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Cloud Services

▾ 5 MINUTE READ — CLOSE

There are multiple providers offering cloud services and solutions in different industries.

Leading cloud computing vendors include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, the Google Cloud Platform, Alibaba, IBM Cloud, DigitalOcean, Packet, and the Oracle Cloud. These providers offer a wide range of computing, storage, messaging, processing, and other cloud services, all consumed on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Types of Cloud Platforms
Cloud computing refers to services run and accessed over the internet. There are different types of cloud platforms, created with a mix of technologies that enable cloud computing. These offerings might differ in terms of location, ownership, and use, among many other factors.

Here are the four different types of clouds:
Public Cloud
These are clouds created from infrastructure that is not owned by the end-user. Traditionally, public clouds ran off-premises, but recent public clouds offer cloud services on clients’ premises.
Private Cloud
These cloud environments are created for a given group of users, usually running within the users’ firewall.
Hybrid Cloud
This cloud combines public and private clouds connected through a specified network.
Multicloud
This is a cloud approach that includes multiple cloud vendors and services. While all hybrid clouds are multiclouds, not all multiclouds are hybrid clouds.
What Are Cloud Services?
Cloud services are web-based services that allow organizations to control and monitor their data by using scalable, reliable, virtual resources. Cloud services have been divided into three major categories: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
Are Cloud-Native and Cloud-Based Software the Same?
Although both have many similarities, cloud-native and cloud-based software are different.

Cloud-native software is architected in the cloud and built to run in public clouds like Azure, AWS, and other cloud technologies. Cloud-native applications are flexible and backed by microservices architecture, enabling parts of an app to be upgraded without total disruption.

Cloud-based software is architected in traditional servers but is moved to a cloud provider so that its local components can work with cloud structures. Cloud-based software leverages the scalability and availability of cloud-native applications. When applications are transferred to a cloud provider, organizations are no longer responsible for managing the resources needed to run the application. This feature eliminates the need to maintain servers and manage backups.

Cloud Service Types
Cloud services are generally divided into three categories:
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)
IaaS is one of the first cloud computing services that comprise security tools, networking, storage, and computing. IaaS tools allow organizations to manage and configure software while maintaining maximum hardware and software stack control.

IaaS providers create the infrastructure, and companies provide the remaining tools needed for their internal networks. With these infrastructure services, organizations can reduce the cost of capital needed to create their internal infrastructure. Infrastructure-as-a-service examples include Rackspace, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Compute Engine (GCE).
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)
PaaS is a development environment in the cloud that provides resources for delivering operating systems through the web without requiring installation or constant downloads.

Platforms-as-a-service solutions maintain the basic infrastructure of many IaaS tools. It also has development tools, database management systems, middleware, and operating systems needed to build software applications. PaaS is best suited for companies that develop software and web applications, as it allows developers to access development tools when needed without buying them directly. PaaS solutions include Microsoft Azure, Google App Engine, and Apache Stratos.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
SaaS is an advanced software solution that comes in web-based software applications. The cloud provider maintains the operating system, middleware, data, and infrastructure needed to run the software in specific SaaS solutions. The provider also ensures that the software application is available when needed.

Software-as-a-service solutions are best suited to users who want to avoid overhead costs as there is no significant capital required for use. Many SaaS offerings come in the form of subscriptions or installment payments. Some SaaS examples are LaunchDarkly, Mirantis, Aqua Security, and Salesforce.
Benefits of Cloud Technologies
Cloud technology, also known as cloud computing, uses networks to access digital resources stored on the cloud. Cloud technologies allow organizations to scale up and down when needed.

Here are some benefits of cloud technologies:

Storage. Cloud storage is not limited in capacity like some physical devices may be. Cloud storage is unlimited and accessible to everyone who can afford it.
Collaboration. Cloud computing enhances communication and resource sharing between team members in remote locations. This capability has been invaluable since remote and hybrid work became prominent.
Affordability. Many cloud technologies allow organizations that cannot afford the overhead costs — or initial capital required to build internal technologies — to access vital technologies on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Recovery. Cloud technologies allow organizations to develop disaster recovery solutions and implement backups swiftly.

Challenges Surrounding Cloud Solution Services
Cloud-based services are applications or software that provide information technology (IT) as-a-service over a specified network or the internet. Delivery of cloud-based services is on-demand, and users make payments based on usage.

Cloud services have numerous capabilities that have improved software development, deployment, and service delivery, to name a few. But they have drawbacks, too.

Here are some challenges associated with cloud-based platforms:

Lock-in. An organization may get too dependent on a set of services from a single provider, making it challenging to move operations to another cloud if they find the current provider no longer suitable.
Cost. Cloud computing often saves businesses money. Still, the scalable features and on-demand use of cloud-based platforms make it difficult to anticipate cloud software costs, which may be very expensive.
Compliance. As industry standards and policies are updated, organizations that use cloud storage and backups often face compliance issues whenever they want to move data from their internal storage to the cloud.

Find the Latest News on Cloud Computing at The New Stack
At The New Stack, we keep track of the wealth of technologies, tools, and services that will help organizations make the most of their cloud services. Here is also the place to find out the best practices on setting up hybrid clouds, resilient and secure multicloud systems, and other cloud platforms.

