Cloud computing and Types of Virtualization

 

Cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the internet. These services are divided into three main categories or types of cloud computing: 

infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS).A cloud can be private or public. A public cloud sells services to anyone on the internet. A private cloud is a proprietary network or a data center that supplies hosted services to a limited number of people, with certain access and permissions settings. Private or public, the goal of cloud computing is to provide easy, scalable access to computing resources and IT services.

Virtualization on the other hand is a technique of how to separate a service from the underlying physical systems. It involves using specialized software to create a virtual or software-created version of a computing resource rather than the actual version of the same resource. With the help of Virtualization, multiple operating systems and applications can run on same machine and its same hardware at the same time, increasing the utilization and flexibility of hardware.

Some of the benefits of virtualization include more flexibility and efficient allocation of resources, cost cutting in IT infrastructure and remote access and rapid scalability when needed

Types of Virtualization

Application virtualization helps a user to have remote access of an application from a server. The server stores all personal information and other characteristics of the application but can still run on a local workstation through the internet an example of this would cloning of a same software in same android application

Network Virtualization The ability to run multiple virtual networks with each has a separate control and data plan. It co-exists together on top of one physical network an example would be Virtual Private Network (VPN) networks

Desktop virtualization allows the users’ OS to be remotely stored on a server in the data center. It allows the user to access their desktop virtually, from any location by a different machine

Storage virtualization is an array of servers that are managed by a virtual storage system. The servers aren’t aware of exactly where their data is stored, and instead function more like worker bees in a hive.

A real-life case study example :

Back in 2003, the IT staff at Bowdoin college were faced with having to double the size of its 500 square foot data center with a price tag of 2 million dollar for expansion due to budgeting issues the IT department had to take a different route for expansion

Antonowicz moved to consolidate the school’s servers by implementing virtual software. This technology lets one physical server operate as multiple virtual servers, with each of the virtual servers able to run one or more distinct applications and even different operating systems. Turning to virtual servers saved floor space, investment in new servers and the headaches and costs the would have come with expanding the data center. Antonowicz says Bowdoin only spent about $200,000 on its virtualization project approximately $150,000 for 16 HP blade servers and the rest on VMware virtual server software. That’s one-tenth the cost that had been projected for a more sweeping data center buildout.