The cloud is known as the servers that are accessed over the web, and therefore databases and software run on those servers. Cloud servers are spread in the data centers located across the world. By using cloud computing, candidates and organizations don’t have to operate physical servers on their own or deploy software applications on their machines.
The uses of cloud computing are vast, with nearly every major company depending on it. For example, Netflix uses cloud services to stream content, while Uber relies on cloud technology for real-time data management. As more businesses adopt cloud solutions, the list of companies benefiting from this technology keeps growing.
In this blog, we will discuss the uses of cloud computing in real life, and know how we are directly or indirectly using it in our day today's life. This will help us understand the growing popularity of cloud technology, the need for cloud computing, and how to build a career in cloud computing.
Cloud computing is a technology that enables users to access and store data and applications online rather than on local devices. It offers flexible resources like storage and processing power, allowing businesses and individuals to scale operations easily.
By using cloud services, companies can lower costs, boost collaboration, and enhance flexibility, as they can access resources from anywhere at any time. Major providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud have made cloud computing a crucial component of today's IT landscape.
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Some of the major benefits of cloud computing are:
Scalability: Cloud services can scale resources up or down based on demand, allowing businesses to quickly adjust to changing needs without significant upfront investments.
Flexibility: Users can access cloud services from anywhere with an internet connection, using a variety of devices, enabling remote work and collaboration.
Cost-efficiency: Organizations find it very cost-efficient when they pay only for what they consume called a pay-as-you-go model. It eliminates the need for upfront hardware purchases, maintenance, and infrastructure management costs.
Reliability and Availability: Cloud service providers often operate in multiple data centers worldwide, ensuring high availability and redundancy. They offer robust backup and disaster recovery solutions to protect data and minimize downtime.
Innovation and Agility: Cloud providers regularly introduce new services and features, empowering businesses to adopt cutting-edge technologies and accelerate their innovation cycles.
Here are the top 5 real-life uses of cloud computing:
1. Streaming Services: Companies like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ rely on cloud computing to stream content to millions of users worldwide, providing on-demand access to movies, TV shows, and documentaries
2. Ride-Sharing Apps: Uber and Lyft leverage cloud technology to manage real-time data for their ridesharing services, enabling efficient dispatch of drivers, route optimization, and seamless payment processing
3. Online Storage and Collaboration: Cloud-based storage and collaboration platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive allow users to store, share, and work on files remotely, facilitating teamwork and accessibility
4. E-commerce Platforms: Online retailers, such as Amazon and eBay, utilize cloud computing to handle large volumes of traffic, secure customer data, and process transactions efficiently, ensuring a smooth shopping experience for their customers
5. Social Media: Popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, use cloud computing to store and process user-generated content, manage user accounts, and deliver content to billions of users globally
The following are the major cloud Service Providers:
1. Amazon Web Services (AWS)
2. Microsoft Azure
3. Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
4. IBM Cloud
5. Oracle Cloud
There are many other cloud providers available in the market such as Digital Ocean, Cisco Cloud, etc. Here we will explore more on the top 3 cloud providers which are Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google GCP.
After covering the uses and benefits of cloud computing, one can understand the importance of cloud computing. Cloud computing certifications can help you build your career. Here, we will discuss the top 3 CSPs and their certifications.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud service from Amazon, that offers services in the form of building blocks, and for deploying and creating any type of application these blocking blocks can be used in the cloud.
These AWS services or building blocks are designed so that they can operate with each other, and highly scalable and sophisticated applications are built. Here is an introduction to AWS services and certifications:
Storage Services: Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) offers scalable object storage for data backup, archiving, and content delivery. Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) provides persistent block-level storage for EC2 instances.
Networking Services: Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) enables users to create isolated virtual networks in the cloud. AWS Direct Connect establishes dedicated network connections between the user's premises and AWS.
AI and Machine Learning Services: Amazon Rekognition offers image and video analysis capabilities. Amazon Polly provides text-to-speech functionality. Amazon SageMaker facilitates building, training, and deploying machine learning models.
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner: It validates foundational knowledge of AWS services, pricing, architecture, and security.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate: This certification is mainly for fundamental designing and deploying scalable and secure applications.
AWS Certified Developer - Associate: It validates the ability to develop and maintain applications on the AWS platform using AWS services and APIs.
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate: This certification verifies expertise in deploying, managing, and operating applications on AWS.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional: This advanced certification demonstrates advanced technical skills and experience in designing complex AWS architectures.
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional: It validates expertise in implementing and managing continuous delivery systems and methodologies on AWS.
AWS Certified Big Data - Specialty: This certification focuses on designing and implementing AWS services to derive value from data.
AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty: It validates skills in designing, implementing, and deploying machine learning models on AWS.
These certifications demonstrate proficiency in using AWS services and can enhance career prospects in cloud computing and AWS-specific roles.
Explore various AWS Certification Training
Azure is a powerful cloud computing platform created by Microsoft. Azure provides a global network of data centers, ensuring your applications are available and secure. It supports popular programming languages and integrates seamlessly with Microsoft technologies.
Many organizations, regardless of size or industry, use Azure to accelerate their digital transformation and stay ahead in today's competitive landscape.
Here is an introduction to Azure services and certifications:
Compute Services: Azure Virtual Machines offers scalable and flexible virtual machine instances. Azure Functions allows serverless execution of code in response to events. Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) provides managed Kubernetes for container orchestration.
