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Cloud technologies are used in the field. "cloud" technologies in education. The essence of cloud computing

Cloud technologies are one of the blessings of civilization. Every second Internet user uses them to store and exchange data, but in practice, only a few understand how and how securely it works.

Today, active users are not limited to one gadget - everyone has a smartphone plus a laptop, desktop computer or tablet. You may need access to a file at any time, but you don’t want to carry flash memory and other storage devices. The same situation arises when it is necessary to synchronize information on your work and home PCs, make changes to documents, and edit files.

Cloud technologies are distributed data processing in which the user receives access to computer programs, computing and other capacities as an online service - in real time.

This also means access to virtual storage from anywhere in the world. To do this, you need any device with an Internet connection and a web browser.

A good example with email. If the email client is installed on a computer, the data is stored in the PC's memory. If the user uses mail through a browser, then this is a cloud service.

If there are technical or other problems with the service, access to data will be lost forever. This is one of the main disadvantages of online solutions. The second disadvantage is the ability to use it if you have access to the Internet. The services have many times more advantages.

Benefits of cloud technologies

Virtual services free you from the need to work with flash drives and solve the problem of hard disk space limitations - the user is given several gigabytes for free, and if necessary, they can be purchased in addition.
No need to buy licensed software.
The service allows several employees or a creative team to simultaneously work with one file.
The user can store information in any format and freely access it from any device - there is no connection to the memory of a specific computer.
The use of such virtual storage frees up space on your hard drive, increasing the speed of your computer.
Solutions allow you to eliminate the need for administrators to maintain computers and peripherals. Virtual offices significantly simplify work, reduce costs, and allow you to solve complex technical problems automatically.
They can be used on different platforms and, if necessary, scaled. The elastic and flexible structure makes this easy to do.

Originally from the last century

The history of cloud technologies (computing) begins in 1970 - from the moment the American scientist Joseph Licklider voiced his idea. It consisted in the possibility of providing Internet users with access not only to data, but also to programs.

A similar idea was proposed by John McCarthy, proposing to use computing power as an Internet service. Soon work in this area stopped for almost 20 years.

In the 90s, Internet bandwidth increased, but a breakthrough did not occur due to the unpreparedness of specialized companies. At the turn of the century, a company appeared that provided visitors with access to the application through the website. She was the first to offer access to software as a service.

In 2002, Amazon took advantage of new opportunities. Its web service provided information storage and allowed calculations. Four years later, Amazon offered users the opportunity to run their own apps.

The next stage of development was the launch of the Google Apps platform and the launch of a full-fledged operating system in the cloud, announced by Microsoft.

Technical progress and the emergence of open source software have largely contributed to the modernization and expansion of the functionality of technological solutions.

Cloud technologies appeared in Russia in 2010. At the start, the annual volume of their market was:

$15 million from the public cloud;
5 million dollars - from a private one.

After only 4 years, these figures increased to 125 and 33 million dollars, respectively. The upward trend continued in subsequent years, which naturally indicates interest in cloud solutions.

Species

Public. This category of services is available to a large number of users and companies. Users cannot manage and maintain the cloud - these are the privileges of the owner.
Private. The Service is used and controlled for the benefit of one organization. The IT infrastructure is located on the premises of the customer or provider.
Hybrid. This group has the advantages of the two previous categories. Such services are usually used by organizations with seasonal activity, which do not have enough of their own capacity, so they use external resources for a certain period.

Application of cloud technologies

Today the concept of cloud systems covers different types services and is successfully used in education, medicine, logistics, banking, and business.

The simplest example of application for personal purposes is Google cloud technologies. After installing Google Drive, the user receives storage for his data, which allows him to abandon the old ways of storing information on disks and flash memory.

Google Doc and Word Online from Yandex Disk are full-fledged editors that allow you to work with documents of different formats.

Education

Computers and high speed internet contributed to the improvement of the education system, simplified the presentation of material, and made it possible to solve other important problems. Here are just a few of them:

Organization distance learning using cloud technologies in education.
Students work on a common project, where each group member and teacher can leave comments, edits, remarks, and add information.
Electronic diaries.
Submitting homework and checking it for homeschooled children.

Medicine

Accurate and quick diagnosis, selection of the correct treatment tactics, exchange of opinions with colleagues in real time, systematization of medical documentation - this is not a complete list of the use of new solutions.

In the future, cloud technologies can become breakthroughs in healthcare, providing access to information about the patient and the results of laboratory and instrumental diagnostics. Simply put, patients will not have to create cards in all hospitals - the necessary data on diseases and test results will be stored in one place.

