What is Cloud Computing:

The term cloud refers to a network or the internet. It is a technology that uses
remote servers on the internet to store, manage, and access data online rather
than local drives. The data can be anything such as files, images, documents,
audio, video, and more.

There are the following operations that we can do using cloud computing:

o Developing new applications and services

o Storage, back up, and recovery of data
o Hosting blogs and websites
o Delivery of software on demand
o Analysis of data
o Streaming videos and audios

Why Cloud Computing?

Small as well as large IT companies, follow the traditional methods to provide

the IT infrastructure. That means for any IT company, we need a Server
Room that is the basic need of IT companies.

In that server room, there should be a database server, mail server, networking,
firewalls, routers, modem, switches, QPS (Query Per Second means how much
queries or load will be handled by the server), configurable system, high net
speed, and the maintenance engineers.

To establish such IT infrastructure, we need to spend lots of money. To

overcome all these problems and to reduce the IT infrastructure cost, Cloud
Computing comes into existence.
Characteristics of Cloud Computing:

The characteristics of cloud computing are given below:

1) Agility

The cloud works in a distributed computing environment. It shares resources

among users and works very fast.

2) High availability and reliability

The availability of servers is high and more reliable because the chances of
infrastructure failure are minimum.

3) High Scalability

Cloud offers "on-demand" provisioning of resources on a large scale,

without having engineers for peak loads.

4) Multi-Sharing

With the help of cloud computing, multiple users and applications can work
more efficiently with cost reductions by sharing common infrastructure.

5) Device and Location Independence

Cloud computing enables the users to access systems using a web browser
regardless of their location or what device they use e.g. PC, mobile phone,
etc. As infrastructure is off-site (typically provided by a third-party) and
accessed via the Internet, users can connect from anywhere.

6) Maintenance

Maintenance of cloud computing applications is easier, since they do not need

to be installed on each user's computer and can be accessed from different
places. So, it reduces the cost also.

7) Low Cost

By using cloud computing, the cost will be reduced because to take the services
of cloud computing, IT company need not to set its own infrastructure and
pay-as-per usage of resources.

8) Services in the pay-per-use mode

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are provided to the users so that

they can access services on the cloud by using these APIs and pay the
charges as per the usage of services.

Advantages of Cloud Computing:

As we all know that Cloud computing is trending technology. Almost every

company switched their services on the cloud to rise the company growth.

Here, we are going to discuss some important advantages of Cloud Computing-

1) Back-up and restore data

Once the data is stored in the cloud, it is easier to get back-up and restore that
data using the cloud.

2) Improved collaboration

Cloud applications improve collaboration by allowing groups of people to

quickly and easily share information in the cloud via shared storage.

3) Excellent accessibility

Cloud allows us to quickly and easily access store information anywhere,

anytime in the whole world, using an internet connection. An internet cloud
infrastructure increases organization productivity and efficiency by ensuring
that our data is always accessible.

4) Low maintenance cost

Cloud computing reduces both hardware and software maintenance costs for
organizations.

5) Mobility

Cloud computing allows us to easily access all cloud data via mobile.
6) IServices in the pay-per-use model

Cloud computing offers Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to the users

for access services on the cloud and pays the charges as per the usage of service.

7) Unlimited storage capacity

Cloud offers us a huge amount of storing capacity for storing our important data
such as documents, images, audio, video, etc. in one place.

8) Data security

Data security is one of the biggest advantages of cloud computing. Cloud offers
many advanced features related to security and ensures that data is securely
stored and handled.

Disadvantages of Cloud Computing:

A list of the disadvantage of cloud computing is given below -

1) Internet Connectivity

As you know, in cloud computing, every data (image, audio, video, etc.) is
stored on the cloud, and we access these data through the cloud by using the
internet connection. If you do not have good internet connectivity, you cannot
access these data. However, we have no any other way to access data from the
cloud.

2) Vendor lock-in

Vendor lock-in is the biggest disadvantage of cloud computing. Organizations

may face problems when transferring their services from one vendor to another.
As different vendors provide different platforms, that can cause difficulty
moving from one cloud to another.

3) Limited Control

As we know, cloud infrastructure is completely owned, managed, and

monitored by the service provider, so the cloud users have less control over the
function and execution of services within a cloud infrastructure.

4) Security

Although cloud service providers implement the best security standards to store
important information. But, before adopting cloud technology, you should be
aware that you will be sending all your organization's sensitive information to a
third party, i.e., a cloud computing service provider. While sending the data on
the cloud, there may be a chance that your organization's information is hacked
by Hackers.

Types of Cloud Computing

Most cloud computing services fall into five broad categories:
1. Software as a service (SaaS)
2. Platform as a service (PaaS)
3. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
4. Anything/Everything as a service (XaaS)
5. Function as a Service (FaaS)
These are sometimes called the cloud computing stack because they are built on top of one
another. Knowing what they are and how they are different, makes it easier to accomplish
your goals. These abstraction layers can also be viewed as a layered architecture where
services of a higher layer can be composed of services of the underlying layer i.e, SaaS can
provide Infrastructure.

Software as a Service(SaaS)

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a way of delivering services and applications over the

Internet. Instead of installing and maintaining software, we simply access it via the Internet,
freeing ourselves from the complex software and hardware management. It removes the
need to install and run applications on our own computers or in the data centers eliminating
the expenses of hardware as well as software maintenance.
SaaS provides a complete software solution that you purchase on a pay-as-you-go basis
from a cloud service provider. Most SaaS applications can be run directly from a web
browser without any downloads or installations required. The SaaS applications are
sometimes called Web-based software, on-demand software, or hosted software.

