Welcome to Perusal

Portfolio

Serverless Computing

 Serverless Computing
Perusal Tech Pvt Ltd
  • 16 Sep, 2021

We've already explored what cloud computing is and how it works in our previous two blogs (links to both are at the bottom of this blog). We'll discuss Serverless Computing in this section. Let's look at the different sorts of serverless computing.

 

SERVERLESS COMPUTING:

 

(1) INFRASTRUCTURE-AS-A-SERVICE (IAAS):

 

We manage everything on-premise if we aren't using the cloud. Purchasing actual servers, storage, and related gear, as well as installing and configuring the network and establishing a server room or data centre. Make sure the primary power source, backup power supply, and cooling system are all in working order. Install and configure any virtualization software, operating system, middleware, or runtime components required by your software development or other teams. Install, set up, and manage your data and custom or packaged apps. As a result, with an on-premise data centre, our organisation is in charge of pretty much everything.

 

What is Infrastructure-as-a-Service, exactly? Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) is a cloud service model in which you rent or lease IT infrastructure from a cloud service provider such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, or another cloud service provider. The infrastructure is provided by the cloud service provider via an internet connection or a virtual private network. You can think of it as a dedicated and secure private tunnel between you, your company, and the cloud service provider. The crucial thing to remember is that your organisation does not need to acquire or manage infrastructure. The cloud service provider is in charge of acquiring physical service, storage, and supporting hardware, as well as installing and configuring the network. Make sure you have a working power source, a backup power supply, and a cooling system, among other things. The cloud service provider is primarily responsible for establishing, protecting, and administering the cloud data centre.

 

The infrastructure is hosted by the cloud service provider at their data centre. As a customer, you provide this infrastructure on-demand over the internet or a virtual private network. You pay a cost for the time you utilise the infrastructure, and you're only charged based on the number of machines and resources you use. The cloud service provider is in charge of networking, storage, servers, and virtualization. You, your business, are still in charge of the remainder, which includes the operating system, middleware, runtime, data, and applications. This gives you more power and allows you to install any operating system you want, such as Windows or Linux. So the point is that you can use this infrastructure for whatever you want, whether it's computational or storage-related. For example, if you have a web application that you can host and run. It can also be used as a storage space. Install SQL Server, Oracle, or another relational database to store your relational data, for example. A wide range of use cases can be accommodated. Hardware-as-a-Service is another name for Infrastructure-as-a-Service.

 

So, who makes use of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)? The infrastructure team procures servers and computers, installs software and provides systems to employees, and sets up and manages networks in most firms. So, in most circumstances, Infrastructure-as-A-Service is used by your infrastructure staff. This service is sometimes used by software development teams who desire more control over the underlying hardware and network.

 

BENEFITS OF INFRASTRUCTURE-AS-​​​​​​A-SERVICE:

 

(1) REDUCED FINANCIAL RISK: Organizations face a lower financial risk. Let's say you want to try something different. Maybe you're starting a new business, a new product line, or trying something completely different, and you'll need a software application for that. To host and execute this application, we'll need a real server, as well as all of the necessary equipment and staff to set up and manage it. What if the introduction of our new product or experiment fails? We've already invested a lot of money on the server and associated equipment. Infrastructure-as-a-Service, on the other hand, charges you a monthly subscription for as long as you use the cloud infrastructure. If your new product launch or experiment succeeds, host your app and execute it from there. If it doesn't, turn off the lights and stop paying. You can observe how organisations can benefit from the lower financial risk right soon. Businesses and organisations are encouraged to try new things, experiment, and develop more as a result of this.

 

(2) DEPLOYMENT SPEED: Another significant advantage is deployment speed. Consider how long it takes to acquire physical servers, storage, and other infrastructure. You must buy the servers, have them shipped over, build a server room or data centre, secure it, install the power supply and cooling systems, set up and configure the network, and so on. Don't forget to hire skilled people to help you with all of this. It takes a long time to put all of these things in place. In the worst-case situation, days, if not months, are likely. If you use Infrastructure-as-a-Service, on the other hand, you just point your browser to the cloud service provider's web portal and, with a few clicks and a few minutes, you have one or even many virtual machines. So you can see how quickly we can get cloud infrastructure and start using it. As a result, you have more time to focus on the important aspects of your business.

