Cloud Computing & Infrastructure

Cloud computing provides on‑demand access to computing resources over the internet, enabling organisations to scale quickly and reduce the cost of maintaining physical infrastructure. By decoupling hardware from services, the cloud empowers businesses of all sizes to deploy applications and store data more flexibly.

What is cloud computing used for?

• Hosting applications: Web and mobile apps run on cloud servers without the need to provision physical hardware.
• Data storage & backup: Cloud storage offers reliable and redundant repositories for data, with built‑in disaster recovery.
• Big data & analytics: Scalable computing resources process large datasets for business intelligence, machine learning and scientific research.
• High‑performance computing: Temporary access to powerful computing clusters supports tasks like simulation and 3D rendering.
• Streaming & content delivery: Media services use cloud infrastructure to deliver content to users around the globe with minimal latency.

Key Topics

• Service models:
  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Provision virtual machines, storage and networking on demand (e.g., Amazon EC2, Google Compute Engine). Suitable for lift‑and‑shift migrations and custom infrastructure.
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS): Deploy applications without managing servers (e.g., Heroku, AWS Elastic Beanstalk). Ideal for developers who want to focus on code.
  • Software as a Service (SaaS): Use fully managed applications delivered over the web (e.g., Microsoft 365, Salesforce). Users access software without installation or maintenance.
• Deployment models: Public cloud (shared infrastructure), private cloud (dedicated resources), hybrid cloud (combining public and private), and multi‑cloud (using multiple providers) each have trade‑offs in cost, control and compliance.
• Cost optimisation: Techniques such as rightsizing instances, using auto‑scaling, and leveraging reserved and spot instances help manage expenses.
• Security & compliance: Identity and access management (IAM), network isolation, encryption, logging and adherence to standards like SOC 2, ISO 27001 and HIPAA are critical.
• Migration strategies: Options include lift‑and‑shift (minimal changes), replatforming (changing underlying services), refactoring (rewriting for cloud), and adopting cloud‑native architectures (microservices, serverless).

Benefits

• Scalability: Dynamically allocate resources as demand changes, avoiding over‑provisioning.
• Reduced capital expense: Shift from large upfront hardware investments to pay‑as‑you‑go operating expenses.
• Agility: Provision new environments in minutes, speeding up development and experimentation.
• Global reach: Deploy workloads closer to users across multiple regions and availability zones.

Free Resources

• AWS Well‑Architected Framework – Best practices for designing reliable, secure and cost‑effective systems in the cloud.
• Azure Architecture Center – Design guides and reference architectures for building on Azure.
• Kubernetes – Open‑source platform for container orchestration and scalable deployments.
• OpenStack – Open‑source cloud platform for building private and hybrid clouds.
• MinIO – Open‑source object storage with an S3‑compatible API.