Advantages of SaaS

1. Cost-Effective: Pay only for what you use.

2. Reduced time: Users can run most SaaS apps directly from their web browser without
needing to download and install any software. This reduces the time spent in
installation and configuration and can reduce the issues that can get in the way of the
software deployment.
3. Accessibility: We can Access app data from anywhere.
4. Automatic updates: Rather than purchasing new software, customers rely on a SaaS
provider to automatically perform the updates.
5. Scalability: It allows the users to access the services and features on-demand.
The various companies providing Software as a service are Cloud9 Analytics,
Salesforce.com, Cloud Switch, Microsoft Office 365, Big Commerce, Eloqua, dropBox,
and Cloud Tran.

Disadvantages of Saas :
1. Limited customization: SaaS solutions are typically not as customizable as on-
premises software, meaning that users may have to work within the constraints of the
 SaaS provider’s platform and may not be able to tailor the software to their specific
needs.
2. Dependence on internet connectivity: SaaS solutions are typically cloud-based,
which means that they require a stable internet connection to function properly. This
can be problematic for users in areas with poor connectivity or for those who need to
access the software in offline environments.
3. Security concerns: SaaS providers are responsible for maintaining the security of the
data stored on their servers, but there is still a risk of data breaches or other security
incidents.
4. Limited control over data: SaaS providers may have access to a user’s data, which
can be a concern for organizations that need to maintain strict control over their data
for regulatory or other reasons.

Platform as a Service

PaaS is a category of cloud computing that provides a platform and environment to allow
developers to build applications and services over the internet. PaaS services are hosted in
the cloud and accessed by users simply via their web browser.
A PaaS provider hosts the hardware and software on its own infrastructure. As a result,
PaaS frees users from having to install in-house hardware and software to develop or run a
new application. Thus, the development and deployment of the application take
place independent of the hardware.
The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including
network, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed
applications and possibly configuration settings for the application-hosting environment. To
make it simple, take the example of an annual day function, you will have two options
either to create a venue or to rent a venue but the function is the same.

Advantages of PaaS:

1. Simple and convenient for users: It provides much of the infrastructure and other IT
services, which users can access anywhere via a web browser.
2. Cost-Effective: It charges for the services provided on a per-use basis thus eliminating
the expenses one may have for on-premises hardware and software.
3. Efficiently managing the lifecycle: It is designed to support the complete web
application lifecycle: building, testing, deploying, managing, and updating.
4. Efficiency: It allows for higher-level programming with reduced complexity thus, the
overall development of the application can be more effective.
The various companies providing Platform as a service are Amazon Web services Elastic
Beanstalk, Salesforce, Windows Azure, Google App Engine, cloud Bees and IBM smart
cloud.

Disadvantages of Paas:

1. Limited control over infrastructure: PaaS providers typically manage the underlying
infrastructure and take care of maintenance and updates, but this can also mean that
users have less control over the environment and may not be able to make certain
customizations.
2. Dependence on the provider: Users are dependent on the PaaS provider for the
availability, scalability, and reliability of the platform, which can be a risk if the
provider experiences outages or other issues.
3. Limited flexibility: PaaS solutions may not be able to accommodate certain types of
workloads or applications, which can limit the value of the solution for certain
organizations.

Infrastructure as a Service

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a service model that delivers computer infrastructure on

an outsourced basis to support various operations. Typically IaaS is a service where
infrastructure is provided as outsourcing to enterprises such as networking equipment,
devices, database, and web servers.
It is also known as Hardware as a Service (HaaS). IaaS customers pay on a per-user basis,
typically by the hour, week, or month. Some providers also charge customers based on the
amount of virtual machine space they use.
It simply provides the underlying operating systems, security, networking, and servers for
developing such applications, and services, and deploying development tools, databases,
etc.

Advantages of IaaS:
1. Cost-Effective: Eliminates capital expense and reduces ongoing cost and IaaS
customers pay on a per-user basis, typically by the hour, week, or month.
2. Website hosting: Running websites using IaaS can be less expensive than
traditional web hosting.
3. Security: The IaaS Cloud Provider may provide better security than your
existing software.
4. Maintenance: There is no need to manage the underlying data center or the
introduction of new releases of the development or underlying software. This is
all handled by the IaaS Cloud Provider.
The various companies providing Infrastructure as a service are Amazon web services,
Bluestack, IBM, Openstack, Rackspace, and Vmware.

Disadvantages of laaS :
1. Limited control over infrastructure: IaaS providers typically manage the
underlying infrastructure and take care of maintenance and updates, but this can
also mean that users have less control over the environment and may not be able
to make certain customizations.
2. Security concerns: Users are responsible for securing their own data and
applications, which can be a significant undertaking.
3. Limited access: Cloud computing may not be accessible in certain regions and
countries due to legal policies.

What is AWS?

o AWS stands for Amazon Web Services.

o The AWS service is provided by the Amazon that uses distributed IT infrastructure to
provide different IT resources available on demand. It provides different services such
 as infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and packaged
software as a service (SaaS).
o Amazon launched AWS, a cloud computing platform to allow the different
organizations to take advantage of reliable IT infrastructure.