 

(3) GEOGRAPHICAL ADVANTAGES: Obtaining resources from locations that are geographically nearby. Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, for example, have data centres located all over the world. This means that with Infrastructure-as-a-Service, you have the option of provisioning servers from proximate geographic locations to your clients.

 

(4) UNLIMITED SCALABILITY: With Infrastructure-As-A-Service, you nearly never run out of resources. It has nearly limitless scalability. You can even establish threshold limitations so that the system scales up and down automatically based on demand.

 

PLATFORM-AS-A-SERVICE (PAAS):

 

The difference between what we, that is, our organisation, manages and what the cloud service provider manages is what PaaS is all about. The cloud service provider maintains the infrastructure, which includes networking, servers, storage, and virtualization, with Infrastructure-As-A-Service. Everything else is managed by us, including the operating system, middleware, runtime, data, and applications. Platform-as-a-Service offers an even higher level of abstraction than Infrastructure-as-a-Service. It's a layer that sits on top of Infrastructure-as-a-Service. It gives the cloud service provider more responsibilities.

 

You're alone in charge of your company applications or services, as well as the data that underpins them. A cloud service provider is in charge of the rest. As a result, you won't have to worry about things like network or underlying infrastructure management, operating system installation, updates, crucial patches, runtime, or middleware components. All of this is handled by the cloud service provider. As a result, you'll have even more time to focus on the important aspects of your organisation.

 

Who is the Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) user? Well, software development teams are the ones who use it the most. It provides a platform for developing software applications, as the name implies. It's a cloud-based development and deployment environment. Everything from simple cloud-based apps to sophisticated enterprise-class cloud-enabled apps can be delivered with it.

 

Let's imagine you want to create a data-driven web application. We'll need a framework like ASP.NET Core or Java for this. A database, such as SQL Server or Oracle, is required to store data. A web server is also required to host and run our web application. Buying all of this software, installing it, setting up the development environment, and keeping it up to date is not only costly but also time-consuming.

 

The cloud service provider delivers all of this software, installs it, and configures it with Platform-as-a-Service. In a matter of minutes, you'll have access to the development platform with just a few clicks. You pay on a per-use basis for the service and use it over a secure internet connection. You turn off the service and cease paying when you no longer require it. Platforms as a service include Windows Azure, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, and Google App Engine, to name a few.

 

BENEFITS OF PLATFORM-AS-A-SERVICE:

 

(1) REDUCES DEVELOPMENT TIME: It drastically cuts down on development time. Consider how long it takes to get your infrastructure, buy all of the software, and install, configure, and set up your development environment. You can have rapid access to a complete software development environment with a Platform-as-a-Service in just a few minutes and a few simple clicks. It also includes templates as well as reusable application components and functionality like search, directory services, and security.

 

(2) SUPPORTS GLOBAL TEAMS: Platform-as-a-Service supports global teams. All you need is an internet connection to get inside the programming environment. As a result, members of your development team can be based anywhere in the world, in any remote location. It makes no difference; as long as they have access to the internet, they can communicate and collaborate on projects.



(3) DEVELOP FOR MULTIPLE PLATFORMS: Platform as a service (PaaS) enables developers to create applications for a variety of platforms, including computers, mobile devices, and browsers. In a nutshell, it makes cross-platform software development faster and easier.

 

(4) AFFORDABILITY: is another significant advantage. The pay-as-you-go concept is supported by the cloud. As a result, businesses of all kinds, including small businesses and individuals, may access sophisticated development software, business intelligence, and analytical tools that they couldn't otherwise buy. You simply pay a monthly price for as long as you wish to use them with a pay-as-you-go strategy.

 

SOFTWARE-AS-A-SERVICE (SAAS):

 

The cloud service provider manages everything for us via Software-as-a-Service. We don't have to bother about things like purchasing and setting up physical hardware, installing and maintaining operating systems, virtualization, networking, installing and maintaining middleware, runtime, and applications. All of this is handled by the service provider. So, in the end, the cloud service provider is responsible for all of our infrastructure and software. We just use the Internet to access the software or the application, that we want to employ for our business. This software is installed on physical servers in the cloud service provider's data centre. The data that the app collects is also kept at the cloud service provider's data centre. So the point we're trying to make is that the cloud service provider manages everything for us. We simply use the service over the internet and pay a monthly price based on our consumption because it is a pay-as-you-go arrangement.