Logistics

The cloud in logistics unites the sender, recipient, carrier company, and operator into a single chain. The service allows you to track the route of shipments, communicate with each other, regardless of location, and quickly solve problems associated with cargo delays.

Online services are also used as platforms for organizing tenders and selecting contractors, analyzing inventory balances and timely replenishment, storing transportation data and determining the profitability of routes.

Banks

Competition in banking sector high, which forces financial organizations implement innovations to improve the quality and quantity of services offered and reduce its own operating costs.

The use of cloud technologies allows you to automate financial processes and solve all the above problems with minimal costs.

Business

Businesses are open to innovation and actively implement them to create contact centers and virtual offices. Employees of virtual offices are not tied to a specific computer and location, which provides savings on renting office space and paying for utilities.

All drives, folders, economic planning programs and other intranet data are reproduced in the cloud.

Safety

Cloud technology security is an area that every provider pays special attention to. Otherwise, he will lose clients, because IT infrastructure used to store confidential and strategic data, so it must be reliably protected.

Security depends on the type of server: virtual or dedicated. Virtual servers involve placing client information in a single environment. There is a possibility that if there is an error in the code, owners of other accounts will see someone else's data.

Dedicated servers allow you to create a more secure and functional environment and provide freedom of action when choosing and installing an operating system and software for normal operation.

Service providers always encrypt information hosted on their servers using special cryptographic software. Data can only be accessed using a password specified by an authorized user.

The manager can always track who viewed the information and at what time, what his employees were doing and what was happening on their desktop in a specific time period.

A guarantee of data safety is their daily copying. Transmission channels from servers to PCs and back are protected by several reliable programs so that the code cannot be hacked.

Every year there is more and more trust in online solutions. Today there are already offers with an integrated data self-protection algorithm. The system will grant access if the environment is identified by it as safe. Otherwise, the data will not be usable.

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INTRODUCTION

For many years, information technology has been inextricably linked with business. This is because information technology provides opportunities to improve business efficiency. To remain competitive, companies need to not only keep up with trends and new technologies, but also apply them. These technologies include cloud computing, which is increasingly gaining popularity in the business world.

Cloud computing is a model for providing ubiquitous and convenient network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be quickly provisioned and released with minimal operational costs or service provider calls. The essence of cloud technologies is to provide clients with remote access to services, computing resources and applications via the Internet.

The relevance of this topic is due to the fact that the use of cloud technologies makes it possible to effectively solve business problems. The introduction of cloud technologies leads to significant changes in the organization, including:

Reduced investment in IT

Reduce IT maintenance resources

Increased productivity

Business adaptability

Disaster recovery

Increasing Capacity and Availability

Despite the effectiveness of these technologies, many companies do not use them, preferring other methods of deploying IT infrastructure. Thus, such companies begin to yield to their competitors, because Business efficiency largely depends on the information technologies used. Thus, today the issue of using cloud technologies in business is relevant, because companies need to know and apply the most effective technologies to improve their business processes that affect the profitability of the organization.

The purpose of this work is to identify how effective the use of cloud technologies in business is. To achieve this goal, I need to complete the following tasks:

1. Define cloud technologies, describe their main characteristics, identify the advantages and disadvantages of using cloud technologies in business

2. Identify the opportunities that cloud technologies provide to companies

3. Explore the functions and capabilities of the Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud cloud solution from Kaspersky Lab

4. Assess the effectiveness of using the cloud solution under study in small and medium-sized businesses

This work consists of a main and practical part. The main part contains 3 chapters that define cloud technologies, describe models for deploying and maintaining cloud technologies, and identify the advantages and disadvantages of using cloud technologies in business. In the practical part of the work, I examine the cloud solution Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud and evaluate the effectiveness of its use in small and medium-sized businesses.

cloud business kaspersky

1. CONCEPT OF CLOUD TECHNOLOGY

1.1 Definition

Today, cloud computing is one of the most popular areas of information technology development. Modern conditions The information world requires solving many tasks that can be effectively performed using cloud technologies. Many of the world's largest IT companies use cloud computing, which confirms the effectiveness of these technologies.

Cloud technologies present universal environment for storing and processing information that combines hardware, licensed software, communication channels, as well as technical support users. Cloud technologies also mean the ability to obtain the necessary computing power upon request from the Internet. Today, large data centers allow not only storing and processing data in their centers, but also make it possible to create your own virtual data centers. This allows companies to avoid wasting resources on building their infrastructure from scratch.

The main feature of cloud technologies is scalability: these technologies are not strictly tied to a hardware platform, nor are they tied to a geographic territory. The use of cloud technologies in companies is aimed at reducing costs and increasing the efficiency of business processes.

