2020-03-10 • 8 min read
Understand IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS; public vs private clouds; pricing models; and when moving to the cloud cuts cost, speeds delivery, or adds new trade-offs.
Overview
Cloud computing delivers compute, storage, databases, and higher-level services over the internet on demand. Instead of buying servers, you rent what you need and scale up or down in minutes.
Service Models
- IaaS: Virtual machines, networks, and disks you manage (compute, storage, VPC). Highest control, highest ops burden.
- PaaS: Managed runtimes and databases (serverless functions, app services). You ship code; the provider patches and scales the platform.
- SaaS: Complete applications delivered as a service (email, CRM, analytics). Fastest time to value; least control.
Deployment Models
- Public cloud: Shared infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP).
- Private cloud: Dedicated hardware for a single organization.
- Hybrid/Multicloud: Mix and match to meet compliance, latency, or cost goals.
When Cloud Shines
- Elastic workloads: Seasonal traffic and experiments.
- Global reach: Low latency via multiple regions and CDNs.
- Speed: Teams provision environments in minutes, not weeks.
Costs and FinOps
Cloud shifts spending from CapEx to OpEx. Control cost with budgets, autoscaling, rightsizing, reserved instances, and shutting down idle resources. Track unit economics (cost per user or per request) to stay honest.
Designing for the Cloud
- Use 12-factor principles and CI/CD.
- Prefer managed databases and serverless when possible.
- Isolate blast radius with micro-services and per-service scaling.
- Add observability (logs, metrics, traces) from day one.
Trade-offs
Vendor lock-in, egress fees, and misconfigured security can bite. Balance portability with productivity; sometimes managed services are worth the lock-in.
Migration Steps
1. Inventory applications and dependencies.
2. Prioritize quick wins; avoid lifting and shifting technical debt.
3. Plan networking, identity, and secrets management.
4. Run pilots, then expand with a landing zone and guardrails.
Bottom Line
The cloud accelerates delivery and innovation when paired with good architecture, cost controls, and security hygiene.
Cloud computing delivers compute, storage, databases, and higher-level services over the internet on demand. Instead of buying servers, you rent what you need and scale up or down in minutes.
Service Models
- IaaS: Virtual machines, networks, and disks you manage (compute, storage, VPC). Highest control, highest ops burden.
- PaaS: Managed runtimes and databases (serverless functions, app services). You ship code; the provider patches and scales the platform.
- SaaS: Complete applications delivered as a service (email, CRM, analytics). Fastest time to value; least control.
Deployment Models
- Public cloud: Shared infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP).
- Private cloud: Dedicated hardware for a single organization.
- Hybrid/Multicloud: Mix and match to meet compliance, latency, or cost goals.
When Cloud Shines
- Elastic workloads: Seasonal traffic and experiments.
- Global reach: Low latency via multiple regions and CDNs.
- Speed: Teams provision environments in minutes, not weeks.
Costs and FinOps
Cloud shifts spending from CapEx to OpEx. Control cost with budgets, autoscaling, rightsizing, reserved instances, and shutting down idle resources. Track unit economics (cost per user or per request) to stay honest.
Designing for the Cloud
- Use 12-factor principles and CI/CD.
- Prefer managed databases and serverless when possible.
- Isolate blast radius with micro-services and per-service scaling.
- Add observability (logs, metrics, traces) from day one.
Trade-offs
Vendor lock-in, egress fees, and misconfigured security can bite. Balance portability with productivity; sometimes managed services are worth the lock-in.
Migration Steps
1. Inventory applications and dependencies.
2. Prioritize quick wins; avoid lifting and shifting technical debt.
3. Plan networking, identity, and secrets management.
4. Run pilots, then expand with a landing zone and guardrails.
Bottom Line
The cloud accelerates delivery and innovation when paired with good architecture, cost controls, and security hygiene.