INTRODUCTION 

Cloud computing is a paradigm for enabling network access to a scalable and elastic pool of shareable physical or virtual resources with self-service provisioning and administration on-demand,” according to ISO.
The delivery of computing services such as servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and analytics—over the internet, or “the cloud” can be referred as CLOUD COMPUTING. Instead of relying on local data centers or personal servers, cloud computing enables businesses and individuals to access these services on-demand from anywhere with an internet connection. Of the many key advantages of cloud computing one can stated as is its ability to scale resources dynamically. Businesses can easily increase or decrease their computing resources as needed, without the upfront investment and maintenance costs associated with physical hardware.
Some of the benefits of cloud computing can be stated as cost savings, flexibility, scalability, performance, innovation and security. Cloud Computing has been introduced in the market to make things easy & secured for businesses without relying on outer sources concerning security. File storage is one of the key advantage of cloud computing to keep the important files stored and secured and used at important times.

SERVICE MODELS OF CLOUD COMPUTING

Cloud computing is generally categorized into three main service models: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).

1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Infrastructure as a Service can be considered as one of the key service model of cloud computing. IaaS offers businesses access to fundamental IT infrastructure components such as virtual machines, storage, networking, and load balancers, without the need for physical hardware. This permits the organization to rent computing power and storage on a pay-as-you-go basis, eliminating the need for costly upfront investments in servers and data centers. One of the most basic advantage of IaaS is its flexibility. Organizations can easily provision and manage their resources, configure virtual servers, and run applications without worrying about underlying hardware. When infrastructure as a service is provided by the CLOUD COMPUTING concept the problem of infrastructure of where to get the services and the platforms which provide such services is solved. There are main infrastructures who provide such services but the main leading
Amazon Web Services (AWS): AWS is known for its scalability, reliability, and global presence, with data centers located in multiple regions across the world.
Microsoft Azure: Microsoft Azure is a tough competition to AWS with their customers and building good client customer relationship.
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI): Oracle Cloud offers IaaS with a strong focus on database management, computing, and storage services.

2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Platform as a Service can be said as a platform which allows developers to build, deploy and manage applications without having to worry about underlying hardware or software layers. PaaS gets rid of various complexities of managing operating systems, servers, databases, and middleware, which helps developers to focus solely on the application’s code and functionality. PaaS can improve the speed of developing an app, and allow its user to focus on the application itself. Facilities such as application design, application development, testing and deployment, as well as services such as team collaboration, security, scalability, storage, persistence and state management are included in Platform as a Service. Besides this services PaaS also provides facilities such as application testing, application design and storage.
There are various types of PaaS which includes public, private and hybrid. PaaS was mainly designed for applications on public cloud services, before in expanded to private and hybrid. Public PaaS is derived from software as a service (SaaS), and is situated in cloud computing between SaaS and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).A private PaaS can typically be downloaded and installed either in a company’s on-premises data center, or in a public cloud. Hybrid PaaS is typically a deployment consisting of a mix of public and private deployments.

3. Software as a service (SaaS)

SaaS is a cloud computing service model where the provider offers use of application software to a client and manages all needed physical and software resources. Unlike other software delivery models, it separates “the possession and ownership of software from its use”. Cost effectiveness can be considered as one of the key advantage. In traditional software business is required to purchase licenses, install the software on local devices, and manage infrastructure, all of which incur significant costs whereas SaaS works with a subscription model where the consumer has to pay only for the software they use, typically on a monthly or annual basis. SaaS also offers great flexibility and accessibility. Since the applications are hosted in the cloud the barrier of far reaching to the employees is removed. Businesses can provide the needed tools of business to employees at any corner of the world with internet connection. Another key benefit of SaaS is its continuous updates and improvements. In traditional software manual update is used which is often time consuming and disruptive whereas SaaS providers handle updates automatically, ensuring that users always have access to the latest features, improvements, and security patches. This removes the burden of managing updates from the end user and ensures that organizations are using the most secure and feature-rich versions of the software without requiring significant downtime or administrative effort.

CONCLUSION

The goal of cloud computing is to allow users to take benefit from all of these technologies, without the need for deep knowledge about or expertise with each one of them. The cloud aims to cut costs and helps the users focus on their core business instead of being impeded by IT obstacles. Cloud computing uses concepts from utility computing to provide metrics for the services used. Cloud computing attempts to address QoS (quality of service) and reliability problems of other grid computing models. Whether for hosting applications, storing data, or enabling collaboration across geographies, cloud computing provides power as technology continues to evolve, cloud computing will undoubtedly play an even larger role in shaping the future of business and IT solutions that help businesses stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.