Cloud technologies are data processing technologies in which computer resources are provided to the Internet user as an online service. Thanks to this, the user works with cloud services from anywhere and from any device: the main thing is to have access to the Internet. Access to the “cloud” can be had not only via the Internet, but also via local network. In this case, the user's computer is a terminal connected to the Network. Those computers that perform cloud computing are “cloud computing.” The load is distributed automatically between such computers.

The cloud has three main components:

Cloud computing. Cloud computing refers to the architecture of computer data processing. Cloud architecture provides opportunities for self-service, scale and flexible processes. This architectural solution replaces fixed costs with variable ones and provides ample opportunities for data analysis.

Cloud platforms. Cloud platforms include tools, software and information models, system software and other technologies that perform tasks.

Cloud services. Cloud services are models for providing information services.

The development of cloud technologies has a huge impact on business. In order to have an advantage over competitors, companies need to take into account modern trends in information technology. Companies that use cloud technologies in their business processes receive a number of benefits. Cloud computing is an approach to business process management that reduces the complexity of information systems. This is achieved through the use of cloud computing, self-managed and available on demand within a virtual infrastructure.

Thus, companies have the following advantages from using cloud computing: reduced IT costs, improved quality of service, and business dynamism. The reduction in IT costs is due to the fact that cloud technologies reduce operational and capital costs: thanks to the cloud, a company's IT specialists can focus on strategic projects without wasting time on managing their own data center.

Cloud technologies work as follows: companies, instead of purchasing, installing and managing their own servers to run applications, rent servers (for example, from Microsoft or Google). The user controls these servers via the Internet. Payment only includes the actual use of servers for processing and storing data.

Computing clouds consist of a huge number of servers located in data centers. Data centers support tens of thousands of applications that are used simultaneously by millions of concurrent users. Full automation is a requirement effective management infrastructure of this scale.

Thus, the use of cloud technologies is becoming a trend and companies need to be aware of them and use them effectively to improve business processes.

1.2 Characteristics of cloud technologies

In order for information resources to be classified as cloud technologies, they must have the following key properties: have high availability and scalability, and be cost-effective for the client. In order to distinguish cloud technologies from other earlier approaches to the provision of hardware and software resources, the following main characteristics of cloud computing are distinguished:

1. Wide network availability

2. Easy scalability, elasticity

3. Possibility of monitoring

4. Consumption accounting

5. Self-service on demand

6. Pooling resources

Wide network accessibility means that software products, resources and services are available to the user over the network, no matter what device is used. The user can use a personal computer, laptop, tablet, mobile phone or any other terminal device - the main thing is to have access to the network.

Easy scalability consists of connecting (or disconnecting) additional hardware or software devices. This happens without additional delays with the supplier, automatically.

Clouds are equipped with a monitoring system that allows you to monitor the stability of operation and assess availability.

The following characteristic is especially important for business, because directly affects the monetary resources spent on IT. It is economically beneficial that when using cloud technologies there is consumption accounting. The client does not spend money on resources that are not used. The resources consumed are taken into account (for example, the number of users and transactions, the amount of data storage used), and based on this accounting, the supplier evaluates the services provided to the client in monetary terms.

On-demand self-service enables the customer to manage their computing needs. Such needs include server time, speed of access and data processing, and the amount of stored data. The client can exercise such control without direct contact with the service provider.

Finally, resource pooling means that the provider combines resources to serve a large number of consumers into a single pool in order to dynamically distribute power among consumers as demand for capacity constantly changes. Thus, clients monitor only the basic parameters (data volume, access speed, etc.), and the actual distribution of resources is monitored by the service provider.

2. MODELS OF DEPLOYMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF CLOUD TECHNOLOGIES

2.1 Cloud deployment models

Typically, the following cloud deployment models are distinguished: private, public and hybrid cloud.

The main models are public cloud and private cloud. A public cloud provides cloud services and resources to a large number of customers using public data centers. A private cloud provides the organization’s own infrastructure. Speaking about the public cloud, it is worth noting that it allows you to convert all relevant costs into operational costs and ensures a quick and budget-friendly launch of an IT solution. With a private cloud, capital investment is saved while maintaining full control of the IT infrastructure.

If we talk in more detail about the private cloud, it should be noted that a private cloud is an infrastructure that is located within one organization. The private cloud is designed to meet the needs of internal workers while providing a high level of data security.

Today, businesses are placing more and more demands on IT technologies. A private cloud allows you to solve problems such as providing a large number of business services and optimizing costs. By deploying a private cloud, a company reduces risks associated with information security and guarantees high availability of IT resources, despite the possible high load on servers.

