Cloud Services Part 1
  1. Cloud Computing - Introduction
  2. Cloud Services Models
  3. Cloud Services Part 1

 Introduction

We may imagine other services in cloud. For example Business as a Service is next step of cloud services evolution.
BaaS moves an entire business or business division into the cloud.
BaaS:
  • business services (offered as SaaS)
  • orchestrated (BPaaS – business process as a service)
  • managed and monitored (MaaS)
  • run (as PaaS)
  • and hosted (on IaaS).
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Fig. 3.5/1: BaaS in cloud Layer Model
Fig. 3.5/1: BaaS in cloud Layer Model
Run and monitor entire business in the cloud. Below we have a posision of BaaS in cloud Layer Model


In BaaS vendors not only host software solusions, but:
  • take part in managing the business
  • ensure the goals are met
and allow CXOs to focus on their core businesses instead.

 BaaS benefits

BaaS will bring to the table the following benefits:
  • Speed: Business vendor experience and complex, knowledge-based work to deliver the best business results, fast
  • Adaptability/Agility: Add on innovation from third parties to enterprise business processes
  • Scalability/Elasticity: Service availability to other companies with shared costs and shared risk options
  • Reliability/Repeatability: Process learning, improvement and automation internally and externally
  • Cost Flexibility: No capital investment with a subscription pricing model
  • Analytics: Performance, efficiency and cost improvement reports
  • Strategic Goal Focus: Greater efficiencies and innovative business capabilities by combining platforms, applications, infrastructure and knowledge processes
  • Collaboration: Improved communication between business and IT
  • Monitoring and Accountability: Real-time monitoring and management of business processes

 Services comparison and evolution

In general we may look at cloud services evolution during last years
Fig. 3.5/2
Fig. 3.5/2

 General description

This kind of service was introduced few years ago as Remote Backup Systems (formerly Quantum Tech).
That was the first company to offer remote backup solutions to service providers
A particular BaaS is kind of file hosting service for:
  • Remote
  • Online
  • Managed
… backup service in ….
  • Cloud backup
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 Features of BaaS

Most important features of BaaS
Most important features of BaaS are
  • Ubiquitous access
  • Scalability and elastic
  • Metered by use
  • Shared and secure

Other interesting features

  • Encryption
    • data encrypted before sending across the internet
    • stored in encrypted form
  • Personal encryption
    • user manages his own encryption key or password.
    • in case of losing, there is no way to access the data.
    • the service provider cannot access the user's data even if required by the government.
    • password recovery or reset mechanism, proves that provider do not have personal encryption.
    • File-by-File Restore
    • The ability to restore files without help of service provider
    • Ability to select files by searching them by names, dates, etc.
    • Various payment methods
    • Limited plan (storage limit)
    • Unlimited plan
    • $/MB plan
    • Often only current version size is measured (no matter how many backups)
    • Pay per computer / per storage unit
    • Various versioning plans - any changes can be undone, and files can be undeleted.
    • Limited / unlimited number of versions (e.g. 5 last versions)
    • Limited / unlimited lifetime of versions (e.g. 30 days)
  • Net drives
    • network drive acts as a regular computer drive, but is hosted remotely on a file server
    • common protocols (FTP, SMB, NAS)
  • Online access to files
    • Access to backed-up files via a web browser (uncommon)
  • Data compression
    • Minimization of bandwidth usage
    • Lossless compression
  • Auto detecting changes
    • A desktop client can detect and upload changes without scanning all files
    • Only changed files are sent
  • Differential data compression
    • Only the binary data that has changed is sent (not entire files)
  • Bandwidth usage
    • Possibility for user to limit the bandwidth usage
  • Off-line backup
    • Covering backups when network connection is broken
    • Online backup is updated when connection is restored
  • Synchronization
    • Functionality allowing users to keep a consistent data across many computers
  • From the user point of view BaaS offers network backup.
    All backups are for
  • multiple computers
  • Servers
  • Network Attached Storage
  • from a single computer or device
  • Continuous backup – Continuous Data Protection
    • Backup at every change
    • Scheduled backups
  • For the business user on other hands BaaS features are
  • Bulk restore
    • Restoring from a portable storage device when full restore over the Internet might take too long
  • Centralized management console
    • Monitoring tools
  • File retencion policies
    • Different backup policies for different groups of files
  • Fully managed services
    • High level of support
  • Redundancy
    • Multiple copies in multiple localizations
  • Regulatory compliance
    • Help in fulfillment and understanding of government backup regulations
  • Seed loading
    • Ability to send the first backup on portable storage device – not via Internet
  • Server backup
    • Specialized services for servers
  • Versioning
    • Keeping multiple past versions of files, allowing rollbacks and restoration from specific point in time
  • Hybrid backup
    • Storing backup to local drive (fast backup) and then encrypting and sending it online
  • Data deduplication
    • Specialized data compression for eliminating duplicate copies of repeating data
  • Green hosting
    • Eco-friendly data center

 BaaS Providers

AcronisDolly DriveiCloudSugarSync
AltDriveDiinoInfinitSyncplicity
ASUS WebStorageDropboxJungle DiskTarnsnap
BlackblazeDropmysiteKeepVaultTeamDrive
Barracuda Backup ServiceDruva InsyncLivedriveUbuntu One
BitcasaEgnyteMediaFireUnitrends Vault2Cloud
BoxElephantDriveMEGAUpdateStar Online Backup
BullGuard BackupEvaultMemopalusenet backup
CarboniteFilesAnywhereMiMediaWuala
CloudMeF-SecureMozyYandex.Disk
Comodo BackupGoogle DriveNorton ZoneZetta.net
CrashPlanHandy BackupOneDriveZmanda Cloud Backup
CubbyHumyo (now SafeSync)OwnDrive
Dell DatasafeIASO BackupSpiderOak
Table 3.5/1: List of providers

 General description

CaaS is an outsourced enterprise communication solution that can be leased from a single vendor.
  • Voice ofer Internet Protocol - VoIP
  • Instant Messaging (IM)
  • Collaboration and videoconference applications
CaaS vendor is responsible for:
  • Hardware management (servers, ups, not headphones)
  • Software management
  • Quality of Service

 CaaS features

  • Enterprise:
    • Desktop call control,
    • Presence,
    • Unified messaging,
    • Desktop faxing
  • Automation:
    • IVR – interactive voice response
    • ACD – automation call distribution
    • Call recording
    • Multimedia routing (e-mail and text chat)
  • Screen pop integration.
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