content (mail, calendar, contacts, documents, music, videos and images, etc.) on servers, and then delivers it to all devices ( iPhone, iPad, iPod touch,MacAndPC) using wireless technology Push.
Google Play
A fresh cloud service called Google Play from the “good corporation”, which is designed for users to place movies, music, applications and books on servers specially designed for storing digital information. Access to the service is provided directly from the browser, regardless of the OS, and therefore can be carried out both from a PC and from mobile devices based on Android. Each user has the opportunity to place and store up to 20 -thousands of free music recordings, as well as directly download to the server purchased in stores ( Android Market,Google Music and Google eBookstore) digital goods - movies, e-books, programs, music tracks, both purchased and rented.
OnLive
I think that everyone is familiar with the service, fortunately I already wrote about it. Provides the opportunity to play modern games even on the simplest and weakest computer. Technically, it looks like this: the game itself is located on a remote server, and the graphics are processed there and are sent to the user’s computer in a “ready” form. Simply put, those calculations that are performed during a normal game on a computer, etc., are already performed on the server, and your computer is used only as a monitor that receives the final picture. If you don’t understand, all this means is that all problems with computer performance and the amount of free space on your hard drive are automatically removed, because no installation is even required. In addition, there is no need to pay quite a lot of money right away for a product (game, etc.) that you don’t necessarily like. Moreover, it’s no secret that you don’t want to play through most games again, so it turns out that the cost of several hours (or even several days) of pleasure is unreasonably high. A much more convenient option would be one in which you pay only for the time you play. Or - you would pay some small fixed amount monthly, which would allow you to play any of the available games without restrictions. This is exactly what it offers OnLive.
Xbox Live
Another well-known gaming service, which also provides rich Internet functionality and is related to cloud technologies. The essence of the service is that owners of consoles Xbox 360 And PDA based on Windows Phone 7, can play computer games with each other and communicate, as well as buy add-ons and various multimedia content in the online store. It turns out that the service creates a kind of virtual universe for gamers, the components of which are located not on end-user consoles, but in the cloud.

Thus, the last two services offer games as a service. Now let’s imagine that we are not talking about games, but about software. That is, you pay not for the product as such (for the box with the disc), but for the specific functions/opportunities that it provides you. Interesting? Here it is for me :)

Small note

And since we, as users, are most interested in software (and not all sorts of platforms as a service), now we will look at the “software landscape” ( SaaS) clouds. In other words, let's give the most popular software solutions that, within the framework of the concept of cloud technologies, actually now exist on the market.

Actually, according to SaaS-concept, as mentioned above, you do not pay a lump sum when buying a product, but, as it were, rent it. Moreover, you use exactly those functions that you need (and, accordingly, pay for them). For example, once a year you need a certain program and you are not going to use it more often. So why buy a product that will sit idle?

And why waste space on it (in an apartment, if it’s a box with a disk, or on a hard drive, if it’s a file)? That's right, no need, because there is an alternative option - a free online service (providing the full functionality of this program).

Working with documents in cloud technologies

It was along this path that two headliners of the IT industry (and also competitors) took - Google And Microsoft. Both companies have released sets of services that allow you to work with documents.

From the outside Google - it's theirs Google Docs(now Google Drive):

Free online office, including a word processor, spreadsheet processor and “stuff” for creating presentations, as well as an Internet service cloud file storage with file sharing functions.
This is web-based software, that is, a program that runs within a web browser without installation on the user’s computer, i.e., an alternative version of all sorts of Word, Excel etc. without the need to purchase and all that. Documents and tables created by the user are saved on a special server Google or can be exported to a file.
This is one of the key advantages of the program, since access to the entered data can be carried out from any computer connected to the Internet (access is protected by a password).

From the outside Microsoft - it's theirs Microsoft Office Web Apps:

Applications Microsoft Office Web Apps, allow you to take advantage of the opportunities Microsoft Office, through a web browser and work with documents (and not only view them, but also edit them) directly on the website on which they are stored.
Thus, documents look exactly the same in the browser as in programs Office, i.e. complete, so to speak, unification.