Speaking about the advantages of a private cloud, we can note the following:

1. Compared to the public cloud, the company has more opportunities to control the IT infrastructure, because all its components remain on the company’s side.

2. High level of security. This is ensured by the fact that the service is consumed by one organization, so the infrastructure can be optimally configured to meet the data protection requirements of that organization.

3. High performance. It is connected, in particular, with the fact that all operations take place within the framework of internal firewalls and means of protecting the perimeter of the corporate network. Thanks to this, data transfer is fast.

4. When implementing a private cloud, the efficiency of the IT department increases - at any time it can quickly deploy the required service. IT specialists only need to “pick up” the virtual machine from the template and install the required service.

Despite their advantages, private clouds have a number of disadvantages:

1. Significant costs at all stages life cycle clouds. The deployment phase requires investment in hardware and software.

In addition, a private cloud must be managed, which entails administration and specialist costs.

2. Compared to the public cloud, the risks of service failure or data loss due to physical threats are much more significant.

3. The company may face a lack of space in the cloud when infrastructure resources may not be enough.

Analyzing the above, we can conclude that the most significant disadvantage of a private cloud is the need to spend a significant amount of human and material resources for its creation and further operation. This significantly affects financial condition organizations.

Moving on to the public cloud, it is worth saying that a public cloud is an infrastructure designed for free use by several organizations. This cloud model can be owned by multiple companies. Despite this, the word “public” does not mean that user data is available to absolutely everyone. The public cloud implements security mechanisms to control access. Ease of configuration and low cost are the main advantages of public cloud deployment. The provider does all the work associated with creating the cloud, and the client only configures the amount of resources he needs.

In the case of a public cloud, the consumer uses the infrastructure of a third-party provider, which creates many opportunities for efficient use and redistribution of resources. Public cloud services are easy and efficient to use, as clients require nothing more than a stable Internet connection to access applications.

Speaking about the advantages of the public cloud, it is worth noting the following:

1. Ease and efficiency of use.

2. To access applications, you only need a stable Internet connection.

3. Using a public cloud makes it possible to reduce IT costs due to the absence of expenses for hardware and software.

4. Flexibility and scalability: the public cloud allows you to pay for exactly as many resources as are required at the moment, and adjust this parameter up or down.

5. Reducing time for infrastructure maintenance.

6. The risk of business process downtime due to server failures is eliminated, since application servers are located in the cloud. Providers' virtual servers are most often configured on a powerful physical base and located in large data centers, where possible downtime amounts to minutes per year.

7. Use of public clouds and lack of user contact with complex computer equipment allows you to refuse the services of additional IT specialists.

However, the public cloud model has some disadvantages:

1. The main disadvantage of the public cloud is the lack of control on the part of the organization, since the performance of services is completely subordinate to the service provider.

2. Slow speed: The performance of public cloud services directly depends on the stability of the Internet connection, so in some cases data transfer may be slow. When handling large volumes of data, public clouds are inferior in performance to private clouds.

3. Poor data security is a characteristic feature of public cloud environments. Private cloud security is much more reliable.

In addition to private and public clouds, there is a hybrid cloud.

Hybrid cloud is a cloud infrastructure deployment model that provides a combination of private and public clouds and combines the benefits of each separately. The combination of these two models allows a company that already has a private cloud to leverage the resources of the public cloud. Thus, the organization has the opportunity, if necessary, to expand its own infrastructure using the computing resources of the public cloud.

Therefore, when choosing a hybrid cloud, a company gains the control and security of a private cloud with the scale and benefits of a public cloud.

Hybrid cloud features:

1. Expanding the capabilities of the private cloud. Hybrid cloud allows network users to access the applications they need in a private cloud through a public cloud, while the security of the private cloud remains the same.

2. Load redistribution. A hybrid cloud allows, if necessary, to transfer part of the load from a private cloud to a public one, which ensures a high level of performance.

3. Data security. To increase the level of data security, a hybrid cloud allows, if necessary, to store “backups” from a private cloud in encrypted form in a public cloud.

4. Mobility. Thanks to the ability to organize access to certain applications from a private cloud through a public cloud, it is possible to work with these applications from anywhere in the world as long as you have an Internet connection.

2.2 Cloud technology service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)

The cloud computing concept is characterized by service models (layers) that perform specific functions. The cloud provides the following service levels:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Figure 1. Cloud technology service models

Infrastructure as a service, IaaS is the provision of computer infrastructure as a service based on the concept of cloud computing? This service model consists of physical assets - network devices, servers, disks, etc. When interacting with IaaS, the user does not control the underlying infrastructure. It manages the data stores, operating system, deployed applications, and network components.

