Cloud computing is one of the most used technologies in Industry 4.0, it consists of several services and models that differ according to the needs of SMEs
Cloud computing is one of the technologies that in recent times is undergoing continuous evolution to adapt perfectly to the context of Industry 4.0. It is a technology that can not have a single definition and application, there are in fact different types and different models.
Wanting to summarize, cloud computing is a technology that allows you to take advantage, via remote server, software and hardware resources (such as, for example, mass storage for data storage), the use of which is offered as a service by a provider. Almost always on a subscription basis. But cloud computing can be provided according to different types, depending on the needs and possibilities of the company or SME that requires the service. There are basically three models of cloud computing offered to enterprises operating in Industry 4.0: Iaas (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service).
The three models
The first model, as mentioned, is called Iaas (Infrastructure as a Service). It is one of the most popular solutions at the moment among SMEs. In this case, the resource provided is specifically a virtualized hardware. This model includes a virtual server space, network connections, bandwidth, IP addresses and load balancers. Physically, the set of hardware resources is extracted from a multitude of servers usually distributed at numerous data centers. Maintenance 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 PaaS services are hosted on the cloud and users easily access them through their web browsers. The latest model, on the other hand, is SaaS (Software as a Service), cloud service by which consumers can access software applications over the Internet. It is basically a rental service rather than a subscription service.
Types of Cloud
As mentioned in addition to the various services there are different types of cloud computing. Generally, the cloud is divided into three categories. For example, we talk about public cloud. This is quite affordable and offers different options for businesses. It is a solution that allows each company to use a cloud service according to their needs. Public cloud offerings are therefore very flexible. On the other hand, for SMBs and companies that work with sensitive data, it is better to use a private cloud service that focuses heavily on protecting the information and data needed for a company's production processes. Finally, there is the hybrid cloud service, which is the union of the previous two models already described.