SaaS Cloud Application Deployment: Pre-Requisites, Models, And Deployment Tactics Essay.

Deployment Pre-Requisites

Cloud computing has revolutionized the concept of computing resources as a utility (Talukder, 2010 p.347). Cloud services can be consumed based on pay on demand commonly known as pay as you go. It is principally controlled and supported by data centers. Datacenters are the most important entity in cloud service architecture. Datacenters serves a critical role of providing users with different types of cloud services (Talukder, 2010 p.347). A number of companies provide cloud services through the pay as you go principle in which users pay for services they use only when they use them. These companies include among others Amazon, IBM, Salesforce, Microsoft and Google. These companies have established world class datacenters in different geographical locations. Software as a Service (SaaS) refers to an application licensing model through which software on demand are served. The application runs from the server-side, and is then served to the users on request and only charged when they use them. SaaS has brought the cost of running business applications to manageable budgets. Some common examples of SaaS include but not limited to salesforce app and Google Apps, although salesforce.com is providing the services of cloud computing from the last few years. This report focuses on SaaS cloud application deployment.

Cloud services is chiefly concerned with authenticity of users and privacy of data when these services are forked. Role is taken care of by the cloud provider. The provider sets the terms and conditions for operating these services. Spoofing, phishing, scams or frauds pause a great security challenge to cloud services (Merz, 2012 p.17). Cloud network is the clouds loose end and a safe haven for hackers who in most cases run malicious and offensive programs and codes to halt the operation of the SaaS applications.

Cloud services consumers must consider some compromises especially on computing resources, communication, and integration. Migrating from on-premises to cloud can essentially bring down infrastructural costs (Merz, 2012 p.17). This implies that, the cost per unit of computing asset used is likely to be higher as compared to the cost of exchanging same information between open and community cloud. In terms of cost analysis, experts are able to forecast the anticipated financial impact resulting from use of cloud services.

Major companies in this field are utilizing every available opportunity to set up user related software applications, that in the end yield huge amounts of incomes to them. Different versions of the same software are tested to provide the user with multiple options and experience. The cost of these software is assessed against the market trends. With SaaS businesses can measure benefits resulting from amortization trade-off.

Availability, integrity, and quality of data is not influenced by the use of cloud services by the users instead, they are influenced by the security measures taken by the vendor (Cloud Harmony, 2015). This necessitates the creation of formal commitment between parties commonly referred to as Service Level Agreement (SLA) which ensure that terms and conditions governing use if such software are complied with. These SLAs build on the reputation of the provider. Giant organizations often provide multiple cloud application services in order to provide the best services to their consumers a process called Hazy Cloud process.

Models for Cloud Computing Service

While cloud is recognized for providing a flexible on-demand access to networked resourced services, a unified pool of configurable resources such networks, virtualized appliances and server machines and applications, the same can be placed in a cloud computing model (Cisco 2013). In the cloud models availability and service delivery and deployment can be defined. The delivery model seeks that the user be given the facilities as per user their individual requirements based on the type of service they request (Gantz, 2014). Under such conditions, since the user has some level understanding of logical bonding, the cloud environment and cloud server make the experience even better.

Cloud services are also known as cloud user-dependent; this is so because classification of different platforms is dependent on other user factors such as their requirements, access behavior, storage specification and forth. It is against this backdrop, that the services offered in the cloud environment rely on the user-controlled factors. The three models of cloud delivery include but not limited to;

SaaS is perhaps the second most common used cloud delivery models, software and/or services are consumed straight from the cloud provider’s platform in the form of software or as an application (CB Consulting, 2012). SaaS offers on-demand services requested by the user’s such webmail, interface application or software and business applications such as salesforce application. the server end is most resourceful as opposed to the client end that makes. SaaS ensures that on the end-user side there is minimum control of service-based functionalities. A background check on the vulnerabilities and security issues between various relationships and dependencies should be checked. SaaS and PaaS form the biggest share of IaaS; therefore, breach of IaaS jeopardizes both PaaS and SaaS.