IaaS relieves a company of the need to maintain complex IT infrastructures, data centers, client and network infrastructures. This helps reduce associated capital costs and operating costs.

Platform as a service, PaaS - is it the provision of an integrated service? platforms for developing, testing, deploying and maintaining web applications? as services.

PaaS is a service model where the client is given the opportunity to use a cloud infrastructure to host basic software and then host applications on it. Such a platform includes tools for creating and testing application software. These tools are provided by the cloud provider.

PaaS, as an integrated platform for developing, testing, deploying and supporting web applications, allows the entire range of operations? for developing, testing and deploying a web application? run in one integrated environment. This approach eliminates the cost of maintaining separate environments for each stage of application development.

Ability to create source code and make it available to general access within the development team significantly increases the productivity of creating an application? based on PaaS.

Service as a Service, SaaS, is an application deployment model that involves providing the application to the end user as an on-demand service. The SaaS concept makes it possible to use software as a service and do it remotely over the Internet. This allows the client not to buy software product, but only use it temporarily when the need arises. In this case, the main advantage of the SaaS model for the client is the absence of costs associated with installing, updating and maintaining the equipment and software running on it.

The SaaS model is characterized by the following:

the application can be used remotely

The application is charged either as a monthly subscription fee or based on total transaction volume

no additional payment is required for application support

regular automatic updates

The application can be used by several clients at the same time

The target audience of SaaS is end consumers.

To more accurately describe the three service models, Table 1 describes their characteristics, advantages, disadvantages and risks.

Table 1. Service models. Characteristics, advantages, disadvantages and risks

Service models	Characteristics	Advantages	Disadvantages and risks
	1. Typically platform independent; 2. Reduced infrastructure costs; 3. Pay as you go; 4. Automatic scaling.	3. Low threshold for implementation; 4. Smooth scaling.	1. Efficiency and performance vary by service provider; 2. Potentially large long-term costs; 3. Centralization requires new methods of protection and security.
	1. Uses cloud infrastructure; 2. Provides dynamic project management techniques.	Seamless version deployment.	Centralization requires new security and protection methods that ensure that malware cannot exploit vulnerabilities in the software platform.
	1. User interface; 2. Interaction via API (application programming interface); 3. Semantic compatibility.	1. Reduced costs for hardware and labor resources; 2. Reducing the risk of loss of investment; 3. Regular updates.	Centralization requires new methods of protection and security that are related to the confidentiality of client data.

3. APPLICATION OF CLOUD TECHNOLOGY IN BUSINESS

3.1 Selecting an IT infrastructure for small and medium-sized businesses

A company may have a choice between the following IT infrastructures:

Internal IT infrastructure with self-support

Managed services: IT infrastructure functions are transferred to services that are managed by third parties

Cloud IT infrastructure

In the case where the equipment is owned by the company, the company has an IT infrastructure with internal management. If we compare internal and cloud infrastructure, it is worth noting that cloud infrastructure has a significant advantage in terms of financial indicators: When using a cloud-based IT infrastructure, there is no capital investment required to use it.

When using internal IT infrastructure, a company purchases expensive equipment and pays for the services of people who maintain this equipment. When one of the servers fails, the company must bear the financial costs of repairing and replacing equipment.

When transferring IT infrastructure functions to third-party companies, the following happens: the organization pays a third-party company that owns the servers. The company pays for equipment rental and maintenance.

If one of the servers fails, the third-party company that provides this service takes care of its repair and replacement. This company also makes sure that the necessary operating systems are installed on the servers and manages the network infrastructure on which the servers operate.

A comparative analysis of these IT infrastructures can be carried out by considering the following aspects taken into account when choosing an IT infrastructure:

investment

ongoing operating costs

commissioning time

flexibility

personnel qualification requirements

reliability

Investments. The choice of internal IT infrastructure involves high capital investments, because... The company itself purchases expensive equipment. In the case of managed services, the company has a more moderate investment: the company must pay an initial fee to use the equipment of a third party. Cloud IT infrastructure requires low capital investment: as a rule, organizations do not incur any initial costs or mandatory payments.

Ongoing operating costs. Current operating costs for internal infrastructure consist of costs for wages personnel who maintain and operate the equipment, and the costs of space that is provided by the hosting provider, as well as the costs of real estate, energy and utilities.

For managed services, ongoing operating costs vary depending on the terms of the contract. Often the fees for using a third-party service can be expensive, but in this case the company usually knows how much it will have to spend each month. This amount usually does not change. When considering cloud IT infrastructure, it is worth noting that it can be expensive or cheap: it depends on the needs of the company itself, because cloud infrastructure means that the company pays only for the resources and capacity consumed.

