# Introduction to Cloud Computing

The concept of renting computer hardware (Processor, RAM, Storage, etc.) on a Pay-as-you-Go model over the Internet is known as Cloud Computing.

It has become the go-to solution for thousands of individuals, organizations, and businesses to fulfill their hardware resource requirements without hassling about hardware (server) maintenance.

## Major Characteristics

* On-demand Service
    
* Broad Network Access
    
* Measured Service
    
* Scalable Architecture
    
* Location Independence
    
* Security & Data Protection
    

## Types

1. Public: A public company provides hardware resources on demand to their demanding customers
    
    Examples: **Amazon Web Service (AWS), Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, CloudFlare, Netlify**
    
2. Private: A private company provides on-site hardware resources to a single organization upon ordering
    
    Example: **Amazon Outpost, Azure Private Link,** Google Distributed Cloud connected
    
3. Hybrid: Combination of public and private cloud infrastructure
    
4. Community: A specific group(people within the organization: healthcare, finance, aviation) has access to cloud resources
    
    Example: **Federal Community Cloud (FCC) by IBM**, **Cisco’s community**
    

## Cloud Service Models

1. IaaS: **Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS),** is a cloud computing model that provides on-demand access to computing resources like servers, storage, and networking over the internet.
    
2. PaaS: Platform as a Service (PaaS),\*\* is a cloud computing model that provides a complete platform - including hardware, software, and infrastructure- including hardware, software, and infrastructure - for developing, running, and managing applications.
    
3. SaaS: **Software as a Service (SaaS)** refers to a cloud-based software delivery model where a service provider hosts and makes applications available to users over the internet. Users access the software through a web browser or a thin client, without needing to install, maintain, or manage the software themselves. The SaaS provider manages the infrastructure, application software, and data.
    

This was an Introduction to Cloud Computing. In the next article, I will talk about types of Cloud Computing in details. See you there.