PaaS forms the base for which the users can deploy cloud infrastructure and cloud software without enabling own local machine the help of its (Menzel, Schonherr & Tai, 2013 p.1287). In PaaS platform layer and software layer are shared, such that resources like operating systems and application-based frameworks can be deployed and integrated. Cloud computing service provide support as per the standards or limitations of resources. The attribute of PaaS being providing less-than-optimal solutions makes it more convenient and affordable to the clients. That may appear as a rationale in some ways but it is indeed how the applications works inside a network.

A Pay-as-you-go facility is used by IaaS to grant access to the underlying features of network servers, such as computational or storage through the web. IaaS can be implemented as a single virtual machine or physical service or both. IaaS assumes the role of the infrastructure resources therefore minimizing the number of computing resources needed as well as the workload. Using IaaS users can perform any task on-demand, on a fairly flexible environment, can shrink or extend the resources based on the user needs. This functionality cuts down on cost and unnecessary infrastructure.

Services on IaaS and PaaS are implemented in a layer-based approach. Through the IaaS platform users are able to control gain physical control the cloud infrastructure such as computing engines, storage devices and networking technologies used during virtualization. After setting up IaaS, PaaS comes second. At management level SaaS takes control of the operating system and runtime environment before providing access to hosted cloud resources. On top the PaaS layer end-user application can then be served but the main control remains with the provider. Together all the three services at the primary level provide the understanding about the dynamic layers on which cloud services is founded. IaaS abstracts absence of the physical infrastructure organizes them and integrates the innovation required to virtualizes them.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

For SaaS deployment to be successful, network infrastructure is needed. Public, private, community, and hybrid clouds are some of the most common models of cloud deployments available. Classification of the deployment models is dependent on the location of the cloud itself. The implementation of any cloud-based applications is purely dependent on the interest of that business. There are other factors which come into play such as affordability, scalability of resources and reliability. Choosing of a deployment model, begins after network model is finalized as most of the services depends on it. The four common cloud deployment models are;

Public cloud is perhaps the most common type of cloud in the world today. Under public cloud users choose the computing resource of interest such as hardware or platform for accessing applications on a subscription basis. These services range from simple activities such as browsing an application online or a complex algorithm code-based app. The most common public cloud in the market includes social networking websites where users can access services through the internet. Both companies and individuals can subscribe to public cloud services.

Private cloud on the other hand refers to a cloud service model through which services are maintained through a private channel or network hardware. Under this type of arrangement, communication between resources on one network are controlled through server which is a private channel. Sometimes provision of private cloud services can be shared or rented to a third parties so that they can provide some custom controls or the provider themselves can take up the responsibility. All the transactions are centralized and are only handled from an online platform. Consider the following analogy, a company has a head office and branches located in different locations in the world; the branch can be operated just like the HQ by placing the services on cloud through the private network in those remote sites.

The community cloud is gaining popularity amongst organizations. This is informed by the growing demand for sharing general policies, adaptation and implementation, of some ideal frameworks in the social construct. Community cloud is commonly used by institutions such as health related institutions, education institutions, or scientific research in order to share common data.

Under hybrid cloud technology services are pooled from other models of cloud services for instance private and public. For this kind of setting, aspects of private networks and a mixture another such as public network or community are utilized. This type of cloud delivers services to every end-user from any location. Sometimes, hybrid cloud suffers a great deal of security concerns coming from network vulnerabilities.

Latest trends show that a significant number of small and medium-sized enterprises globally are operating on cloud to use as their base infrastructure, platforms for running their enterprise apps or even running stand-alone services such as storage. This usage of cloud computing has led to reduction in operation costs among many other benefits. Cloud computing identify with a number of features such as;

• Provision of on-demand services
• Accessibility over a wide network
• Ability to pool resources together
• Provision of quality of services
• Offers prompt scalability of resources

There are several ways through which technology changes from physical to virtual. The fundamental approach of any business environment is pegged on the strength of it social network and which also has an effect on the quality of service (Zabalza-Vivanco et al., 2012, p. 639). E-commerce and Internet of Things are the latest technologies significantly impacting on cloud services in the business environments. Google Analytics have also been used to analyze business trends and provide forecasting. According to research, approximately 60% of all global data is stored in the cloud. There is also a major breakthrough in the social media and networks in creating big data.

