I . T .
Is cloud computing going to replace your onsite hardware ?
Let ’ s go back to basics first and ask : “ What is cloud computing ?”
Cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the internet . These services are divided into three main categories or types of cloud computing : infrastructure as a service ( IaaS ), platform as a service ( PaaS ) and software as a service ( SaaS ).
Cloud computing can be delivered in three different ways : public , private or hybrid .
Now , this is where it can get confusing . Public , private , hybrid , Iaas , Paas and Saas – that ’ s another advice column in itself ! But , as a quick example , the majority of us are using the public cloud and Saas for popular products such as Salesforce , Google Docs , Office 365 etcetera .
As most businesses and users are already using SaaS , even if they may not know it , we ’ re going to look at IaaS today ( infrastructure as a service ), as this is now a realistic option for businesses of all sizes , rather than being for enterprise and larger SMEs .
What is it ? IaaS gives customers the ability to rent IT infrastructure on an as-needed basis . IaaS includes all the basic building blocks of cloud computing such as storage , networking and servers . Popular IaaS providers include Amazon Web Services ( AWS ), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform ( GCP ).
What does this mean ? It means that some companies are moving away from a CAPEX ( paid upfront ) model for hardware / software to an OPEX ( pay monthly ) model . We have traditionally designed and spec ’ d our IT solutions to last a minimum of five years , working out which speeds , memory and storage may be needed , future-proofing the solution to account for growth by including more resources than are needed currently , and spending thousands of pounds upfront . Businesses have also had to allocate space in the office for our server room , built racks and installed servers and aircon etcetera .
Is this a thing of the past ? On-premise solutions will always be around , as these suit the requirements of some businesses , but more and more are moving from a hybrid solution to a full cloud solution .
With IaaS , we don ’ t need to purchase any hardware . Instead , we rent the resources , space and software , and access it through the internet . That means we only rent what we need today – and as it is so scalable , we can always add or remove resources as and when we require them .
Sounds great – but who do we go with ? Amazon , Microsoft , Google – or do we confuse things even more and look at the private cloud , hybrid or even stay onpremise ?
Confused ? It does look like a minefield of acronyms , but that ’ s where Cornerstone comes into it – we can advise you of the best solution for your business .
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