It is also worth noting that both services are closely related to mail ( Gmail in the first case and Hotmail in the second) and file storages, you want to use Google Docs, just create a free Google account and you will receive a set of programs for working with texts, spreadsheets, etc., right in your browser. For many, Google Docs completely replaced, as mentioned above, paid MS Ooffice.

To summarize briefly (for these two services), we can say that the user is transferred from his usual offline environment to online.
Let's move on.

Cloud technologies and data storage

Cloud file storage is no less popular. The most famous repository is considered...

Dropbox.
You may have several computers, but with the help of this cloud storage you can create a common folder with files for all your PCs and even smartphones. The most interesting thing is that you don’t have to do any special actions here, because the operating system itself will perceive the shared folder, like all other folders on the hard drive, and Dropbox will simply take care of synchronization. The service allows you to store up to 2 GB of data. Its main emphasis is on synchronization and information exchange. Dropbox keeps a history of downloads so that after deleting files from the server it is possible to restore data, plus a history of file changes is kept, which is available for the period of the last 30 days.
Windows Live SkyDrive.
Service SkyDrive allows you to save up to 7 GB (and files can be exchanged up to 100 MB) of information organized using standard folders. Images have a preview mode, as well as the ability to show them in the form of slides. In addition to the fact that the service is integrated with Microsoft Office, it also supports the new operating system (more precisely, the client SkyDrive built into applications Metro and allows you to upload documents and photos to the cloud in one click, and open files from remote storage).
And of course Google Drive. There will be a separate article about it.

By the way, not only all kinds of offices and file storage use cloud technologies. For example, in the fight against digital “evil spirits” they also relied on cloud computing. And here is the result - a free antivirus Panda Cloud Antivirus.

It is based on innovative "collective intelligence" technology (which automatically identifies new threats in a minimum period of time) and allows you to minimize the impact of protection on your computer's system resources, using the computing power of cloud technologies for most operations: analysis, blocking and attempts to remove malware.

Antivirus servers use information received from millions of users of antivirus products Panda worldwide to automatically detect and classify new types of malware emerging every day.

In a nutshell, it’s something like this, although there are still a lot of services that could be talked about, but then you’ll have to write a volume of War and Peace :)
So let's get to the results slowly.

Cloud technologies. Cloudy or clear?

Simply put, the cloud is an opportunity to always have guaranteed and secure access to all your personal information, as well as avoiding the need to keep a lot of unnecessary things in your pocket (all sorts of flash drives, disks, wires and all that other stuff) or buy a new computer/components /programs/games, etc. There is no doubt that at the moment, cloud technologies are one of the most popular and interesting topics in IT-sphere and more and more interesting solutions appearing in the world are connected precisely with them.

Of course, it is still difficult for the average user to fully appreciate (and reveal) their full potential, but the fact that it exists is visible to the naked eye.

Thus, without any doubt, the future of cloud technologies seems very bright, because such giants ( Microsoft, Apple And Google) they just certainly don’t do anything and it’s absolutely clear that if they’ve already entered this uncharted territory, they clearly don’t intend to leave it, because two years ago the concept "cloud" seemed just a beautiful idea and a bold experiment, but today the benefits of cloud technologies can be felt even by those people who are not involved in program development, web technologies and other highly specialized things (the above-mentioned Xbox Live, Windows Live, OnLive, Google Docs- vivid examples of this).

Afterword

Something like this. I hope that the information was interesting, useful and exciting for you. Stay with the project - you are always welcome here;)

As usual, if you have questions, additions, and other differences, then comments are at your service.

PS: Thanks to team member 25 KADR for the existence of this article

The definition of cloud computing is at first glance very confusing: it is a model for providing ubiquitous and convenient network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (for example, servers, applications, networks, storage systems and services) that can be quickly provisioned and released with minimal management effort and the need to interact with the provider.

