This one is a continuation of our previous blog on ‘Beginners to Cloud Computing – I’.

1. Enterprise Cloud Backup

This is a backup solution that functions important features like archiving data, disaster recovery, data backup etc.

1. Eucalyptus

This is an open source cloud computing platform that enables private cloud. Eucalyptus is type of infrastructure as a service (IaaS) platform.

1. Hybrid Cloud Storage

As the name suggests, it is a combination of both public and private cloud storage. As per requirement, some critical data is stored in private cloud while rest of the data is stored and accessed from the public cloud.

1. IBM Cloud

It is a collection of services that is developed to help enterprises set up cloud environment and adopt relevant strategies. IBM cloud is based on hybrid cloud model and relies on a mix of private and public cloud.

1. IBM Cloud Burst

It is one of the solutions provided by IBM cloud and the most demanded one. This helps enterprises in resource monitoring, cost management and services availability in a cloud.

1. Infrastructure as a Service

Infrastructure as a service is a type of cloud computing service where software and serves are completely outsourced and the billing is done on usage and the amount of resource used. IaaS is a popular enterprise level hosting platform.

1. Mobile Cloud Storage

As the term suggests, this refers to mobile device data been stored in cloud. Most of the mobile device data these days are stored in the cloud which can be accessed from anywhere anytime.

1. Online Backup

Online backup can be used as a synonym for cloud as any data that is stored in a remote server or computing using a network connection can be termed as online backup. With online backup technology, there is only little usage of hardware storage solution.

1. OpenStack Grizzly

It the seventh release of OpenStack that focuses on adding broader support for computing, storage, network technologies along with scalability and ease of operations.

1. Personal Cloud Storage

It is used to store an individual’s data in the cloud and providing access from anywhere. Personal cloud storage enables syncing and storage across multiple devices. iCloud can be a good example for this one.

1. Private Cloud

Private cloud is a type of cloud computing that delivers services to a single organization. It is mostly controlled by the IT department of a company.

1. Public Cloud

It is a form of cloud where data is stored outside the enterprises’ data centre. With public cloud, the provider stores data in an external data centre and so is the access given from there.

1. Red Hat Cloud Computing

Red Hat is a cloud computing service provider. This refers to solutions like private clouds, public clouds and hybrid clouds provided by Red Hat.

1. Red Hat Open Shift

This allows developers to choose their language and framework to build, test and run Java, Ruby, PHP, Perl and Python applications. Developers can also choose the cloud provider that the application will run on.

1. Software as a Service

Commonly referred as SaaS, software as a service is a web-based service that provides access to software and its functions remotely.

1. Vertical Cloud Computing

It is a phrase that refers to the optimization of cloud computing services to a vertical to suit the needs. As for example, to suit a specific industry or an application.

1. VMware Cloud Computing

It is a popular tool that offers hybrid cloud computing solutions for enterprises. There is a connector called VMware vCloud connector that manages the migration of VMs across data centres and clouds.
Want to know more about cloud computing? Visit Avigna’s blog for more updates.

Are you aware of these cloud computing terminologies? Get a hold over it. We will bring to you more cloud computing terminologies in our upcoming posts.

1. Airframe

Airframe is an open source cloud computing platform that targets companies during the stage of adopting a private cloud service model. It also evaluates options for private cloud solutions.

1. Amazon EC2

Amazon Elastic Computer Cloud or Amazon EC2 is a commercial Web service that allows customers to “rent” computing resources from the EC2 cloud.

1. Anything-as-a-Service

Anything-as-a-service refers to the growing diversity of services available over the Internet via cloud computing as opposed to being provided locally, or on premises. It is also termed as Xaas.

1. Apache CloudStack

It is an open source cloud computing platform that helps in making creating, deploying and managing cloud services easier. This is done by providing a complete stack of features for cloud environments.

1. Cloud Application

Cloud application is an application that is not installed on a local environment; instead it is in the cloud and can be access via internet.

1. Cloud Application Management for Platforms (CAMP)

Cloud Application Management for Platforms is a specification designed to ease management of applications that includes packaging and deployment across public and private cloud computing platforms.

1. Cloud Backup

Cloud backup refers to backing up data to a remote, cloud-based server. As a form of cloud storage, the backup data is stored in and is accessible from multiple distributed and connected resources.

1. Cloud Backup Service Provider

Cloud backup service provider refers to an entity that manages and distributes remote, cloud-based data backup services and solutions to customers from a central centre.

1. Cloud Backup Solutions

Cloud backup solutions let enterprises store their data and computer files on the internet by using a storage service provider. It is otherwise stored locally on a physical hard disk.

1. Cloud Computing

A type of computing, comparable to grid computing that relies on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers or personal devices to handle applications. The goal of cloud computing is to apply traditional supercomputing, or high-performance computing power, normally used by military and research facilities, to perform tens of trillions of computations per second, in consumer-oriented applications such as financial portfolios or even to deliver personalized information, or power immersive computer games.

