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With cloud computing, businesses can leverage advanced technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence to gain insights and streamline operations. Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is one of the leading cloud providers, offering a variety of products and services to help businesses take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing.

Note: This is a series of articles sorted into categories. Each category is dedicated to variety of products and services of GCP . The first part is an introduction to Cloud computing, its benefits and why is cloud in demand.

Introduction

What is Cloud computing?

Cloud computing is a method of accessing technology such as software, storage and servers via the internet, rather than having them located on personal devices or in physical locations.

Think of it like cooking. Imagine you're living alone in a city and you need to cook your own meals. However, you don't have the expertise or experience to do so. Instead of struggling to learn how to cook, you have the option to go to a restaurant, hire a catering service, or hire a personal chef.

Similarly, with cloud computing, you don't have to worry about managing and maintaining your own technology infrastructure. You can simply access the technology you need from a remote location, through the internet. This can save you time, money, and resources, while still giving you access to the tools and services you need to run your business or personal projects.

Benefits of using Cloud computing?

Cloud computing offers several benefits to businesses, including:

• Cost savings: By using cloud computing, businesses can avoid the cost of maintaining physical servers and IT infrastructure, as well as the need for in-house IT staff to manage them.
• Scalability: Cloud computing allows businesses to scale up or down based on their needs without worrying about investing in additional hardware and infrastructure.
• Collaboration: Cloud computing allows teams to collaborate on projects in real-time, regardless of their location, by accessing shared documents and applications from any device.
• Data security: Cloud providers implement strict security measures to protect their customers' data, including data encryption, regular backups, and multi-factor authentication.

Why is "Cloud in demand"?

Cloud computing provides organizations with on-demand access to computing resources, including servers, storage, and software, over the internet. This eliminates the need for organizations to manage their own technology infrastructure and allows them to focus on their core competencies. Cloud computing is scalable and cost-effective, as organizations only pay for what they use. It also offers increased agility and improved efficiency compared to traditional IT solutions. These benefits have made cloud computing a popular choice for organizations looking to streamline their operations and stay ahead in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

Let's see how dose cloud really differ with our on-premises.

1. On-Premises

If you choose to cook a meal from scratch, you do everything yourself: source the ingredients, prepare the food, cook it, and serve it. This is very similar to running your application on-premises, where you have complete control over everything from the hardware to your applications and their scalability.

2. Infrastructure as a Service — IaaS

Using Infrastructure as a Service is like renting a car for a road trip. You select the make and model, and the rental company provides you with the car and all of its necessary components. You are responsible for managing the car during the trip, such as fuel, maintenance, and cleaning. Similarly, with IaaS, you rent the hardware to run your application, but you are responsible for managing the operating system, runtime, scale, and data.

3. Containers as a Service — CaaS

Using Containers as a Service is like renting a fully furnished apartment. The apartment comes with all the basic amenities and furniture, but you can still add your own personal touches to make it feel like home. With CaaS, you bring a containerized application and run it on a managed platform, so you don't have to worry about the underlying operating system. However, you still have control over the runtime and scaling of your application. An example of CaaS is Microsoft Azure Container Instances.

4. Platform as a Service — PaaS

Using Platform as a Service is like renting a fully serviced hotel room. You simply show up, and everything is provided for you, including a bed, bathroom, and other amenities. With PaaS, you bring your own code and deploy it, leaving the scaling and management of the application to the cloud provider. An example of PaaS is Heroku, where developers can simply deploy their applications and let the platform handle the underlying infrastructure.

5. Function as a Service — FaaS

Using Function as a Service is like hiring a handyman for a small job. You provide them with specific instructions on what needs to be done, and they take care of the rest. With FaaS, you deploy a piece of code or a function that performs a specific task, and every time the function executes, the cloud provider adds scale if needed. An example of FaaS is AWS Lambda, where developers can write small, event-driven functions that run on demand without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure. This makes it easy for developers to focus on writing code that performs specific tasks, without having to worry about scaling or managing the infrastructure.

6. Software as a Service — SaaS

Using Software as a Service is like hiring a personal assistant to take care of your administrative tasks. You provide them with the information and tasks that need to be done, and they take care of everything else, including scheduling appointments, managing emails, and performing other administrative tasks. With SaaS, you pay for the service and are responsible for your data, but everything else is taken care of by the provider. An example of SaaS is Salesforce, where businesses can use the platform to manage their customer relationships, without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure or maintenance. This makes it easy for businesses to focus on their core competencies while still having access to essential software and tools.