Time of putting into use. The internal IT infrastructure is characterized by a long time to put a new component into use. This is because when using internal infrastructure, a company that wants to add a new component to its infrastructure must plan this work in advance, place an order for the new component, wait for it to be delivered, and implement it in its data center. When a company uses the services of a third-party service provider, the time to bring a new component into use is usually shorter because such third-party companies purchase equipment in advance. With cloud infrastructure, a company can “spinning up” a new server in a matter of minutes if the organization decides it needs one.

Flexibility. The internal IT infrastructure has poor flexibility because... this type of infrastructure has severe limitations. There are common cases where there is an increase in resource requirements and there is not enough disk space. The company can eliminate these needs only through new financial costs. Third party service providers have moderate flexibility. They can offer the company a temporary increase in disk space and resources. Cloud infrastructure is highly flexible. This is because such an infrastructure provides the company with resources as needed. A company may not use resources when it does not need them.

Requirements for personnel qualifications. Internal IT infrastructure requires highly qualified personnel. In this case, employees perform the following functions: understand the company’s IT infrastructure, support and replace equipment, monitor the current state of operating systems, install updates to operating systems and software. In the case when a company uses the services of a third-party service provider, the requirements for personnel qualifications are minimal. All issues related to IT infrastructure are resolved by a third-party company that is paid for it. When using cloud infrastructure, personnel requirements vary and depend on how and what exactly the company uses.

Reliability. In the case of internal IT infrastructure, reliability depends on a number of circumstances. Whether an information environment has high fault tolerance primarily depends on the qualifications of the company's employees and the investment in IT infrastructure. Third-party service providers provide high reliability. When comparing third-party service providers with cloud infrastructure, it is worth noting that the latter lacks stability and service levels. Thus, the reliability of the cloud infrastructure can be either moderate or high: it largely depends on the service provider.

Based on the above, we can conclude that for small and medium-sized companies having their own IT infrastructure is not advisable, because This type of infrastructure requires large capital investments and equipment maintenance costs. The choice of such an infrastructure is justified only if the company, from the point of view of confidentiality and security, cannot store its data on the side.

Thus, today it is profitable for companies to use the services of service providers or switch to using cloud infrastructure.

3.2 Benefits of using cloud technologies in business

Cloud technologies have a number of advantages. Next I will consider each of them.

Availability. Cloud technologies make it possible to access products and services from any computer that has Internet access.

Client computers. When using cloud services, a company does not need to purchase equipment with a large amount of memory and disks. Using programs via the Internet does not require a company to have a large number of such computers. Also, the company does not need a large number of storage media, because all programs, services and documents are stored in the cloud.

Reduce damage from data loss or equipment theft. When data is stored in the cloud, copies of this data are distributed across several servers, which may be located in different countries. This way, if equipment is stolen or fails, the company does not lose valuable data.

Reliability. Data centers are managed by qualified specialists who provide ongoing support for the operation of equipment and services. This fact indicates a fairly high level of reliability and fault tolerance of the system.

Economical. The company pays only for those services that it uses. Cloud technologies make it possible to pay only for the resources actually used.

Rental of resources. The need for computing resources is not constant: at some period of time the company needs additional computing resources, at some period of time they are not necessary, that is, the resources are simply not used. Cloud technologies provide companies with the opportunity to use only required quantity computing resources, thereby reducing the cost of equipment and its maintenance.

Software rental. Cloud technologies make it possible not to purchase software packages for each company employee. Instead, the company buys only the software it needs in the cloud. Purchased programs are used only by those employees who need these programs for work. It is worth noting that the cost of programs that are available via the Internet is lower than their local counterparts for the PC. If the programs are not used frequently by users, then they can be rented at an hourly rate rather than purchased. One of the main advantages of renting software from cloud providers is that the company does not need to spend money and time on updating programs and maintaining them in working order at each workplace.

Service. With the introduction of cloud technologies, there are fewer physical servers, so it becomes easier and faster to maintain them. When considering the software, it is worth noting that it is installed and configured in the cloud. Its update takes place there. The company always makes sure that the latest version of the program is used. In addition, there is no need to spend money on software updates.

Open interfaces. Clouds typically have standard APIs (application programming interfaces) for communicating with existing applications and for developing new ones.

Flexibility and scalability. This implies unlimited computing resources (memory, processors, disks, etc.). Cloud technologies are elastic and scalable because resources are allocated and released based on need.