In order to better imagine what cloud computing is, we can give a simple example: previously, to access email, a user resorted to certain software (messengers and programs) installed on his PC, but now he simply goes to the website of the company whose services emails he likes, directly through the browser, without the use of intermediaries.

But this example is more suitable for private clouds. We are interested in these technologies in business. Modern implementation began in 2006. Then Amazon introduced its web services infrastructure, which not only provides hosting, but also provides remote computing power to the client.

Three models of "clouds"

Recall that there are three cloud computing service models:

Software as a service (SaaS, Software as a Servise). The consumer is provided with software—provider applications running on the cloud infrastructure.

Platform as a service (PaaS, Platform as a Service). The consumer is provided with the means to deploy consumer-created or purchased applications on the cloud infrastructure, developed using the provider's supported tools and programming languages.

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS, Infrastructure as a Service). The consumer is provided with data processing, storage, networking, and other underlying computing resources on which the consumer can deploy and run arbitrary software, including operating systems and applications.

Benefits of cloud services

Last year, the total volume of the global market in the field of cloud technologies was about $40 billion. Some experts predict that by 2020 this figure will reach $240 billion. Russia ranks 34th in the introduction of cloud computing into business with an indicator of $250 million.

There are several advantages associated with the use of cloud technologies.

Availability. Anyone who has a computer, tablet, or any mobile device connected to the Internet can access information stored on the cloud. The following advantage follows from this.

Mobility. The user is not permanently tied to one workplace. Managers can receive reports from anywhere in the world, and managers can monitor production.

Economical. One of the important advantages is reduced cost. The user does not need to buy expensive computers and software with large computing power, and he is also freed from the need to hire a specialist to maintain local IT technologies.

Rent. The user receives the required package of services only at the moment when he needs it, and pays, in fact, only for the number of purchased functions.

Flexibility. All necessary resources are provided automatically by the provider.

High technology. Large computing power that is placed at the user's disposal, which can be used for storing, analyzing and processing data.

Reliability. Some experts argue that the reliability provided by modern cloud computing is much higher than the reliability of local resources, arguing that few businesses can afford to purchase and maintain a full-fledged data center.

Google Apps for Business highlights these same benefits, but adds that the company protects the environment by using its cloud computing, explaining that Apps services run on Google's ultra-low-power data centers, so the carbon intensity and energy costs of using them will be significantly lower when using local servers.

How much does all this cost?

The cost of Google Apps for business, according to the company, is $5 per user per month, with free 5 GB of cloud disk space (if desired, you can purchase another 20 GB to 16 TB at prices ranging from $4 to $1,430 per month, respectively).

A user can also purchase Google Apps with Safe for $10 per month, which includes the standard package of services plus archiving of important business data, collection of data for forensic purposes, search and export of any corporate data. Providing domains is available at an additional cost. It is worth noting that a user is considered to have one email account.

Microsoft is also fighting for its share of cloud computing. They are based on Office 365. It focuses on a comprehensive CRM solution, arguing that Microsoft Dinamics CRM includes marketing, sales, and customer service management units. That is, with the help of this function it is possible to solve a range of relationship management problems, from attracting customers to cross-selling.

“Smart” analysis, role-based interface and high mobility also stand out.

There are several options for purchasing Office 365: Office Professional Plus 2010 tariff - 555 rubles. per month per user. Subsequent tariffs cost 250, 300, 525 and 750 rubles. per month for each user, respectively. By the way, you can try Office 365 for free.

Despite all the positive reviews, there is also some criticism of cloud technologies.

The main criticism is that when using virtual software, information automatically falls into the hands of the developer of this software. So says Richard Stallman, founder of the free software movement.

The problem of data integration with both internal corporate and cloud services of other providers is highlighted.

Experts point to the problem of uncontrolled data: information left by the user will be stored for years without his knowledge or he will not be able to change any part of it. For example, on Google services, the user is not able to delete services and even individual groups of data that he has not used.

Despite this, most experts are of the opinion that the advantages of this technology outweigh its disadvantages.