Cloud computing has ushered in a new era of business IT operations. As a highly efficient method of delivering computing resources to people and businesses, its introduction has caused companies all across the globe to rethink how they manage their IT resources and services. The development has single-handedly opened up new opportunities for small businesses and helped improve cost-effectiveness for larger companies.
But why all the hype around the cloud? To answer that question, we first have to discuss what cloud computing is.

What is cloud computing?

A “cloud” is another term for a network – in this case, the Internet. In other words, cloud computing is simply the delivery of computing services over the Internet. These services are diverse and numerous, including physical servers, databases, storage, software and so on.
Through the cloud, several computers are connected to work together. Applications can then use the collective computing power of these computers to run effectively. This means that your company does not need to assign specific hardware to perform a particular function. Instead, you can use any device (any computer, for instance) to access the computing resource on-demand via the Internet, letting third-party infrastructure do the heavy lifting for you.

Types of cloud computing

There are three main types of cloud computing services on the market today. Each of them differs in the scope of the product being delivered, with IaaS having the smallest scope, and SaaS having the largest.

• Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) – With IaaS, you rent computing infrastructure from a cloud provider over the Internet. This infrastructure can include servers, storage, virtual machines, and networks. Companies that want to manage their own software but outsource the management of physical servers will see the most use out of IaaS.
• Platform as a service (PaaS) – PaaS provides all the services of IaaS, in addition to extra infrastructures like middleware, operating systems, development tools, and database management systems. These tools can help ease the coding process and data analytics, but still give you control over the development of your own software.
• Software as a service (SaaS) – SaaS is the service that the layman uses most often, where software applications are delivered to the user over the Internet. In this case, cloud providers handle everything from infrastructure to app data, so you get the final product without any developmental costs. Examples of these are web-based email services and Microsoft Office.

Why use cloud computing?

As we have established, cloud computing allows you to get computing resources on demand. Essentially, you outsource the responsibility of providing computing power or services to a third-party. This has several benefits to business operations, as we will discuss below:

• Cost & manpower – Not having to purchase your own physical hardware or develop your own software can be a massive cost-saver. Since there is no need to maintain servers and datacentres, employees can also focus more on bringing in revenue.
• Performance – Specialised cloud providers have dedicated computing infrastructure, which your company may not want to spend significant resources on to purchase and maintain. Their datacentres are updated continuously to have the latest hardware, increasing the speed and productivity of software that they provide.
• Security – Cloud providers often have a suite of security policies and technologies that help to keep your data safe. Many also offer data backups and disaster recovery to ensure that your business can bounce back from any cyberattack.
• Scalability – All of the forms of cloud computing are provided on a pay-as-you-use basis, meaning that you can upscale, downscale or completely stop using these services at any time, providing enormous flexibility.

Through cloud computing, cloud providers give you all the tools your business needs to succeed. Fuss-free and instant, their services are excellent for any business, whether it be a start-up looking to hit the ground running, or a multi-national corporation looking for greater economies of scale.
If you want more information about how cloud computing and other technologies can be used to grow your business, the ITIL 4 certification course includes a unique operating model that can help you accomplish just that.
That being said, some companies would rather manage their own computing infrastructure for security or confidentiality purposes. In these cases, the need for cybersecurity is ever more pertinent, as the safety of their data rests in their hands. Cybersecurity experts who have attended a certified ethical hacker course are some of the best people for this job, as they are qualified to perform penetration testing and formulate solutions to defend against exploits.

Arcitura Certified Cloud Professional

To find out more about how to best use cloud technology, you can have a look at cloud computing courses on the market. Arcitura’s Certified Cloud Technology Professional course is an exceptional cloud computing course which informs you of not only the inner workings of cloud computing but also the threats and precautions you need to consider when engaging with these services.
The course aims to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the benefits, disadvantages, and implications of using the different kinds of cloud computing, as well as cloud security measures.
To that end, the syllabus includes full coverage of cloud computing concepts, and how they relate to technological and business considerations. Content ranges from the basic terminologies of cloud computing to specialised knowledge about autonomic computing.
You will also be given practical knowledge on how to use and combine these mechanisms to realise business goals. The information will be delivered in a manner accessible to most IT professionals to ease learning and inculcate a work-centric understanding of the concepts.
Each section of the course includes hands-on exercises to train the application of the content. Group exercises are also included to simulate the collaborative aspects of applying cloud computing in the workplace.
This culminates in the final topic, the “Cloud Technology Lab”, where participants are given a host of detailed problems to solve, which involve assessing, measuring and planning for the use of cloud technologies.
Here at BridgingMinds, we offer several courses under Arcitura’s Certified Cloud Professional certification scheme. In addition to the Arcitura Certified Cloud Technology Professional course, we also provide their Certified Cloud Security Specialist and Certified Cloud Architect courses. These tracks are suited for those looking to specialise in the particular aspects of cloud computing or to gain more in-depth knowledge of these fields.
For those looking to keep up-to-date on the latest strategies in IT and management, we also provide project management training, as well as IT service management training. Our ITIL 4 Foundation training online course is particularly suited to keep you abreast of the most up-to-date strategies for integrating IT and business operations.