While talking about Industry 4.0 we often hear about cloud computing, here’s what is indicated by this term and how it can be exploited by small businesses
We often hear about, in reference to Industry 4.0, cloud computing. That is the technology that allows you to take advantage, via remote server, software and hardware resources, whose use is offered as a service by a provider, almost always by subscription. In essence, cloud computing is the offering of computing services – such as servers, storage resources, databases, networking, software, analytics and more – via the Internet.
Providers and companies that offer a cloud computing service via the Net, with a monthly or annual subscription plan, are defined as providers. But what is this technology used for? In fact, almost all of us use a cloud computing service every day, only we don’t realize it: we do it to send an email, watch a streaming movie, listen to a song, or store photos on the cloud.
What to do with cloud computing
Cloud computing began to develop about ten years ago and is revolutionizing many behaviors of companies, both large and SMEs. With cloud computing we can, in fact, create new services and new applications. But we can also use this technology to store a large amount of data and perform a backup to restore the information. This should not be underestimated within a company in the age of ransomware. With cloud computing, however, we can also host websites or blogs and stream services, both audio and video. Finally, with this system we can provide software on demand or analyze data to derive strategic models and production plans.
Why use cloud computing
There are several advantages that lead more and more SMEs to adopt cloud computing solutions, starting with the low management costs: with this technology it is no longer necessary to buy expensive software or hardware, and you do not even need large servers for data storage (servers that would be kept accessible 24 hours a day with large electrical expenses, and that would be managed by IT staff).
Cloud computing is fast and versatile, it allows the company to get the information it needs in a short time and almost anywhere, and it even increases productivity: for example, IT staff who no longer deal with servers can be used to achieve more important business goals. Finally, this technology has consistently high performance and, above all, increases the security of an SMB: thanks to continuous backups, it allows you to recover your data following a failure or a hacker attack.
Three cloud models
The cloud computing models offered to enterprises operating in Industry 4.0 are basically three: Iaas (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service). The first model is the most popular at the moment, and consists of virtualized hardware that includes a virtual server space, network connections, a bandwidth, IP addresses and load balancers. Physically, the group of hardware resources is extracted from a multitude of servers usually distributed at numerous data centers, the maintenance of which is the responsibility of the cloud provider. The customer, on the other hand, has access to the virtualized components to build their own IT platforms.
PaaS (Platform as a Service), on the other hand, provides developers with a platform to build applications and services over the Internet; the services are hosted on the cloud and users easily access them through their browsers. The latest model is SaaS (Software as a Service), a cloud service by which consumers can access software applications over the Internet. Basically. it’s a rental service rather than a subscription service.
Public, Private and Hybrid Clouds
Not all clouds are the same. There are three different ways to deploy cloud computing resources: public, private and hybrid. Public clouds are owned by a company (provider) that offers its services over the Internet. In this case, every resource used – from hardware to servers, passing through software – is owned by the provider, and the SME accesses these resources through a specific account.
In the private cloud all services are in the hands of a single company, and are not shared with other realities. Sometimes it can happen that who owns a private cloud pays third party companies to host their servers, but the network remains private and protected. From a security point of view it is an optimal solution, but it is much more expensive than the public cloud.
Finally, hybrid clouds combine private and public clouds thanks to a technology that allows data and applications to be shared between the two types of clouds: it is a very flexible system, recommended for dynamic companies that need various deployment options.
How to choose the right cloud service
Before purchasing a cloud computing service, you need to find out about the company providing the service: this must be financially sound, with sufficient capital for successful long-term management, must have a well-defined risk management policy, and must understand the business of the SME requiring the service, offering technical expertise that meets its needs. In the selection stages, it is important to check that the administrative support is sound, with service contracts and performance reports. Also not to be underestimated is security: the provider must have a comprehensive security infrastructure and ensure the integrity of the client’s data for backup and data retention.