When organizations move data and applications to the cloud, they benefit from scalability and optimization of IT costs. Rather than having to buy and install physical servers and other infrastructure systems, they can rent them on an as-needed basis, using a pay-as-you-go model. The cloud also provides disaster recovery capabilities, and cost-effective redundancy for reducing system failures and data loss.
Cloud computing is made possible by high-speed networking connections over the Internet (known as a wide area network or WAN). These networks connect front-end users through a web browser or app, with back-end functions and data stored in the cloud. These networks can be private, public or hybrid, with security measures in place to protect sensitive information.
The most common cloud service models are infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), software as a service (SaaS) and serverless computing. IaaS allows organizations to manage their own IT infrastructure, PaaS simplifies application development with tools that handle the underlying infrastructure and SaaS delivers ready-to-use software applications, with developers focused on writing code.
Regardless of the cloud service model, organizations should have strict access controls and authentication mechanisms in place to prevent unauthorized access to data and resources in the cloud. Encryption protects data in transit and at rest, while multifactor authentication (MFA) requires multiple forms of verification before a user can access the system. This includes requiring a password, fingerprint or security token to log in and access the cloud system.