Uses of AWS

o A small manufacturing organization uses their expertise to expand their business by

leaving their IT management to the AWS.
o A large enterprise spread across the globe can utilize the AWS to deliver the training
to the distributed workforce.
o An architecture consulting company can use AWS to get the high-compute rendering
of construction prototype.
o A media company can use the AWS to provide different types of content such as ebox
or audio files to the worldwide files.

Pay-As-You-Go

Based on the concept of Pay-As-You-Go, AWS provides the services to the customers.

AWS provides services to customers when required without any prior commitment or upfront
investment. Pay-As-You-Go enables the customers to procure services from AWS.
Computing, Programming models, Database storage, Networking

Advantages of AWS

1) Flexibility

o We can get more time for core business tasks due to the instant availability of new
features and services in AWS.
o It provides effortless hosting of legacy applications. AWS does not require learning
new technologies and migration of applications to the AWS provides the advanced
computing and efficient storage.
o AWS also offers a choice that whether we want to run the applications and services
together or not. We can also choose to run a part of the IT infrastructure in AWS and
the remaining part in data centres.

2) Cost-effectiveness

AWS requires no upfront investment, long-term commitment, and minimum expense when
compared to traditional IT infrastructure that requires a huge investment.
3) Scalability/Elasticity

Through AWS, autoscaling and elastic load balancing techniques are automatically scaled up
or down, when demand increases or decreases respectively. AWS techniques are ideal for
handling unpredictable or very high loads. Due to this reason, organizations enjoy the
benefits of reduced cost and increased user satisfaction.

4) Security

o AWS provides end-to-end security and privacy to customers.

o AWS has a virtual infrastructure that offers optimum availability while managing full
privacy and isolation of their operations.
o Customers can expect high-level of physical security because of Amazon's several
years of experience in designing, developing and maintaining large-scale IT operation
centers.
o AWS ensures the three aspects of security, i.e., Confidentiality, integrity, and
availability of user's data.

What is Google Cloud Platform?

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a suite of cloud computing services provided by Google. It
is a public cloud computing platform consisting of a variety of services like compute, storage,
networking, application development, Big Data, and more, which run on the same cloud
infrastructure that Google uses internally for its end-user products, such as Google Search,
Photos, Gmail and YouTube, etc.

The services of GCP can be accessed by software developers, cloud administrators and IT
professionals over the Internet or through a dedicated network connection.

Why Google Cloud Platform?

Google Cloud Platform is known as one of the leading cloud providers in the IT field. The
services and features can be easily accessed and used by the software developers and users
with little technical knowledge. Google has been on top amongst its competitors, offering the
highly scalable and most reliable platform for building, testing and deploying the applications
in the real-time environment.

Apart from this, GCP was announced as the leading cloud platform in the Gartner's IaaS
Magic Quadrant in 2018. Gartner is one of the leading research and advisory company.
Gartner organized a campaign where Google Cloud Platform was compared with other cloud
providers, and GCP was selected as one of the top three providers in the market.

Most companies use data centers because of the availability of cost forecasting, hardware
certainty, and advanced control. However, they lack the necessary features to run and
maintain resources in the data center. GCP, on the other side, is a fully-featured cloud
platform that includes:
 o Capacity: Sufficient resources for easy scaling whenever required. Also, effective
management of those resources for optimum performance.
o Security: Multi-level security options to protect resources, such as assets, network
and OS -components.
o Network Infrastructure: Number of physical, logistical, and human-resource-related
components, such as wiring, routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, etc.
o Support: Skilled professionals for installation, maintenance, and support.
o Bandwidth: Suitable amount of bandwidth for peak load.
o Facilities: Other infrastructure components, including physical equipment and power
resources.

Therefore, Google Cloud Platform is a viable option for businesses, especially when the
businesses require an extensive catalog of services with global recognition.

Benefits of Google Cloud Platform

Some of the main benefits of Google Cloud Platform are explained below:

Best Pricing: Google enables users to get Google Cloud hosting at the cheapest rates. The
hosting plans are not only cheaper than other hosting platforms but also offer better features
than others. GCP provides a pay-as-you-go option to the users where users can pay separately
only for the services and resources they want to use.

Work from Anywhere: Once the account is configured on GCP, it can be accessed from
anywhere. That means that the user can use GCP across different devices from different
places. It is possible because Google provides web-based applications that allow users to
have complete access to GCP.

Private Network: Google has its own network that enables users to have more control over
GCP functions. Due to this, users achieve smooth performance and increased efficiency over
the network.

Scalable: Users are getting a more scalable platform over the private network. Because
Google uses fiber-optic cables to extend its network range, it is likely to have more
scalability. Google is always working to scale its network because there can be any amount of
traffic at any time.

Security: There is a high number of security professionals working at Google. They always
keep trying to secure the network and protect the data stored on servers. Additionally, Google
uses an algorithm that encrypts all the data on the Cloud platform. This gives assurance to the
users that their data is completely safe and secure from unauthorized sources.

Redundant Backup: Google always keeps backup of user's data with built-in redundant
backup integration. In case a user has lost the stored data, it's not a big problem. Google
always has a copy of the users' data unless the data is deleted forcefully. This adds data
integrity, reliability and durability with GCP.

