Abstraction, Abstraction, and Abstraction in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is now the most efficient method of delivering enterprise applications. It’s also the ideal solution for businesses looking to expand their network or create new products.

Prior to the explosive development of cloud computing companies struggled to manage the growing number of network devices, servers, and storage arrays which meant that managing a data center was an overwhelming task. The solution was a layer of abstraction called virtualization, which created Infrastructure-as-a-Service and simplified the chaos through automation. However, in the modern siloed multi-cloud world, complexity is still a problem. The solution again is an abstraction.

The competing priorities of companies have caused them to use various cloud providers each with its distinctive range of capabilities and issues, often making a consistent and coherent IT strategy impossible to manage. The next step is an abstraction.

Just as virtualization revolutionized the way we work with physical IT infrastructures, the new layer abstraction creates one unifying solid, consistent architecture that is compatible with cloud platforms. Developers and operators can easily move workloads between various cloud environments, develop applications that are modernized and upgraded, and create a remote workforce while managing costs and guaranteeing security.

Abstraction in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a measure of the level of architectural abstraction provided by a solution: the more the abstraction level increases more information is not available about the implementation itself, as well as the more obscure or “cloudy” the architecture appears to be.

Increasing Level of Abstraction

Models of cloud delivery are categorizing cloud services which are based on the degree of control cloud users exercise over cloud infrastructure. There are three main cloud delivery methods: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).

SaaS: Software as a Service

The highest level of abstraction in the cloud is the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. In the SaaS model, the cloud provider packages and delivers an established application to the business user. The application is usually located by the cloud provider and is managed by an outside vendor. Users sign up with the service provider to access the application. The application can be accessed on the internet via an internet browser. The user does not have to install or maintenance of any software. The company is charged a monthly recurring cost based on how many users as well as the features of the application.

While SaaS is a well-established, cost-effective way to access software There are many concerns to be considered in this cloud abstraction model.

• Security and compliance are the scopes: Applications that deal with sensitive data might require in-house management or depend upon SaaS provider SLAs to ensure security and certifications for compliance.
• Control of downtime and availability: These issues could be because of the lack of control over the software’s delivery or delivery entire process is managed through the SaaS provider.
• Limitations on customization: SaaS features and customizations could have limitations when compared to local deployment of the same application.
• Support for interoperability and integration: It is often difficult or impossible to integrate SaaS and in-house software, and SaaS integration support from vendors is either non-existent or very limited.
• Limitations on portability: The information created and hosted through the SaaS application might not be able to be transferred to other SaaS products or applications. This could result in unintended vendors locking in.

PaaS:Platorm as a Service

A lower level of abstraction in the public cloud is the platform-as-a-service (PaaS) model.

PaaS is similar to SaaS in many ways. However, rather than hosting a service provider and providing a single application, it is a collection of interrelated tools and applications provided to users that they is able to access using a web browser. These tools are shared by many users and utilized to build an entire fully-functional software development environment and hybrid cloud environments.

Like SaaS, PaaS tools are generally hosted on the cloud and controlled by a third party. This relieves the company and local IT personnel from the burden of managing and creating the framework of the tool themselves. Users sign up through the PaaS provider and then pay an ongoing monthly fee like that of the SaaS model. While SaaS stores all content created in the hands of the provider, PaaS leaves content -including created applications and data for the user to access.

PaaS can be a good way to manage and distribute related tools or applications from the cloud. However, businesses must be aware of some shortcomings of PaaS services:

• Issues with development: The use of PaaS could pose issues for development, for instance, relying upon lesser-than-ideal languages or test schemas that may not be able to support the kinds of testing that are required. The users are restricted in the capacity of their platform, and cannot extend the capabilities of the platform beyond its existing capabilities.
• Inconsistency: The PaaS could use procedures and management workflows that differ from or are incompatible with the internal workflows or on other platforms for development. This can make certain PaaS platforms hard to work within normal business processes.
• Limitations to integration: Interoperability is not a problem between the tools in the PaaS toolset, however, it could be challenging or impossible to integrate PaaS with other tools in-house, for example, adding an in-house test tool to your PaaS suite.
• A decrease in accessibility: The data stored and created inside the PaaS framework might not be transferable to other PaaS offerings offered by other vendors. For instance, code or workflows as well as test data developed in one PaaS will likely not be transferable to a different PaaS. This could result in unwelcome vendor lock-in as well as issues when users require additional tools that the PaaS provider is unable to accommodate.

IaaS: Infrastructure as a Service

The lowest level of abstraction in the public cloud is the infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) model, which works basically as a virtual data center in the cloud.

IaaS hosts data and applications. IT teams utilize IaaS to create a virtual network of cloud-based resources and services that can be used for operating an application and are accessible to business partners, employees, and users. The most significant advantage of IaaS is its convenience, which allows enterprises to reduce the cost of regional data center facilities and instead make use of cloud-based resources that are accessible and paid for only when needed.

Cloud infrastructure serves the same function as infrastructure within a local data center. It is a source of the fundamental services and resources required to support and deploy the application. With IaaS it gives businesses an extensive degree of control of the services and resources that are provided to the infrastructure. It can be a simple procedure of creating an instance of a virtual machine and connecting it to the storage bucket to run a basic app.

Every cloud provider that is public has a broad range of infrastructure services, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Additional IaaS services include Rackspace as well as DigitalOcean.

IaaS is the ultimate usage case for cloud computing and has been under constant development for many years. However, there are a few challenges and limitations that remain:

• Cost: Cloud infrastructure that is public can comprise the use of a myriad of services and resources that each have various monthly and per-use charges. This makes IaaS deployment costs hard to forecast and manage particularly when autoscaling systems are unable to plan for changes to the provisioning of resources.
• Management and monitoring: The provisioning of cloud-based infrastructure is easy, but monitoring and managing the infrastructure to provide value to the business can be challenging. The organization must be able to monitor its resources and services and modify or eliminate unnecessary instances or capacities to minimize cost and increase performance
• Security: Cloud providers are responsible for security in the cloud, and the end user is accountable for security within the cloud. IaaS users are responsible for security aspects like the configuration of resources, authentication, and authorization.
• Hybrid-cloud complexities: The concept of multi-cloud capabilities, such as deploying and moving applications across one cloud into another remains a difficult task. Businesses that rely on IaaS typically face the problem of vendor lock-in and might need to install different infrastructure resources and tools to connect the same application across different cloud providers.

Choosing the right cloud abstraction level?

When deciding the cloud abstraction options, base your choice on the accessibility of resources and services, in addition to the degree of control you need. Cloud computing is designed to offer numerous advantages to your company. It integrates everything and abstracts the cloud and back-end benefits to your business. Be aware that the cloud delivery options you select will be based on your specific business requirements and objectives. It should be in line with your goals for the business and add the most value to your network.