1. Cloud Computing Accounting Software

Cloud computing accounting software is hosted on remote servers. It provides accounting capabilities to companies through ‘Software as a Service’ business model.  Data is sent into the cloud where it is processed and returned to the user. All the functions are performed in the cloud and not in a physical system.

1. Cloud Computing Reseller

A company that purchases hosting services from a cloud server hosting or cloud computing provider and then re-sells them to its own customers.

1. Cloud Database

It is a database that is accessible to clients from the cloud and is delivered to users via internet. It is also referred as Database-as-a-Service.

1. Cloud Enablement

The process of making available one or more of the services (cloud provider, client and application) and infrastructures to create a public cloud computing environment is called Cloud Enablement.

1. Cloud Management

It refers to the software and technologies that is designed for operating and monitoring the apps and data residing in the cloud. There are tools that ensure a company’s cloud computing-based resources are working in an optimal manner.

1. Cloud Migration

The process of shifting a company’s data, apps and services from on-site premises to cloud which will be further accessible over the internet is called cloud migration.

1. Cloud OS

It is used instead of Platform as a Service or PaaS and refers to an association to cloud computing.

1. Cloud Portability

The flexibility to move apps and data from one cloud provider to another and between public and private cloud environments is termed as cloud portability.

1. Cloud Provider

A service provider that offers customers storage or software solutions via a public network, usually the Internet.

1. Cloud Provisioning

Cloud provisioning refers to the deployment of a company’s cloud computing strategy. It involves selection of apps and services that will reside in the public cloud and the private cloud.

1. Cloud Server Hosting

Cloud server hosting is a hosting service that makes data available to customers over internet. This is an on-demand service. Cloud server hosting services are provided by multiple connected servers that comprise a cloud.

1. Cloud Storage

Cloud storage means “the storage of data online in the cloud,”. Here a company’s data is stored and is accessible from multiple distributed and connected resources.

1. Cloud Testing

Load and performance testing conducted on the apps and services provided via cloud computing to ensure optimal performance and scalability under a wide variety of conditions is termed as cloud testing.

1. Desktop-as-a-service

Desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) is a form of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) in which the VDI is outsourced and handled by a third party.

1. Enterprise Application

It is term used to describe apps or software that is used by a business to solve enterprise problems. It usually refers to a software platform that is too large and too complex for individual or small business use.