Key Features of Google Cloud Platform

The following are some key features of Google Cloud Platform:

o On-demand services: Automated environment with web-based tools. Therefore, no

human intervention is required to access the resources.
o Broad network access: The resources and the information can be accessed from
anywhere.
o Resource pooling: On-demand availability of a shared pool of computing resources
to the users.
o Rapid elasticity: The availability of more resources whenever required.
o Measured service: Easy-to-pay feature enables users to pay only for consumed
services.

Working of Google Cloud Platform

When a file is uploaded on the Google cloud, the unique metadata is inserted into a file. It
helps identify the different files and track the changes made across all the copies of any
particular file. All the changes made by individuals get synchronized automatically to the
main file, also called a master file. GCP further updates all the downloaded files using
metadata to maintain the correct records.

Let's understand the working of GCP with a general example:

Suppose that MS Office is implemented on Cloud to enable several people to work together.
The primary aim of using cloud technology is to work on the same project at the same time.
We can create and save a file on the cloud once we install a plugin for the MS Office suite.
This will allow several people to edit a document at the same time. The owner can assign
access to specific people to allow them to download and start editing the document in MS
Office.

Once users are assigned as an editor, they can use and edit the document's cloud copy as
desired. The combined, edited copy is generated that is known as the master document. GCP
helps to assign a unique URL to each specific copy of the existing document given to
different users. However, any of the authorized users' changes will be visible on all the copies
of documents shared over the cloud. In case multiple changes are made to the same
document, then GCP allows the owner to select the appropriate changes to keep.

Google Cloud Platform Services

Google provides a considerable number of services with several unique features. That is the
reason why Google Cloud Platform is continually expanding across the globe. Some of the
significant services of GCP are: Compute Services, Networking, Storage Services, Big
Data, Security and Identity Management, Management Tools, Cloud AI and IoT
(Internet of Things)

Salesforce Service Cloud

o Salesforce Service Cloud is the CRM platform to provide services and support to the
customers.
o The Service Cloud is a great customer service platform to give the fast and more
personalized services virtually via any possible platform such as phone, email, instant
messaging, Twitter, Facebook or other social platforms.
o With the help of service cloud, customers can reach customer support from any
platform and get support.
o Salesforce service cloud offers businesses the more vital services that help expand the
maintenance and consumer contentment. It helps businesses by enabling them to solve
customer issues and requirements through different channels.
o Salesforce service cloud is a SaaS service, which is built on the Salesforce customer
success platform. It provides the customer's 360-degree view to provide smarter,
faster and personalized services to the customers.
o The service cloud is built on different salesforce matrices such as average cases per
day, cases by issues, resolution time per customer etc.

Need for Salesforce Service Cloud

In above section, we understood what service cloud is, but why the organization should
choose it. So, the answer is, if an organization is concerned about its customer services, then
it must choose the Salesforce service cloud. In every domain, whether it is B2B (business to
business) or B2C(Business to Customer), the company gets the customer issues or queries
that occur in the forms of tickets.

The service agents receive these tickets, and they need to be resolved in the fixed time period
to provide the best customer support. The Salesforce Service cloud enables the organization
to track, solve, and close these tickets efficiently.

Below are some essential benefits of using the Salesforce Service Cloud:

o Increases the Agent's Productivity

With the Service Cloud, agents can log in and work from anywhere, as the salesforce
service console can be accessed from any device, such as web-based applications or
 Mobile devices. It enhances the productivity of an agent, and customer queries get
resolved in the allotted time period.
o Efficient Case Tracking
The more efficiently the agent tracks the case, the faster it gets resolved. Using the
Service cloud, the agent can easily track the cases, and duplicity of any case or human
errors get reduced.
o Integrates with the Social Media Platforms
Using service cloud functions, the agents can also interact with the customers on
social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. It helps to build and maintain
customer satisfaction.
o Data Security
With the Service cloud, the customer data, interaction, or any other data is entirely
safe and secure. It follows the multilayer approach to keep crucial information more
secure.
o Best Customer Experience
Using the Service cloud, the companies can enhance the best customer experience by
providing one-to-one communication between the customer and agent in real-time. It
also helps in enhancing customer satisfaction, loyalty, and customer retention.

Features of Salesforce Service Cloud

There are various services and features that Salesforce service cloud offers. These features
may vary from one Salesforce edition to another. The complete set of features are available
with the Enterprise and Performance Editions. Here we are discussing some popular features
of the Service Cloud:

1. Lighting Service Console: It provides a unified experience and maximizes the

agent's productivity by putting all the required customer information at one place.
With the lighting service console, the agents can quickly get every customer-related
information such as profiles, case histories, communications, etc., to the dashboards;
at one place. The service cloud console provides an integrated view of each case on
one screen. It is the personal workspace for each service agent, where they can search
case history, respond to any case, and communicate with the customers seamlessly.
2. Case Management
In every company, customers need help. Customers may face some issues, compliant,
comments, or queries, which can be solved quickly. But, if the customers have any
issue with the product or service, it may harm the business by losing that customer.
Hence, the customer's issues need to be tracked and solved quickly. These records of
 customer issues in Salesforce are termed as Cases.
With the Case Management feature, the companies can efficiently record, track, and
solve customer issues. It allows us to generate cases from customer emails or the web
form. These cases can be managed in different queues. To solve the cases, different
assignment and escalation rules are also defined in Salesforce.
3. Activities
The tasks in Salesforce are known as the activities in Salesforce. These activities
contain the priority and assignments to the users related to any case or any other
salesforce standard or custom object.
4. CTI Integration or Call Center
Salesforce service cloud enables the integration of the third-party telephony system
with the salesforce CRM using the Computer-telephony integration (CTI) system to
develop the industry's leading call center. It helps the service agents by providing the
complete view of customer interaction such as popping up window for the incoming
calls, automatic dialling, and other phone control options. It enhances customer
experience and satisfaction.
5. Contracts and Entitlements
This feature of the service cloud helps to determine and ensure that f various contracts
and entitlements are done with customers. It contains the records of various service
contracts such as Warranties, subscription, maintenance agreements time period, etc.,
related to the particular customer account for the product. It helps in verifying if the
customer is eligible for the service & support or not and if they are receiving the
services they are contracted for.
6. Knowledge Base
The knowledge base feature is the online library for providing efficient service and
support to the customers. With the help of a knowledge base, agents can quickly
answer customer queries. Agents can find, copy/paste the answers to solve any
customer query.
Salesforce Knowledgebase is a powerful and integrated tool that allows the company
to provide the most relevant answer to customer queries.
7. Live agent Chat
The live agent chat feature is the online Service cloud tool that allows the customers
to communicate with the service agent through the website. This is the most popular
and commonly used feature of the Salesforce service cloud.
8. Omni-Channel
The omnichannel feature helps businesses to communicate with customers using
 various communication channels. Agents can communicate via web, email, phone,
mobile live agent, social medial, and video chats. The omnichannel helps the
businesses to route the cases to the appropriate agent that occurred from any channel.
It provides smart services by automatically matching the cases with the appropriate
agent who has the best skills to solve those cases.
9. Ideas and Answers
With the ideas and answers feature, the service cloud provides a facility to the agents,
customers, internal staff, and partners to provide any new idea, answer the queries,
discuss them, and vote accordingly.
10. Social Customer Services
The social customer service manages, monitors, and creates a case from tweets,
Facebook posts, Instagram, and other social channels. It also helps to resolve those
cases in the social channels.
11. Service Process and Automation
With the service process and automation, you can save time by automating the
internal service processes. It includes approval of any task so that it can be further
processed.
12. Asset and Order Management
This feature allows the businesses to track the assets, orders, and support history of
the customers, all in one place. The agents can get a complete view of customer
activity and orders.
13. Account and Contact Management
The account and contact management feature helps the businesses to keep the critical
data of all the past communications done with the customers. So, if the customer
reaches with any complaint, agents can provide them a satisfactory resolution.

What is Azure?
Azure is Microsoft’s cloud platform, just like Google has its Google Cloud and Amazon
has its Amazon Web Service or AWS.000. Generally, it is a platform through which we can
use Microsoft’s resources. For example, to set up a huge server, we will require huge
investment, effort, physical space, and so on. In such situations, Microsoft Azure comes to
our rescue. It will provide us with virtual machines, fast processing of data, analytical and
monitoring tools, and so on to make our work simpler. The pricing of Azure is also simpler
 and cost-effective. Popularly termed as “Pay As You Go”, which means how much you use,
pay only for that.
Azure History
Microsoft unveiled Windows Azure in early October 2008 but it went to live after February
2010. Later in 2014, Microsoft changed its name from Windows Azure to Microsoft Azure.
Azure provided a service platform for .NET services, SQL Services, and many Live
Services. Many people were still very skeptical about “the cloud”. As an industry, we were
entering a brave new world with many possibilities. Microsoft Azure is getting bigger and
better in the coming days. More tools and more functionalities are getting added. It has two
releases as of now. It’s a famous version of Microsoft Azure v1 and later Microsoft Azure
v2. Microsoft Azure v1 was more JSON script-driven than the new version v2, which has
interactive UI for simplification and easy learning. Microsoft Azure v2 is still in the
preview version.
How Azure can help in business?
Azure can help our business in the following ways-
 Capital less: We don’t have to worry about the capital as Azure cuts out the high cost of
hardware. You simply pay as you go and enjoy a subscription-based model that’s kind to
your cash flow. Also, setting up an Azure account is very easy. You simply register in
Azure Portal and select your required subscription and get going.
 Less Operational Cost: Azure has a low operational cost because it runs on its servers
whose only job is to make the cloud functional and bug-free, it’s usually a whole lot more
reliable than your own, on-location server.
 Cost Effective: If we set up a server on our own, we need to hire a tech support team to
monitor them and make sure things are working fine. Also, there might be a situation
where the tech support team is taking too much time to solve the issue incurred in the
server. So, in this regard is way too pocket-friendly.
 Easy Back-Up and Recovery options: Azure keeps backups of all your valuable data. In
disaster situations, you can recover all your data in a single click without your business
getting affected. Cloud-based backup and recovery solutions save time, avoid large up-
front investments and roll up third-party expertise as part of the deal.
 Easy to implement: It is very easy to implement your business models in Azure. With a
couple of on-click activities, you are good to go. Even there are several tutorials to make
you learn and deploy faster.
 Better Security: Azure provides more security than local servers. Be carefree about your
critical data and business applications. As it stays safe in the Azure Cloud. Even, in
natural disasters, where the resources can be harmed, Azure is a rescue. The cloud is
always on.
 Work from anywhere: Azure gives you the freedom to work from anywhere and
everywhere. It just requires a network connection and credentials. And with most serious
Azure cloud services offering mobile apps, you’re not restricted to which device you’ve
got to hand.
 Increased collaboration: With Azure, teams can access, edit and share documents
anytime, from anywhere. They can work and achieve future goals hand in hand. Another
advantage of Azure is that it preserves records of activity and data. Timestamps are one
example of Azure’s record-keeping. Timestamps improve team collaboration by
establishing transparency and increasing accountability.