Specifically, we explore issues such as costing, cloud migration, cross-cloud Kubernetes support, application deployment, cloud application performance, and monitoring. Learn more about these concepts in the cloud services category.


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Cloud Services / Security / Service Mesh / Contributed
Operationalizing Security in a Decentralized, Service-Based Architecture
10 Dec 2020 6:00am, by Jonathan Holmes
Cloud Services / Data Science / Machine Learning
Amazon Web Services Brings Machine Learning to DataOps
9 Dec 2020 2:08pm, by Joab Jackson and B. Cameron Gain
Cloud Native Ecosystem / Cloud Services / IoT Edge Computing
AWS Graviton Marks the Emergence of ARM for Cloud Native Workloads
8 Dec 2020 3:00am, by Mary Branscombe
Cloud Services / Containers / Security
Quick Take: Container Security on Amazon Web Services
7 Dec 2020 1:29pm, by Lawrence E Hecht
Cloud Services / Data Science / Frontend Development / Serverless
Amazon Web Services Wants You to Migrate off Legacy Databases
4 Dec 2020 12:39pm, by Richard MacManus
Cloud Services / Containers / Serverless
Adoption of AWS Lambda Serverless Stalls
3 Dec 2020 9:01am, by Lawrence E Hecht
Cloud Services / Data Science / Kubernetes
Tutorial: Deploy a Kubernetes-Driven PostgreSQL-Hyperscale on Azure Arc
26 Nov 2020 6:00am, by Janakiram MSV
Cloud Services / DevOps / Kubernetes
Tutorial: Register and Configure Kubernetes Clusters with Azure Arc
25 Nov 2020 11:40am, by Janakiram MSV
Cloud Native Ecosystem / Cloud Services / Technology
Tutorial: Register and Manage Linux Servers with Azure Arc
24 Nov 2020 12:41pm, by Janakiram MSV
Cloud Services / Sponsored / Contributed
4 Reasons Why Enterprises Should Implement a Multicloud Strategy
24 Nov 2020 9:20am, by Tara Jana
Cloud Services / IoT Edge Computing
Cloud Architects: Edge, Multicloud and Workload Portability Not Top Priorities
12 Nov 2020 8:00am, by Lawrence E Hecht
Cloud Services / Kubernetes / Contributed
How to Create Scalable Infrastructure for a Startup with Only $20 in Your Pocket
11 Nov 2020 11:44am, by Oleg Mykolaichenko
Cloud Services / Security / Serverless / Sponsored / Contributed
How to Achieve Ironclad Serverless Security
11 Nov 2020 7:25am, by Guy Podjarny
Cloud Services / DevOps / Security / Sponsored / Contributed
Terraform on AWS: Multi-Account Setup and Other Advanced Tips
10 Nov 2020 1:10pm, by Serkan Özal
Cloud Services / Containers / Kubernetes
Docker Hub Limits: What They Are and How to Route Around Them
10 Nov 2020 11:00am, by Mike Melanson
https://cdn.thenewstack.io/media/2016/01/PodcastBrandingOverlay_TNS_Makers.svg
Cloud Native Ecosystem / Cloud Services / Kubernetes / Sponsored
The Status of Cloud Native Computing and Kubernetes Today
6 Nov 2020 3:00pm, by Alex Williams and B. Cameron Gain
Cloud Services / Machine Learning / Serverless
Tutorial: Host a Serverless ML Inference API with AWS Lambda and Amazon EFS
5 Nov 2020 12:42pm, by Janakiram MSV
Cloud Services / Culture / Contributed
The Right-Sizing Problem in Cloud Computing, and How to Solve It
5 Nov 2020 11:37am, by Ruslan Synytsky
Cloud Services / Machine Learning / Serverless
Tutorial: Host a PyTorch Model for Inference on an Amazon EC2 Instance
4 Nov 2020 10:45am, by Janakiram MSV
Cloud Services / Serverless / Storage / Technology
Tutorial: Configure and Mount an EFS File System in Amazon EC2 Instance
3 Nov 2020 9:21am, by Janakiram MSV
Cloud Services / Serverless / Storage
Turn AWS Lambda Functions Stateful with Amazon Elastic File System
2 Nov 2020 10:55am, by Janakiram MSV
Cloud Services / Data Science / Contributed
Precomputation: The Key to High-Definition Cloud Analytics
30 Oct 2020 11:57am, by Li Kang
Cloud Services / Microservices / Serverless / Sponsored / Contributed
The New Multicloud: Serverless, Application Flows and Automation
29 Oct 2020 9:22am, by Mark Hinkle
https://cdn.thenewstack.io/media/2016/01/PodcastBrandingOverlay_TNS_Makers.svg
Cloud Services / Software Development
Nextdoor: Test Challenges Two Weeks Before Launch
26 Oct 2020 3:00pm, by Alex Williams
Cloud Native Ecosystem / Cloud Services / Kubernetes
Cloud Foundry Aims to Bring the Ease of ‘cf push’ to Kubernetes
23 Oct 2020 12:23pm, by B. Cameron Gain
Cloud Native Ecosystem / Cloud Services
The Dapr Distributed Runtime Nears Production Readiness
22 Oct 2020 1:57pm, by Joab Jackson
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