Cloud computing is on a rise but one thing that always haunts organisations is security. It has always been the number 1 concern when it comes to public cloud. The hesitation has its roots in the belief that cloud systems are less secure than traditional systems. Unlike this debate, security is the top most common priority for both traditional and cloud environment. And with cloud coming with benefits like scalability, storage, elasticity and costs, a secured environment make it a totally worth it bet. Here, we bring to you possible cloud security challenges and expert tips to overcome these.
Security and Compliance Certifications
There are various standard security and compliance certifications in cloud computing and it is important to pay some attention to the cloud provider’s kitty. Certification such as ISO 27017:2015, ISO 9001:2008 and the Multi-Tier Cloud Security Standard Level – 3 are few of the reputed certifications that can be considered while making a decision over cloud providers. The financial ability of the providers to invest on secure technologies should also be considered.
IAM to Combat Cloud Security Challenges
Identity Access Management (IAM) are tools that help enterprises to manage user identities and access in the cloud. The IAM technology includes various services for identity management and access management. Most of the enterprises institute these along with other governance and authentication services. Also, it is important to do some white hat security tests to check the vulnerability of the IAM.
Cloud Access Security Brokers
CASBs or Cloud Access Security Brokers are in high demand these days. This trend is owing to the growing popularity of hybrid and multicloud models. This protects the data that is transferred between the client systems and cloud providers. CASBs also perform various analysis to track any suspicious behaviour.
Multicloud Security Snags
Multicloud computing enables a mix and match approach through which enterprises can choose different services and cloud providers as per their need. In most of the multicloud models, data travels across public internet increasing the risk of security. Besides, due to multi providers, there is lack of standardisation. One of the ways around here is educating teams on all security policies and establishing a common method for managing automation and monitoring across clouds.
Network Security Groups
These are really helpful in overcoming public cloud security challenges. Network security groups protect public cloud from outside access. They also help teams to manage access controls for networks in a public cloud. For different cloud providers, the process might be different and therefore it is important to study the set up of network security groups for the respective provider. To avoid potential threats, one should avoid accessing databases directly over the internet and should create a three-tier cloud security mode to control communication between apps and services.
A Multi-layered Cloud Security Framework
This is to ensure additional security. Here, the first layer is a secure virtual machine layer, the second layer is cloud data layer, their one is cloud storage layer and fourth is is virtual network monitor layer. Access to each of these layers should be restricted to only authorised users.
These are few cloud security tips that will help IT pros to overcome security challenges in a cloud environment. If you have any more insight or tips, feel free to mention it in the comment section below.
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Are you constantly worried about cloud security? Have you been getting emails from clients on securing cloud environment? Here are 5 simple steps towards securing your cloud environment.
1. Peripheral Security – Define your security policies and identify access management
2. Network Security – Define security policies for VPC, VPN & ACL
3. Host Threats – To ensure protection from virus infections
4. Host Access Control – To ensure tracking for all login related activities
5. Application Security – Deploy web application firewall to avoid any form of attacks against applications
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Cloud is the new normal
Around 3 years ago, this was a slogan that AWS followed but today it is a reality. Cloud is no longer an option in today’s age but almost a standard requirement of enterprises. Be it banking, ecommerce, retail or pharmaceutical, cloud is being used as a solution across industries. While bigger companies have started migrating to cloud, the smaller and newbies are building on cloud. Enterprises are building and operating services in the cloud and this shift in the last five years is huge. While security remains one of the most common discussions around cloud, enterprises are not talking about those concerns. Instead they are talking about how to operate hybrid platforms with on-premise and public cloud infrastructure. Thus, the trend of cloud computing being normal is pretty evident.
Do we have enough skills is the question?
While cloud is at its peak, the gap in the industry is for cloud computing skills.  Cloud is emerging right from year 2012 and the demand is increasing. However, companies are facing issues in finding the right competencies in cloud. Continuous training in cloud has become a major challenge and a big necessity for the enterprises as AWS keep creating new products and releases. Recent studies state that large enterprises are investing big on developing cloud skills and conducting training programs to skill educate their developers. With players like Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud platform, there are a lot of certifications that is being introduced along with AWS cloud certifications.
AWS no more lonely
While AWS is still the leader in the cloud space, there are other players who have emerged and competing in the same space. Microsoft Azure is grabbing decent share in the market after AWS and their customer base is also on the rising trend. Google cloud platform is also gaining grounds but as compared to AWS and Microsoft Azure, it is quite far in terms of adoption and customer base. However, with the growing demand we might see aggressive competitions between these cloud providers.
Migration continues to accelerate
The graph of companies migrating to cloud is growing since last couple of years. While the initial shift was seen among small and mid-size companies, recently it is observed that large companies are also following the same path. A recent report has stated that while 77% companies relied on traditional infrastructure back in 2015, by the next year, this number is assumed to reduce to almost 45%.
Cloud security remains the big threat
Security is still the biggest concern when it comes to cloud computing. There are more security measures that is being introduced and adopted by developers. In the coming years, it is expected that security will become the basic feature of cloud where safety can be assumed.
Artificial intelligence the next big thing
The biggest players in cloud including AWS have introduced artificial intelligence based cloud services and looks like, this will be next big thing in this sector. There will be more automated deployment of products and data using cloud. Machine learning and artificial intelligence will shape the cloud industry quite a bit in the next few years.
These are few things that are trending in the industry. It would be interesting to observe these progresses in the near future.
For more cloud related updates, watch this space ‘Cloud Guru’.

Cloud computing is gaining grounds across industries. Not just IT but cloud computing is being extensively used in banking, hospitality, retail, ecommerce, healthcare and more industries. According to Gartner’s research, industries are viewing cloud computing as an evolving medium to succeed in the market place.
As compared to retail and ecommerce, banking and insurance are more hesitant to welcome cloud computing due to security issues. For instance, private clouds are more preferred in the insurance industry as they are considered more secure when compared with public clouds. On the other hand, in the banking sector, cloud is used for administrative functions like email and file sharing as the cloud environment might not be secure enough for banking transactions. Though security has evolved hugely in recent years in cloud computing, few industries have not accepted it with open arms due to lack of knowledge around security and well-equipped resources to manage cloud security.
While insurance and banking are reluctant to use cloud computing extensively, other industries like retail, media, ecommerce and manufacturing is using cloud as never before. In the retail industry, cloud implementations are majorly Iaas or Paas. All aspects like security, vendor maturity functions are deployed in cloud in the retail industry. Media for the obvious reasons of providing accessibility to users is exploring a cloud-based deployment to enable multiscreen entertainment. Manufacturing is massively using cloud for logistics, sales support functions, HR, product development and other manufacturing operations.



Cloud Computing in the Manufacturing IndustryManufacturing is one industry apart from IT that is making the most use of cloud computing. Let’s have a look at how cloud is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry.

• Building intelligence using analytics, applying business intelligence and reporting. The industry is using cloud platforms to capture knowledge and manage the rules.
• Using cloud to implement vendor managed inventory (VMI) and demand management applications that could give real-time order status.
• Managing sales both direct and indirect through a single cloud based platform and tracking results
• Using cloud-based platforms for marketing automation, automating customer service, support and order status
• Using cloud-based HRM solutions to manage manufacturing locations globally and more.

Thus, we see there is a shift in the approach towards cloud computing across industries. Currently, the most common question is not whether to implement cloud or not but how to implement cloud suiting the industry needs. Few of the reasons behind this major shift can be:

• Cost and space efficiency
• Security
• Accessibility and flexibility
• Business agility