Microsoft Azure Services

Following are some of the services Microsoft Azure offers:
1. Compute: Includes Virtual Machines, Virtual Machine Scale Sets, Functions for
serverless computing, Batch for containerized batch workloads, Service Fabric for
microservices and container orchestration, and Cloud Services for building cloud-based
apps and APIs.
2. Networking: With Azure, you can use a variety of networking tools, like the Virtual
Network, which can connect to on-premise data centers; Load Balancer; Application
Gateway; VPN Gateway; Azure DNS for domain hosting, Content Delivery Network,
Traffic Manager, ExpressRoute dedicated private network fiber connections; and
Network Watcher monitoring and diagnostics
3. Storage: Includes Blob, Queue, File, and Disk Storage, as well as a Data Lake Store,
Backup, and Site Recovery, among others.
4. Web + Mobile: Creating Web + Mobile applications is very easy as it includes several
services for building and deploying applications.
5. Containers: Azure has a property that includes Container Service, which supports
Kubernetes, DC/OS or Docker Swarm, and Container Registry, as well as tools for
microservices.
6. Databases: Azure also included several SQL-based databases and related tools.
7. Data + Analytics: Azure has some big data tools like HDInsight for Hadoop Spark, R
Server, HBase, and Storm clusters
8. AI + Cognitive Services: With Azure developing applications with artificial intelligence
capabilities, like the Computer Vision API, Face API, Bing Web Search, Video Indexer,
and Language Understanding Intelligent.
9. Internet of Things: Includes IoT Hub and IoT Edge services that can be combined with
a variety of machine learning, analytics, and communications services.
10. Security + Identity: Includes Security Center, Azure Active Directory, Key Vault, and
Multi-Factor Authentication Services.
11. Developer Tools: Includes cloud development services like Visual Studio Team
Services, Azure DevTest Labs, HockeyApp mobile app deployment and monitoring,
Xamarin cross-platform mobile development, and more.

What is IBM Cloud?

IBM Cloud is a suite of cloud computing services from IBM that offers both platform as a
service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
Why is IBM Cloud used?
With IBM Cloud IaaS, organizations can deploy and access virtualized IT resources -- such
as compute power, storage and networking -- over the internet. For compute, organizations
can choose between bare-metal or virtual servers.
With IBM Cloud PaaS -- which is based on the open source cloud platform Cloud Foundry --
developers can use IBM services to create, manage, run and deploy various types of
applications for the public cloud, as well as for local or on-premises environments. IBM
Cloud supports various programming languages, such as Java, Node.js, PHP and Python and
extends to support other languages.
IBM Cloud products and services
IBM Cloud platform supports access to other IBM tools and services -- including IBM
Watson and IBM Cloud Functions for serverless computing -- as well as those from third-
party vendors.

IBM Cloud features

There are a number of IBM cloud services that are a part of the IBM cloud. These services
are grouped into 16 categories:
 AI/machine learning: A collection of Watson-based AI resources and tools for building
your own AI models.
 Automation: Automation resources enable business workflows to be automated using IBM
Cloud Pak. Turbonomic is also available as an automation resource and can be used for
application resource management and cost optimization.
 Containers: IBM offers its own cloud Kubernetes service, as well as access to the
container registry, Red Hat OpenShift and Istio (a server mesh for microservices).
 IBM Cloud Paks: IBM Cloud Paks are applications that are certified for use on Red Hat
Open Shift. Cloud Paks exist for business automation, data, integration, network
automation, security and Watson.
 Quantum: Provides the ability to run workloads on quantum systems through IBM
Quantum composer, the IBM Quantum Lab and the Qiskit SDK.
 Compute: Offers various compute resources, including bare-metal servers, VMs and
serverless computing on which enterprises can host their workloads.
 Networking: Provides cloud networking services, such as a load balancer, a content
delivery network, VPN tunnels and firewalls.
 Storage: IBM's cloud storage offerings include object, block and file storage for cloud
data.
  Logging and monitoring: Provides tools to log, manage and monitor cloud deployments,
including Cloud Activity Tracker, Cloud Log Analysis and Cloud Monitoring.
 Security: Includes services for activity tracking, identity and access management and
authentication.
 Databases: Provides a variety of SQL and NoSQL databases, as well as data querying,
warehousing and migration tools.
 Analytics: Offers data science tools such as Apache Spark, Apache Hadoop and IBM
Watson Machine Learning, as well as analytics services for streaming data.
 Internet of things (IoT): Includes the IBM IoT Platform, which provides services that
connect and manage IoT devices, and analyzes the data they produce.
 Developer tools: Includes a CLI, as well as a set of tools for continuous delivery,
continuous release and application pipelines.
 Blockchain: Provides IBM's Blockchain Platform, a SaaS offering to develop apps,
enforce governance and monitor a blockchain network.
 Integration: Offers services to integrate cloud and on-premises systems or various
applications, such as API Connect, App Connect and IBM Secure Gateway.