Performance computing. Compared to a regular PC, the computing power available to cloud computing users is limited only by the number of remote servers. This means that employees can solve more complex tasks that require large number memory and storage space. In other words, employees have the opportunity to work with a powerful computer without the company actually purchasing it. Scalability manifests itself in the ability to run a large number of copies of the application on many virtual machines. The number of application copies can increase on demand, depending on the load.

Data storage. Personal computers have limited memory. When using cloud technologies, a company has the amount of data storage that it needs at a particular moment. There is no risk of running out of memory space because... cloud technologies provide huge amount gigabyte of free space.

Technology for a young company. Cloud technologies are a financially viable solution for a young company, because... there is no need to purchase various expensive equipment and software, as well as to hire people who will support it.

3.3 Disadvantages of using cloud technologies in business

Despite the large number of advantages, cloud technologies have a number of disadvantages, including:

The need for a constant connection to the network. Cloud technologies almost always require a constant Internet connection. This may cause some inconvenience to the company and affect the continuity of business processes, because... If there is no access to the network, then there are no programs or documents. In addition, often cloud-based applications require a stable and good Internet connection with high bandwidth, which leads to the fact that programs can run slower than if they were located locally rather than in the cloud.

Data security. When choosing a cloud provider, you must take into account that not all third-party providers can be trusted with your data. The company must be sure that the provider provides high-quality cloud services, has been working in this service market for many years and has a good reputation. Otherwise, the company may be at risk of losing confidential data.

The state in whose territory the data center is located may have access to any information stored in it. For example, in the USA (the country with the largest number of data centers at the moment), the provider company can disclose the fact of transfer of confidential information only to its lawyers. This problem is key to the issue of storing confidential information in the cloud, which can be solved in several ways: encrypt the information and not store the most valuable information with the provider. One way or another, companies using cloud technologies must take this point into account.

Functionality of cloud programs. Not all programs or their features are accessible remotely. Today, if we compare the functionality of local and cloud programs, the latter are inferior to the former (for example, Google Docs and Microsoft Excel: the latter has more functions and capabilities).

Dependency on cloud provider. There is a risk that the provider may not back up the data and it may be lost. However, this risk is no greater than the risk that employees themselves may lose valuable data by losing a device or failing to back up data on their PC in a timely manner.

Thus, the advantages of using cloud technologies outweigh the disadvantages. However, before making a choice whether to use cloud computing in its IT infrastructure, a company must competently build an IT security strategy, taking into account all the risks when using cloud technologies.

4. PRACTICAL PART

4.1 Problem statement

The main part of the work defined cloud technologies, examined their main characteristics, and studied deployment and maintenance models. In addition, the advantages and risks of using cloud technologies were identified. In the practical part of the work, it is necessary to study a specific cloud solution for business and evaluate its effectiveness.

For my research, I chose the Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud cloud solution from Kaspersky Lab, which ensures the company’s information security. The problem of effective provision information security always remains relevant, because the company's lack of proper attention to the protection of confidential data leads to an increased risk of information security incidents that can cause significant damage to the company.

The purpose of the practical part of the work is to determine the effectiveness of using cloud solutions offered for small and medium-sized businesses.

To achieve this goal, it is necessary to complete the following tasks:

Explore the capabilities of the Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud cloud solution

Identify the benefits of this cloud solution

Assess the effectiveness of using this cloud solution in small and medium businesses

The practical part of the work contains a description of the cloud solution under study, its capabilities and advantages, as well as an assessment of its effectiveness in small and medium-sized businesses.

4.2 Solving the problem

Today, the number of cyber threats is constantly increasing. Corporate protection data, efficient use of work time and high-performance IT infrastructure are vital to the success of any business, regardless of its size or location. Information security requirements are similar for companies of any size: protection of confidential data, continuity of business processes, security of work devices. The result of a cyber attack on a poorly protected company can lead to serious consequences:

Loss of valuable data, including information constituting intellectual property

Leakage of confidential information about clients and employees

Violation of business processes, which directly affects business profitability.

