Cloud Architecture and Services

The book on cloud computing provides a comprehensive overview of cloud platform architecture, starting with the foundational concepts of cloud computing and its architectural framework. It explores the various cloud computing services, such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS), along with different deployment models including public, private, and hybrid clouds. The advantages and economic implications of cloud computing are also discussed. The text delves into virtualization, explaining its characteristics, classifications, and the relationship between virtualization and cloud computing, with examples like VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V. It introduces major cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google App Engine (GAE), detailing their global infrastructure and core services. Security aspects of cloud computing are thoroughly examined, covering security planning, data security, encryption, and various security measures for software as a service, virtual machines, and identity management. The book also highlights diverse cloud applications across scientific, healthcare, business, and social domains, and concludes with a discussion on storage systems, tracing their evolution and detailing modern storage solutions like Amazon S3.