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Although there has been a lot of activities surrounding cloud development, concerns on the security and authenticity of data and users as grown three folds in the past 10 years (Khajeh 2012 p.451). In fact, social networks boom in the recent years has augmented the risk of security. Conventional software requires countless resources in order to perform their tasks efficiently a feature most users find challenging especially when it comes to platform setup. Applications built on cloud play a critical role in shaping present technology. The cloud offers a pool of countless and limitless functionalities. Cloud computing plays an important role in shaping these applications.

Shadow storage space is a system whereby info kept in a main place comes is from the web. It is preserved, run and also handled by a company on storage space web servers that’s improved virtualization modern technology (Morgan & Conboy 2013 p.9). Typical storage space systems such as disk drives, blink owns and also various other kinds of physical storage space gadgets have lengthy shed their shine. Gone are the days when physical storage devices commanded the digital world, in the modern setting, people are relying on advanced more and real-time technologies as speed and accuracy is of essence. With the advancement of shadow storage space solutions, the threat of shedding of storage space and other times adding them has actually increased. Shadow gives remote submit storage space solutions to clients based upon the information storage space web server.

The customer can surely after that procedure all their kept data on these storage space web servers and also can surely conserve or obtain the data they require when they desire (Morgan & Conboy 2013 p.9). Enables accessibility to data from remote areas utilizing just secure net link enables the shadow to shadow over various other storage space alternatives. A few of the renowned on the internet shadow submit storage space and also accessibility applications. The major benefit of cloud-based storage space solutions includes access limitless accessibility from anywhere on the planet or by utilizing any type of service.

Cloud-based processing is a set of new technologies for storing multimedia content and providing various functions to its users access through the Internet (Uruena, 2012 p.341). It provides a standard for centralized servers, software and hardware that fully support connected peripherals. Users often subscribe to Multimedia Processing (MP) applications mainly based on two modes; either free or paid. with revenue from paid cloud computing applications: Review subscribers help service owners maintain their services and pay for cloud processing. Speed and huge storage space needed to facilitate multimedia processing.

Data without control or one will minimum control causes serious security threats and is complex to maintain (Gantz, 2014). As a result, vulnerability of cloud data becomes compromised by breaches or infiltrations. The most common security concerns are data accessibility, data authenticity and data controllability. There are few general security and privacy concerns specific to running cloud applications, such as security and authenticity issues. There are several cloud computing-related issues, but the most common is cybersecurity. In the cloud, data resides elsewhere and needs to flow through a tunnel-like Internet or intranet, and there should be a reliable network or hardware device to protect the data prevent leaks or theft.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

In this assignment virtual machines and web service application were deployed on GCP. Virtual machines were created on the Google compute engine. After installation and confirmation that the VMs deployment was successful running of the infrastructure, deployment and scaling of web services was are done automatically and seamlessly by using instance templates. A compute instance refers to some specific customized configuration for deploying virtual machines on GCP. These instances facilitate reuse of and configurations using managed instance groups. A deployment creates the resources that you defined in a configuration.

Using the below command two virtual machines are deployed.

<--gcloud deployment-manager deployments create deployment-with-2-vms --config two-vms.yaml-->

The following code was to deploy the management resource on the GCP cloud.

--> gcloud deployment-manager deployments describe deployment-with-2-vms -->

In this deployment, the VM created and the webservice configured were using code provided on the GCP console. An expanded list of all infrastructure as a services deployment can be accessed on the Google Cloud Console. This page provides a clear visualization for all deployments. Further, it can help users to understand the hierarchy of resources the deployment.

 Conclusion

Security in the cloud depends on security conscience of provider and their action. It is the responsibility of cloud provider to ensure security morals are applied across the board. Data handling has transformed significantly becoming increasingly reliable and secure for example companies are now used to handling big data, doing maintenance of the data. There are numerous cases of analogous point base data which has come to the top leading technology to serious data losses. Companies such as Google drive and Facebook are produces huge volumes of data and are served through the internet. Without proper security concerns such data can become available to the wrong users, or through vulnerabilities such data can leak out of the system. The many people who are involved in the creation of data must be conscious of the security concerns. A single click can be enough to approach distant edges. Distance also affects the quality of cloud services. There are numerous unseen challenges involving security and insulation of data on the web. These security concerns are quite common in the recent years. Security issues and insulation are analyzed and estimated by surveying the social networking and the emergence of big data. Denial of service attack is a quite common security challenge to cloud data.

List of References

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