This blog post will help you understand how the four essential pillars of architecture help you seamlessly transition from traditional IT to the world of cloud computing.
What is Cloud Computing Architecture?
Cloud computing architecture is the logical division of cloud computing resources to optimize performance, scalability, and availability for a given set of workloads. It does this through different services, deployment options, resource types, and hybrid cloud integration points.
With this in mind, Cloud Computing Architecture is a set of principles that helps you choose the right architecture for your cloud-enabled organization. Moreover, it optimizes your existing infrastructure and guides you towards a more standard and secure cloud setup.
1. Understanding Cloud Computing Architecture and Service Levels
Before we delve into the architecture itself, let’s first understand what cloud computing architecture stands for and what service levels are.
- Architecture - Architecture refers to the design principles that build your cloud architecture.
- Service Levels - Service levels refer to the different levels of service that your architecture is expected to provide.
2. Data Storage
Cloud storage is a critical component of any cloud architecture. It serves as the backbone for most other architecture components. It is important to understand the different architectural options that are available for this component in order to implement it in a way that works best for your organization.
For E.g. you may decide to go with software-defined storage (SDS) solution, a hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) solution, or traditional storage architecture. There are also different storage protocols to consider. You may select file transfer protocol (FTP), internet small computer system interface (iSCSI), or remote direct memory access (RDMA).
3. Networking and Connectivity
When you create a cloud architecture, you must decide which networks and interconnects are the best fit for your organization. This is especially important if you have a hybrid cloud environment. For E.g. you may decide to create a private network for your on-premises systems, a private network for your cloud-based systems, and a public network for your customers.
There are multiple options for creating these networks. You may go with a virtual private cloud (VPC), a virtual private data center (VPDC), a dedicated physical network, or a hybrid network.
4. Security
The final aspect of cloud computing architecture is security. A cloud architecture without security is like a castle without a moat. For E.g. you may decide to implement a multi-layered security model with a firewall, an intrusion detection system (IDS), a next-generation firewall (NGFW), or a virtual private network (VPN).
You may also decide to use a service-linked security model that integrates with your cloud architecture and offers a wide range of security services.
Wrapping Up
The architecture is the blueprint of your cloud computing setup. It allows you to pick the best services and deployment models that work best for your organization. It is important to understand the different architectural options that exist for each service. This will help you select the best components that are right for your organization.
You have undoubtedly noticed that cloud computing architecture is a very broad term. In order to understand it better, you need to understand the different components that it consists of. These components include data storage, networking and connectivity, security, and more. Once you understand these components, you can move on to architecting your own cloud computing setup.
