Understanding Cloud Computing Essentials— From Zero to Hero

The 5 essential characteristics of cloud computing are:

1. On-demand self-service: Users can provision computing resources (such as storage, processing, and networking) automatically without requiring human intervention from the cloud provider.
2. Broad network access: Cloud services are accessible over the internet and can be used across various devices, including laptops, mobile phones, and tablets.
3. Resource pooling: Cloud resources (such as storage, computational capacity, and memory) are pooled and dynamically allocated to multiple customers based on demand, ensuring optimal utilization.
4. Rapid elasticity: Cloud services can easily be scaled up or down (often automatically) to meet changing requirements over time and ensure resource availability.
5. Measured service: Cloud resources are configured and managed based on demand, making their costs easily measurable based on usage.

The 5 key components of cloud computing are:

1. Cloud service models: These include IaaS (infrastructure as a service), PaaS (platform as a service), and SaaS (software as a service), each providing varying levels of abstraction and services for different needs.
2. Cloud deployment models: These define how cloud resources, including public, private, and hybrid, are accessed and managed.
3. Cloud resources: These encompass infrastructure components like virtual machines, CPUs, databases, storage, load balancers, and firewalls, which are essential for deploying and managing applications.
4. Cloud security: Protects data, applications, and infrastructure from unauthorized access using encryption and other security measures, such as IAM and firewalls.
5. Cloud management: Refers to activities for overseeing and governing cloud resources, using tools like AWS CloudWatch and Azure Monitor to monitor performance, compliance, and optimization.

The four main tenets of cloud computing are:

1. On-demand self-service: The ability for users to provision and manage computing resources as needed, without manual intervention from the provider.
2. Broad network access: Cloud services are accessible from anywhere via a network, supporting mobile devices, laptops, and other endpoints.
3. Resource pooling: Cloud providers use multi-tenant models, pooling resources to serve multiple customers efficiently.
4. Rapid elasticity: Cloud platforms can quickly scale resources to meet fluctuating demands, ensuring optimal performance at all times.

The 6 R’s of cloud computing refer to strategies for migrating workloads to the cloud:

1. Rehost (Lift and shift): Moving applications to the cloud without modifying them, replicating them in the cloud environment.
2. Replatform (Lift, tinker, and shift): Making minimal changes to an application while moving it to the cloud offers some benefits.
3. Repurchase: Replacing existing applications with cloud-based alternatives, often through SaaS offerings.
4. Refactor (Re-architect): Rewriting or significantly modifying applications to optimize them for cloud environments.
5. Retire: Decommissioning applications that are no longer useful or necessary, often after determining they are outdated or redundant.
6. Retain: Keeping applications on-premises or in another environment due to specific business requirements or technical constraints.