Storage Services: Azure Blob Storage offers scalable object storage for unstructured data. Azure Files provides fully managed file shares in the cloud. Azure Disk Storage offers persistent and high-performance block storage.
Database Services: Azure SQL Database provides a fully managed relational database service. Azure Cosmos DB offers globally distributed multi-model database capabilities. Azure Database for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB provides managed database services for these open-source database engines.
Networking Services: Azure Virtual Network enables the creation of isolated networks in Azure. Azure Load Balancer provides high-performance load balancing across VMs or services. Azure Virtual WAN connects and optimizes branch office connectivity.
Analytics Services: Azure Synapse Analytics (formerly SQL Data Warehouse) provides an analytics service for large-scale data warehousing and analytics workloads. Azure Data Lake Storage offers a scalable and secure data lake for big data analytics. Azure Databricks provides a fast, easy, and collaborative Apache Spark-based analytics platform.
AI and Machine Learning Services: Azure Cognitive Services offers pre-built AI models and APIs for vision, speech, language, and decision-making capabilities. Azure Machine Learning allows the building, training, and deployment of machine learning models.
Developer Tools: Azure DevOps provides a set of development tools. Azure App Service offers a fully managed platform for building web and mobile apps. Azure Functions enables serverless event-driven computing.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals: Validates basic knowledge of Azure cloud concepts, services, and pricing.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate: Focuses on managing Azure resources, implementing security controls, and optimizing Azure workloads.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate: Validates skills in designing, building, testing, and maintaining cloud applications and services on Azure.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert: Demonstrates expertise in designing and implementing solutions on Azure, including computing, storage, networking, and security.
Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert: Validates skills in implementing CI/CD pipelines, leveraging Azure DevOps services, and managing Azure environments.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate: Focuses on designing and implementing data storage, processing, and security solutions using Azure data services.
Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate: Demonstrates the ability to design and implement AI solutions using Azure AI services.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate: Validates skills in implementing security controls, managing identity and access, and securing data and applications on Azure.
These certifications demonstrate expertise in various Azure roles and services, and they can enhance career prospects in Azure and cloud computing-related fields.
Explore various Microsoft Azure Certification Training
GCP is Google Cloud Platform which is a cloud computing platform. With GCP, you can access computing power, storage, and networking resources without the need to manage physical infrastructure. GCP has a global network of data centers to ensure high availability and reliability.
It supports popular programming languages and offers advanced features like artificial intelligence and machine learning. Many organizations, regardless of their size or industry, choose GCP to leverage its powerful capabilities and drive innovation in the cloud.
Here is an introduction to GCP services and certifications:
Compute Services: Google Compute Engine (GCE) provides virtual machine instances for running applications. Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) offers managed Kubernetes for container orchestration. Google App Engine allows the building and scaling of web applications.
Storage Services: Google Cloud Storage provides object storage with multiple storage classes for different use cases. Google Cloud SQL offers fully managed relational databases. Google Cloud Bigtable provides a NoSQL wide-column database.
Database Services: Google Cloud Spanner offers a globally distributed, horizontally scalable relational database. Google Cloud Firestore is a NoSQL document database. Google Cloud Memorystore provides in-memory Redis cache.
Networking Services: Google Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) enables the creation of private networks. Google Cloud Load Balancing offers scalable and high-performance load balancing. Google Cloud CDN provides content delivery network services.
Analytics Services: Google BigQuery offers a fully managed data warehouse for analytics and insights. Google Dataflow allows building and executing data processing pipelines. Google Cloud Pub/Sub provides scalable messaging and event ingestion.
AI and Machine Learning Services: Google Cloud AI offers pre-trained models and APIs for vision, language, and speech processing. Google Cloud Machine Learning Engine enables the training and deployment of custom machine learning models.
Developer Tools: Google Cloud Build provides a fully managed CI/CD platform. Google Cloud Functions allows running event-driven serverless functions. Google Cloud Source Repositories offers managed Git repositories.
Google Cloud Certified - Associate Cloud Engineer: Validates the skills needed to deploy applications, monitor operations, and manage GCP resources.
Google Cloud Certified - Professional Cloud Architect: Demonstrates expertise in designing, developing, and managing robust, scalable, and secure solutions on GCP.
Google Cloud Certified - Professional Data Engineer: Focuses on designing and building data processing systems and analytics solutions on GCP.
Google Cloud Certified - Professional Cloud Developer: Validates skills in building scalable and highly available applications using GCP services and APIs.
Google Cloud Certified - Professional Cloud Network Engineer: Demonstrates expertise in designing, implementing, and managing network architectures on GCP.
Google Cloud Certified - Professional Cloud Security Engineer: Focuses on implementing and managing security solutions and configurations on GCP.
Google Cloud Certified - Professional Collaboration Engineer: Validates skills in implementing and managing enterprise collaboration solutions using GCP services.
These certifications demonstrate proficiency in various GCP roles and services and can enhance career prospects in cloud computing and GCP-specific roles.
Explore Various Google Cloud Certification Trainings
The uses of cloud computing are extensive, with nearly every major company depending on it in some capacity. Since the use of cloud computing has reached a time high, it has also opened new career paths for CS enthusiasts. To gain skills in cloud computing you should gain a cloud computing certification.
To validate expertise in cloud computing, various cloud service providers offer certifications. These certifications demonstrate proficiency in designing, implementing, and managing cloud infrastructure and services. Some popular cloud certifications include Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certifications, Microsoft Azure Certifications, and Google Cloud Certifications.