Cloud computing is a form of internet-based computing that provides shared computer processing resources and data to computers and other devices on demand.The cloud management industry is comprised of software companies and open source projects which help customers and users manage data and computational resources.
Cloud computing entails performing computation, data retrieval, and/or data storage on computer hardware accessed via the internet. Many facets of cloud computing have since emerged:
- Public cloud computing platforms
- Multi-cloud computing
- Cross-cloud computing
- Hybrid cloud computing
- Private cloud computing
The public cloud is defined as computing services offered by third-party providers over the public internet.
Data center buildout is characterized by large, up-front capital expenses, and ongoing operations and maintenance carry nontrivial costs as well. Accordingly, public cloud platforms tend to be operated by large companies with the financial wherewithal to sustain these costs.
Multicloud refers to the practice of using services from multiple heterogeneous cloud service providers, including Amazon Web Services (AWS) , Google Cloud Platform , or Microsoft Azure , as well as specialized platform-as-a-service (PaaS), infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), or software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers.
Organizations may use many different cloud-based tools, storage solutions, and applications to facilitate their operations. As a term, "multi-cloud" can be used to describe situations or environments in which the business or user in question utilizes different cloud services for different applications. For example, data may be stored on a private cloud, share and collaborate on documents using Google Drive, and use yet another cloud service provider for performing data analysis.
Cross-cloud architectures are designed to make the transfer of data and utilization of apps across cloud platforms more cohesive. Data integration presents a challenge in cross-cloud and other multicloud computing environments. A number of companies have emerged to address these challenges.