 

Who makes use of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)? Everyone. Individuals and businesses of all sizes—small, medium, and even giant corporations—can benefit. At least two to three Software-as-a-Service applications will be used by the majority of us. Gmail, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Office 365 are just a few examples of Software-as-a-Service apps. Take, for example, Gmail, which is hosted by Google on their physical servers in their data centres. On our PC or laptop, we don't host or install anything. We just open our preferred browser, such as Google Chrome, and navigate to gmail.com to use the Gmail Software-as-a-Service over the internet.

 

BENEFITS OF SOFTWARE-AS-A-SERVICE:

 

(1) QUICK AND EASY TO START: A SaaS application is relatively simple to get started with. Consider an on-premises traditional business application. Install the operating system, runtime, middleware, and any other dependencies after purchasing hardware, which includes a physical server and all related components. On top of that, you must install the software application, configure it, and then make it operational. You'll also need to hire someone to keep the servers and application up to date by installing fixes and upgrades. Compare this to a software-as-a-service (SaaS) application. Simply open your preferred browser and use the internet to access the SaaS application. Although some customization and configuration may be required, getting started with a SaaS service and subsequently operating that same product on-premise is relatively simple.

 

(2) ACCESSIBILITY is another significant advantage. You use the internet to access SaaS applications. As a result, SaaS apps can be accessed from anywhere and on any internet-enabled device as long as you have an online connection.

 

(3) AUTOMATIC UPDATES: You don't have to bother about installing updates or fixes with a SaaS application. The cloud service provider provides these automatically, and in most situations with no downtime. This relieves the pressure on the company's development and IT teams.

 

(4) VERSATILE USAGE-BASED PRICES: There will be no large capital outlay up first. You just pay for the services that you utilise. For example, if the application has 10 users, you only pay for those 10 users. You can also scale the number of users up or down depending on your business requirements.

 

(5) REDUCED FINANCIAL RISK: Financial risk is reduced by using SaaS apps. If you want to test if a SaaS service brings value to your organisation, for example, you can start with one or two users and see if it makes a difference. If that's the case, you can increase the number of users. You just cease using the app and the payments if it isn't adding any value. Most cloud service companies now provide free trials as well. You can trial a SaaS programme for free to determine if it adds any value to your business. If it isn't, there isn't any cost to your company. When compared to purchasing expensive hardware and a pre-installed app, this is a better deal.

 

(6) AFFORDABILITY is another significant advantage. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications and systems, for example, are prohibitively expensive to purchase outright. It's a significant burden, especially for people and small and medium businesses. The flexible pay-as-you-go approach of SaaS services, on the other hand, allows even small and medium businesses to test and see if these expensive programmes bring value to their operations. It ensures that everyone, including small firms and people, is on an equal footing.

 

CONCLUSION:

 

Cloud computing is becoming increasingly popular. It's a significant departure from how organisations have traditionally viewed IT resources and software solutions. The cloud is being used by businesses of all types, sizes, and industries for a wide range of applications. It is the time of the future. Whether you're a software developer, quality engineer, business analyst, software architect, IT manager, or CTO (Chief Technology Officer), it has got something for you. It has something for everyone to enjoy. You'll be out of the game sooner or later if you don't enhance your skills and master cloud computing.

 

One of the most significant concerns to address is data security. When you put your company's, employees', and customers' data in the cloud, you're putting your faith in the cloud service provider to keep the data safe and secure. We'd like to use this opportunity to clear up one possible area of uncertainty you might be thinking about. You are almost likely erroneous if you believe your applications and data are more secure in your data centre. Cloud service companies, at least the main respected ones like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud, for example, devote a lot of time and money to cloud security implementation and improvement. They are specialists in this field. Their data centres are significantly more secure than ours.

 

In actuality, going to the cloud improves security rather than lowering it. Furthermore, recommended practises such as encryption, two-factor authentication, auditing, reviewing, and rotating access keys and credentials can significantly reduce the security risk. Cloud computing, like everything else, has advantages and disadvantages. We've come a long way in the cloud revolution. It has progressed to the point where these dangers have been addressed in a variety of ways. Cloud Computing is here to stay, and it has fundamentally altered how businesses see IT resources and software solutions.