IBM Cloud deployment models

IBM offers three deployment models for its cloud platform:
1. Public: A public cloud that provides access to virtual servers in a multi-tenant
environment. An enterprise can choose to deploy its applications in one or multiple
geographical regions.
2. Dedicated: A single-tenant private cloud that IBM hosts in one of its data centers. An
enterprise can connect to the environment using a direct network connection or VPN, and
IBM manages the platform.
3. IBM Cloud Private: A version of the IBM platform that an organization deploys as a
private cloud in its own data center behind a firewall.
IBM Cloud pricing
The exact cost of IBM Cloud varies depending on resource usage, deployment model,
support and other factors. As of 2022, IBM offers two main pricing models. Those who
signed up for a lite account prior to October 25, 2021 are able to keep that account, but all
new accounts are automatically created as pay-as-you-go plans.

What is Blockchain?
A Blockchain is a digital ledger of transactions that is secure, immutable, and
decentralized.
It consists of a chain of blocks and each block contains a secure group of
transactions of money, bitcoins, contracts, property, etc. without any need for
third-party middle-man such as central authorities, banks, government, etc.
Transactions are verified by a network of computers.
Once a block of information is created in the chain, it can’t be changed or
deleted. This makes the blockchain very secure and trustworthy.
It is a software protocol, it never runs without the internet.
A Blockchain is a chain of blocks that contains information about transactions.
On completion of a transaction, it will go to the blockchain’s permanent
database.
It is mainly used for secure transactions without any third-party involvement in
between. To visualize blocks, transactions, and blockchain network metrics, you
can use blockchain explorer.
What Is a Blockchain?
The term "blockchain" refers to a digital transaction ledger maintained by a
network of computers in a way that makes it difficult to tamper with or modify the
data.

By eliminating the middleman or other third party, the technology provides a safe
way for people to transact with one another.

Cryptography is employed to connect a collection of records known as blocks.

Every transaction is independently validated via peer-to-peer computer networks,
time-stamped, and added to the ledger; the information that has been recorded
can't be changed easily.

Blockchains are well recognized for playing a key role in cryptocurrency systems
like Bitcoin in keeping a secured and decentralized history of transactions.

In contrast to databases, which typically organize information/data into tables, a

blockchain, as the name suggests, organizes data into chunks/blocks that are linked
together.

How does Blockchain work?

Transaction Process
(i) Facilitating a Transaction

A new transaction has been requested for the blockchain network, where all data
that requires to be transferred is double encrypted by the use of public and private
keys.
(ii) Transaction Verification

After that, the transaction is sent through the global network of peer-to-peer
computers, where all of the network's nodes will verify the transaction's
legitimacy, including if there is enough balance available to complete the
transaction.

(iii) New Block Formation

The blockchain network has multiple nodes, and numerous transactions are
confirmed simultaneously. A block is made up of several mempools, each of
which contains all the validated transactions at a specific node, and the transaction
will be included in the mempool after it has been reviewed and confirmed as valid.

(iv) Consensus Algorithm

The nodes that create a block will attempt to add it to the network in order to make
it permanent; however, if every node is permitted to add blocks in this way, the
blockchain network's functionality will be disrupted. In order to address this issue,
the nodes employ a consensus method to make sure that each new block added to
the chain represents the single version of the information validated by all the nodes
and that only a legitimate block is safely linked to the chain; a hash code for that
block is generated by the consensus method and is necessary for adding the block
to the chain.

(v) New Block Addition

The newly formed block is now set to be added to the chain after receiving its hash
value and being validated; a blockchain is made up of blocks that are
cryptographically connected to one another by the hash value of the preceding
block, which is included in each block and the open end of the blockchain receives
a new block.

(vi) Completion of Transaction

The transaction is finished as soon as the block is added to the chain, and the data
is then recorded there permanently; the transaction's information can be accessed
and verified by anybody.

Attributes of Blockchain

Though blockchains are typically used to keep the history of cryptocurrency

transactions, they also have the potential to store other data, such as digital assets
or product inventories.
o It has intrinsic value since it offers a reliable, safe, and quick means of transferring
value with minimal to no cost.
o It has no physical form since it only exists on the immutable blockchain.
o The majority of the participants in a cryptocurrency's decentralized network, rather
than a single centralized authority, make the decision based on a cryptocurrency's
attributes, like its total supply.

Features of Blockchain

Below mentioned are some of the primary features of the Blockchain:

Immutable
The blockchain is considered immutable as it can't be altered or modified. It is
therefore said to be a permanent network.

o Blockchain technology works by utilizing a network of nodes; every network node

has a copy of the digital ledger, and it assesses a transaction prior to adding it to
the network.
o If the majority of the nodes accept that it is authentic, the transaction is added. It
implies that no transaction blocks can be added to the ledger without obtaining the
approval of the majority of nodes.
o Any records/data that have been verified can't be changed or reversed; this
indicates that they cannot be edited, changed, or deleted by any user on the
network.

