Lecture 11

The Cloud
Information Technology for the Workplace
Dr Luke Nguyen-Hoan
Contents
1. What is cloud computing?
2. Cloud for individuals
3. Cloud for businesses
4. Managing cloud services (and other services too)

All images from Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution licence
or in the public domain unless otherwise stated
 1. What is cloud
computing?
a) “The cloud”
b) Cloud computing vs the
Internet
c) Cloud computing definition
d) Virtualisation

Devices in the Cloud

Image by www.bluecoat.com
“The cloud”
At its simplest:
▪Using someone else’s computer
▪Over the Internet or another
network

Cumulonimbus clouds
Image by user:Famartin
Cloud computing vs the Internet
For individuals, the cloud is often
synonymous with the Internet
“My files are stored on the cloud”
What is really meant in this use of
the word is that the files are stored
on someone else’s computer

However, cloud computing means

something more specific in
business contexts…
Global Cloud
Image by www.bluecoat.com
Cloud computing definition
Formally, according to the National
Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST):
1) On-demand self service (users
can access it automatically
without human intervention)
2) Broad network access
(accessible through standard
network mechanisms)
3) Resource pooling (multiple
consumers on a single group of
computing resources)
4) Rapid elasticity (scales with
demand)
5) Measured service (resource
usage monitored and controlled)
Virtualisation
Running multiple ‘virtual’ computer
systems on a single actual
computer system
Example: one physical server
running multiple operating systems,
each of which is performing a
different task
Virtualisation
Reduces number of physical
computer systems or servers
required – no requirement for one
server per purpose
Allows migration between different
physical computer systems to allow
continued operation during
hardware failure or maintenance
Virtualisation
Cloud computing generally requires
virtualisation to implement
Virtualisation is the technology
Cloud is the service which uses the
technology
2. Cloud for
individuals
a) Applications
b) Data storage
c) Remember though…
Applications
Email – Gmail, Hotmail
Office productivity – Google Docs,
Office 365
Data storage
Google Docs
Microsoft OneDrive
Dropbox
Flickr
…
Remember though…
The cloud is not the Internet, and
the Internet is not the cloud
(not even if we draw the internet as
a cloud most of the time!)

Websites such as Wikipedia,

Google, Amazon, are not the cloud
Some of those companies may also
offer cloud-based services (Google
Docs, Amazon Web Services)
Remember though…
Even though something is labelled
as, or actually is, a cloud service, it
does not mean that:
▪Your data is secure
▪Your data is distributed
▪Your data is always available
It all depends on how the service is
actually managed and run
 3. Cloud for
businesses
a) Software as a service
b) Platform as a service
c) Infrastructure as a service
d) Public and private cloud
e) Hybrid cloud
f) Advantages of cloud
g) Disadvantages of cloud
Cloud computing
Image by Sam Johnston
Software as a service
Provides access to a software
product or application
On-demand software
Example: Microsoft Office 365
Good where each instance of
software has:
▪minimal differences (e.g. Email)
▪significant web/mobile/external
access (e.g. Websites)
▪short term usage (e.g. project
collaboration)

Cloud computing
Image by user:Bersha1988
Platform as a service
Allows deployment of applications Good for reducing support
requirements on both
Generally provides OS level tools infrastructure and OS level, as
plus other services required to run these are provided by the PAAS
other applications provider
Allows business to concentrate on
software development,
deployment, and maintenance
Example: Development
environments for web applications

Cloud computing
Image by user:Bersha1988
Infrastructure as a service
Provides computer system Good for avoiding the need to buy
resources as a service and invest in hardware
Allows deployment of OS and
applications

Cloud computing
Image by user:Bersha1988
Public and Private cloud
Public cloud
Accessible via Internet operated by
a third-party cloud service provider
Multiple organisations share
resources from the cloud provider
Examples: Microsoft Azure, Amazon
Web Services
Private cloud
Deployed for use by a single
organisation
Accessed via the organisation’s
intranet
Used to provide computer services
within an organisation for software
development and deployment
Hybrid cloud
Combines public and private clouds
Allows data and applications to
move between the two
Can be used for development, test,
and production environments
Or can be used to use cloud
services but keep sensitive data in-
house

Diagram showing three main types of cloud computing

Image by Sam Johnston
Advantages of cloud
Ability to rapidly respond to
demand spikes or short-term
requirements
Avoids need for long term
investment in computing resources
Often can provide reliability, data
backup, and disaster recovery
services, although potentially at
additional cost
Global cloud
Image by www.bluecoat.com
Disadvantages of cloud

Cloud provider and physical data

location can pose regulatory or
legal issues
Co-storage and hosting of services
can add vulnerabilities due to other
people’s data or software
Can be locked in to a specific cloud
provider depending on settings,
software, and programming
Cloud security language support
Image by www.bluecoat.com
Disadvantages of cloud
Potential performance issues due
to network latency
Pay-as-you-go leading to potential
cost overruns
Security issues due to data
transmission
Denial of service attacks
Reliant upon cloud provider,
network provider

Cloud security
Image by www.bluecoat.com
 4. Managing
cloud services (and
other services too)
a) Service Level Agreements
b) Operational Level Agreements
c) Change requests

Electronics Technician performs maintenance

Image by United States Navy
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Commitment between a service
provider and a customer
Services provided
Timeframes
Performance

Secretary Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov 2013

Image by US Department of State
Operational Level Agreement (OLA)
Also known as organisational level,
operating level, or operations level
Agreements within support teams
and components used to support
SLAs

Main control room at the

European Space Operations Centre
Image by the European Space Agency
Change request
Also known as request for change
(RFC) or various other names
States what needs to be adjusted in
a system
Used to manage requested
modifications and record
modifications performed on a
system
Details may include requester, date,
deadline (SLA/OLA), importance
Example change request
Image by Marijn Plomp
Lecture 11 summary
 1. What is cloud
computing?
a) “The cloud”
b) Cloud computing vs the
Internet
c) Cloud computing definition
d) Virtualisation

Devices in the Cloud

Image by www.bluecoat.com
2. Cloud for
individuals
a) Applications
b) Data storage
c) Remember though…
 3. Cloud for
businesses
a) Software as a service
b) Platform as a service
c) Infrastructure as a service
d) Public and private cloud
e) Hybrid cloud
f) Advantages of cloud
g) Disadvantages of cloud
Cloud computing
Image by Sam Johnston
 4. Managing
cloud services (and
other services too)
a) Service Level Agreements
b) Operational Level Agreements
c) Change requests

Electronics Technician performs maintenance

Image by United States Navy
 Image by Oliver Widder
http://geekandpoke.typepad.com/geekandpoke/cloud/

The Cloud
Information Technology for the Workplace
Dr Luke Nguyen-Hoan