Cloud computing moves the heavy lifting of crunching data off the device you work on and places it in massive computer clusters that are far away in cyberspace. It is possible to access these massive computers via the Internet. This allows you to access files as well as applications and development tools from anywhere. This enables you to perform more effectively on your laptop in a crowded train carriage or on your smartphone at the conference table.
The cloud also makes sure that your work is still accessible even if your office loses power. This is because it keeps a copy of all your applications and data. This is the reason some of the world’s largest companies have made the switch to cloud and have rigorously evaluated its performance and security.
There are many different types of cloud services and deployment models. They are typically categorized into four service models: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) and Serverless/Function-as-a-Service (FaaS). The terms “cloud” and “cloud computing” are sometimes used interchangeably, but it’s important to understand the difference between IaaS and PaaS and FaaS, so that you can choose which of these cloud deployment models best meet your requirements.
In IaaS, you’re renting an entire set of hardware–servers, firewalls, virtual machines, and storage — from a cloud service provider. This is an excellent option for companies who create custom or specialized software that need servers to be maintained and managed, but do not need to spend time or money buying, storing, and establishing their equipment.