Decentralized
The blockchain network is decentralized, indicating that not only one entity will be
in charge of making all of the choices. Instead, a group of nodes creates and
maintains the network, and each node has an identical copy of the ledger. The
blockchain network's decentralization feature offers several benefits:

o A blockchain network is completely structured and fault-tolerant because it doesn't

rely on human computations.
o It makes it less vulnerable to failure due to its decentralized nature.
o There is no involvement/interference of a third party or middlemen; therefore,
there is no additional risk associated.
o It makes it simpler to create a transparent profile for every network user; as a
result, each change is traceable and more concrete.
o Users can have control over their properties and do not need to depend on third-
party to maintain and administer them.
 Secure
Each record on the blockchain is individually encrypted, further enhancing the
security of the network's process. As there is no centralized authority, it isn't
possible to simply add, modify, or remove data from the network.

All the information on the chain is hashed using cryptography, providing each one
a unique identity on the network. Any attempt to modify the information would
necessitate modifying every hash ID, which is simply not possible. Each block
contains its own special hash and the previous block's hash. The blocks are
"cryptographically" connected together due to this feature.

Consensus
Consensus is a method of making decisions that allow a group of network nodes to
reach an agreement swiftly and effectively, ensuring the system's smooth
functioning. Every blockchain has a consensus system that enables the network to
make decisions quickly and unbiasedly. Even though nodes may not have much
trust in one another, they might have trust in the network's central algorithm. A
consensus algorithm is required for any blockchain, or it will lose value. There are
numerous available consensus algorithms, each having advantages and
disadvantages.

Before records are approved into the network, all the participants must concur that
they are legitimate. A node should receive the consent of the majority in order to
add a block to the network, or else, the block can't be added. It is not possible for a
node to simply insert, alter, or erase data from the network. Every record is
updated at once, spreading quickly across the network. Thus, no modifications can
be performed until a majority of the network's nodes consent to them.

Benefits of Blockchain

The below mentioned are some of the blockchain benefits:

o One of the primary benefits of blockchains is that it is open to all; this implies that
anybody can contribute to this technology, and joining the distributed network
doesn't need permission from anyone.
o Blockchain can be used to record data in a decentralized way so that anyone may
check the accuracy of the data by employing zero-knowledge proof, wherein one
party verifies the accuracy of information to another party while not revealing
anything regarding the information.
o Since blockchain is a decentralized system with a large number of trusted nodes,
data/information recorded using it is permanent. This implies that one doesn't need
 to be concerned about losing their data since duplicate copies are maintained at
every local node.
o Because it is not controlled by a single party, blockchain is regarded as censorship-
free. Furthermore, it uses the concept of trusted nodes for verification and
consensus algorithms that validate transactions using smart contracts.
o Since every transaction is stored on a block linked to the others using hashing
methods, blockchain provides a higher level of security.
o Due to the decentralized nature of blockchain, it is difficult to alter data; if any
alterations are done, it is immediately reflected throughout all nodes, making theft
impossible. Therefore, it can be said that transactions are impervious to tampering.
o It makes transaction records visible everywhere since every node in the network
has a copy of every transaction, and if there are any modifications made to the
transaction, the other nodes can see it.
o Blockchain eliminates any third-party interference in transactions and eliminates
errors, making the system more effective and quick. Also, settlement is facilitated
and made easy this way.
o Blockchain lowers costs for businesses and builds trust with other partners because
it doesn't require a third party.

Applications of Blockchain

Blockchain technology has a wide range of uses in various categories/ fields, some
of which are mentioned below:

Healthcare

With smart contracts, blockchain can have a significant effect on the healthcare
industry. A contract between two parties can be established through smart
contracts without the necessity of a middleman, and the contract's terms are known
to all parties, and when its criteria are satisfied, it is immediately put into effect.
This could be highly helpful in the healthcare industry since it allows for the
encryption of personal health records using Blockchain technology, making them
only accessible to primary healthcare practitioners with a key.

Internet of Things
IoT is a system of interconnected devices that can communicate with one another
and gather information that may be utilized to obtain valuable insights. The Smart
Home, in which all home appliances like lights, air conditioners, speakers, etc.,
may be linked together on a single platform, could be one of the examples of IoT.
Blockchain technology can be utilized to secure this enormously dispersed system;
the security of an IoT system can only be as strong as finding the weakest link. In
this case, blockchain can be used to make sure that the information collected by
IoT devices is secure and accessible to only the right/trusted people.

Food and Medical Industry

Companies may trace their food items/products using blockchain technology from
the time they are harvested or manufactured until the point at which they are
received by consumers. Blockchain technology could aid in the creation of a
digital certificate for every food product, indicating where it originated from and
where it has been. As a result, if any contamination is found and the manufacturer
decides to return a batch of product due to particular quality concerns, they may
track the problem back to its source. A mechanism like this might be used in other
sectors too. It could be used to track pharmaceuticals and other common products,
as well as to combat counterfeit products by allowing anybody to check to see if
the item is from a genuine and authentic manufacturer.

Logistics and Supply Chain Tracking

There are numerous advantages to employing blockchain technology to track
products as they move through a logistics or supply chain network.

Firstly, it enables easier communication among parties since information is

available on a secure public ledger. It also offers increased security and data
integrity due to the immutability of the information on the blockchain. As a result,
participants in the logistics and supply chain can collaborate more readily and with
more assurance that the information being sent to them is relevant and updated.

Non-Fungible Tokens
NFTs are generally regarded as a means of acquiring ownership of digital art. Due
to the blockchain's precluding against information existing in two places, posting
an NFT on it assures that there is only a single copy of digital artwork. While
NFTs have many applications, at their base, they are a method of transferring
ownership over anything that may be represented by data.