Cloud computing is a technology that provides computing services, which include servers, storage, databases, networking, software and analytics, over the internet on a pay-as-you-go basis. Companies do not need to build and maintain their own physical infrastructure. Instead, they can access these services remotely from cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud. This model allows for rapid provisioning of resources, enabling businesses to think more quickly, innovate more rapidly and respond quickly to changing needs. It also allows for scalability, meaning that IT resources can expand and contract based on business needs, while decreasing upfront capital expenditures.

Cloud computing, in addition to the flexibility and savings, enables users to connect to business applications from anywhere there is an internet connection. It improves security through more advanced security measures, such as encryption of data at rest and in transit and continuous data monitoring. It helps with business continuity through robust backup and disaster recovery. It reduces the need to devote IT resources to managing infrastructure, so companies can spend more time on business strategy. Overall, it changes the way businesses deploy and use technology to drive agility, efficiency and growth across industries.

Types of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing has the main two types: deployment models and service models that are intended to fulfil different business requirements. 

Cloud Deployment Models

Public Cloud: A cloud service owned and operated by a third-party provider. The public cloud offers economies of scale and easy access but use ‘shared’ servers. Examples include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud.

Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s leading cloud platform offering over 200 services globally from reliable data centers. Since 2006, AWS has transformed IT by providing on-demand computing, storage, databases and more on a pay-as-you-go basis, enabling businesses of all sizes to innovate faster, scale globally and reduce costs. Its vast service portfolio includes Amazon EC2 for virtual servers, Amazon S3 for storage, Amazon RDS for databases and AWS Lambda for serverless computing. AWS ensures high availability, fault tolerance and low latency through a global network of data centers and supports diverse use cases like machine learning, big data and IoT. Its secure and scalable infrastructure has made AWS the cloud market leader trusted by millions worldwide

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure is a comprehensive cloud computing platform developed by Microsoft that offers a wide range of cloud services including computing, storage, networking, databases, AI and analytics available globally through a network of data centers. It supports various service models like Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS), enabling businesses to build, deploy and manage applications efficiently. Azure is well-known for its strong integration with Microsoft products such as Office 365 and Windows Server, making it especially favored by enterprises already using Microsoft technologies. Its robust hybrid cloud capabilities allow organizations to combine on-premises infrastructure with public cloud resources, enhancing flexibility, scalability, security and compliance in diverse business scenarios.

Google Cloud

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a leading cloud computing service provided by Google, offering a vast array of modular services such as computing power, data storage, analytics, machine learning and networking. Leveraging the same global infrastructure that powers Google services like Search and Gmail, GCP delivers high performance, scalability and security to businesses worldwide. It operates in 40 regions and 121 zones globally, ensuring availability and low latency. GCP’s robust security features, including Identity and Access Management and protection against cyber threats, make it a trusted platform. With continual innovation in AI, such as the introduction of Gemini 2.0, Google Cloud is at the forefront of enabling businesses to accelerate digital transformation and build advanced, scalable applications.

Private Cloud: A dedicated cloud service for one organization either hosted in-house or by a third-party. The private cloud is easier to customize, has greater control over delivery and enhances security for sensitive data, but typically at an increase in price compared to a public cloud.

Hybrid Cloud: A cloud service that combines private and public cloud; a hybrid allows an organization to move data and applications between private and public environments. This methodology ultimately provides a more flexible service offering to run workloads in the best location, factoring in security, performance and cost.

Community Cloud: A shared cloud service (or shared private cloud) based on several organizations with similar concerns, such as compliance regulations or for industry groups, which would allow them to work together. The cost would be shared among the community cloud.

Cloud Service Models:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS):

IaaS offers virtualized computing resources via the Internet (including storage, servers and networking). Instead of doing the maintenance and purchasing the physical hardware, companies simply rent the resources from cloud providers and pay-as-you-go. IaaS provides high flexibility and scalability, as organizations can quickly scale infrastructure workloads to meet demand and business needs. IaaS can help organizations reduce costs by avoiding upfront capital expenditures and outsourcing hardware management to the provider. Users have control of the operating systems and applications and the provider is responsible for the security, reliability and redundancy of the data center. Typical use cases for IaaS include hosting websites, creating development and test environments and providing backup solutions.

Platform as a Service (PaaS):

PaaS offers a cloud platform with operating systems, development tools, database management and middleware that allows developers to build, deploy and manage applications without having to manage the infrastructure underneath. PaaS abstracts the hardware, as well as the operating system and the network, so that developers can spend time creating code and developing innovations instead of managing infrastructure. PaaS accelerates the application development cycle and promotes collaboration among distributed teams and built-in scalability and integration. It is best suited for agile development; cross platform application development; and any cloud service that requires simplified workflow automation.

Software as a Service (SaaS):

SaaS offers fully managed software applications over the internet, which users can access through web browsers without needing to install or manage infrastructure. This avoids the entire cycle of traditional software deployment processes, including maintenance of software features and mandated stability through installed maintenance patches that allow software to operate as expected, primarily because software is updated and patched automatically, with little or no involvement from the user. SaaS applications are offered for a subscription price on a variety of business applications, including email, customer relationship management (CRM), collaboration products and enterprise resource planning (ERP). The benefits of SaaS are its low cost, ability to access from any device and seamless integration with other cloud services.

 Serverless Computing:

Serverless computing completely abstracts server management, empowering developers to run code in response to an event without the provisioning or management of servers. It is event-driven computing that automatically scales based on demand and only charges for actual usage and not for pre-allocated resources. Serverless computing results in a smaller operational footprint and a faster rate of deployment in microservices, APIs and real-time processing jobs. Serverless is particularly relevant for workloads which can be unpredictable or for applications that need to quickly scale without the management burden of infrastructure.

Why Choose SRG Technologies for Cloud Computing

• Comprehensive Cloud Expertise: SRG Technologies provides full-cycle cloud services, from design and migration to deployment and management services, enabling organizations to exploit scalable and cost-effective cloud infrastructure without having to maintain physical servers.
• Scalability & Flexibility: SRG provides flexible on-demand access to computing capabilities that can be easily configured to increase or decrease quickly and cost effectively based on organizational need.
• Security & Compliance: SRG incorporates robust security practices such as data encryption and monitoring, as well as compliance with industry regulations into all its cloud services, to ensure critical business data is secure while in the cloud.
• Business Continuity & Reliability: SRG’s cloud solutions encompass high availability, disaster recovery and a reliable back-up management process to minimize downtime and maintain business continuity.
• Solutions to Fit Your Needs: SRG partners closely with its clients to create customized cloud strategies that suit the unique requirements of specific industry and organization to optimize performance and ROI.
• Ongoing Support & Management: SRG’s expert management team provides on-going monitoring and maintenance to guarantee your cloud environment runs smoothly and efficiently.

In addition, SRG Technologies provides complete support (including 24/7 monitoring and maintenance) so your cloud environment will remain reliable and functional. SRG understands business challenges in the region and offers personalized service to help your organization accelerate innovation, improve collaboration and facilitate business continuity. By partnering with and relying on SRG you have a trusted and knowledgeable team available to facilitate your cloud transformation and long-term success.