Not all companies can hire a qualified full-time IT administrator, let alone an IT security specialist. While large companies have the resources to efficiently and effectively protect their data, small and medium-sized companies often cannot always afford to allocate sufficient funds for information protection. According to Kaspersky Lab, small and medium-sized businesses suffer losses from information security incidents, but despite this, such companies often do not take effective measures to counter cyber threats. This leads to the fact that small and medium-sized businesses become the target of attackers, because... there is no due attention to the protection of company data and information. Challenges inherent to small and medium-sized businesses typically include:

limited time for IT security

insufficient resources to administer complex solutions small (compared to large companies) IT budget

As a result, it is precisely those companies that cannot devote a large amount of resources to information security that need a software solution that does not require significant time and effort to deploy within the company, is easy to manage and does not require additional expensive resources. Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud (hereinafter KES) is just such a product, the main advantage of which is the cloud management console. In this cloud-based solution, access to all necessary management functions is in the cloud. For small and medium-sized businesses, it is important that Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud is an easy-to-manage product that does not require special technical knowledge. In particular, this is a big plus for small companies, which often cannot have several highly qualified IT specialists on their staff. Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud can be customized to suit the client's needs using predefined scripts adapted to the standard needs of any company. This includes creating multiple user groups with different access rights, blocking access to entertainment sites, blocking the use of USB drives, linking users' corporate and mobile devices to their accounts, and much more. The choice of available scenarios can be expanded, allowing customers to use different functions depending on the number of employees, number of offices and business processes of the company.

4.3 Product Description

Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud is a solution that meets the needs of small and medium businesses, providing reliable protection for personal computers, mobile devices and file servers from a cloud-based management console. By choosing this solution, the company does not need to purchase additional expensive equipment. Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud allows you to manage your information security system at any time, from any location and device that is connected to the Internet. This solution makes it possible to protect up to 250 jobs.

The product consists of a cloud console designed for centralized management and client applications. To work with the Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud cloud console, you need an Internet connection and a browser:

Internet Explorer 10.0 and higher;

Microsoft Edge 13.0 and higher;

Chrome 36.0 and above;

Firefox 35 and above;

Safari 8.0 and above.

During operation, Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud uses the following Kaspersky Lab programs:

Kaspersky Endpoint Security 10 for Windows.

Kaspersky Security 10 for mobile devices.

The hardware and software requirements of your computer or mobile device meet the requirements of the programs and browsers listed above.

Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud supports the following platforms:

Windows based computers

Windows File Servers

Android and iOS mobile devices

Thus, KES is a software solution, the essence of which is the centralized management and protection of devices (PCs, mobile phones, tablets, etc.) of company employees.

Fig 2. Architecture of Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud

Key features of Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud include:

centralized installation and updating of Kaspersky Lab programs on PC and mobile devices company employees.

Manage device settings and protect them using security profiles

managing user data, creating user groups, and assigning rights to users from the cloud.

Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud has a number of characteristic features:

1. The fastest possible deployment and simple management from the cloud console, flexible cloud administration. The Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud cloud console is always ready for use. Centralized management is supported from the cloud console, which allows the administrator to manage the security of the corporate network at any time from any device that has access to the Internet. This is convenient if the company does not have a system administrator who can be regularly present in the office. Thanks to remote protection, a company may not need to hire a second administrator if the company has several offices, which saves the organization money. Due to the fact that the console is cloud-based, the company does not need to purchase and maintain additional equipment, which also makes it possible to save financial resources. Initial setup is quick, so deploying Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud does not require much time or effort.

Figure 3. Remote management of company devices

2. High level of protection for all types of devices. Multi-level protection of all devices used in the company is provided regardless of their geographical location. The main requirement is that the device can access the Internet.

Recognized Kaspersky Lab technologies protect Windows-based workstations, laptops and file servers from a variety of threats, including ransomware and other ransomware. Device security is ensured at many levels - protecting files from malware, protecting mail servers and Internet traffic. Protection is complemented by such effective Laboratory technologies as Firewall, Protection against network attacks and System Monitor. The default solution is configured taking into account the recommendations of Kaspersky Lab specialists. Device protection functions of Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud for Windows-based workstations and file servers, as well as for smartphones and tablets, are presented in Tables 2-3.

Table 2. Security features for Windows-based workstations and file servers

Windows-based workstations and file servers
	Malware protection
	Firewall
	Web protection
	Mail antivirus
	System monitoring
	Blocking network attacks
Controls	Web control
	Device Control

Table 3. Security features for mobile devices

Smartphones and tablets
	Malware protection
	Anti-Phishing / Safe Browser
	Call and SMS filtering
	Password settings
	Setting up corporate mail
	Wi-Fi and Bluetooth control
	Built-in camera control
	Anti-Theft (remote data blocking/wiping)
	iOS feature management	Not available

3. Centralized management. All protection functions can be configured and deployed from a single console on all devices - Windows-based workstations, laptops, file servers and Androis/iOS-based mobile devices. Thanks to a simple and user-friendly interface, an employee responsible for IT security can quickly set up policies and apply them to all workstations.

4. Preset security settings. There are preset settings based on recommendations from Kaspersky Lab employees. Such settings allow you to provide full protection immediately after implementation.

5. Advantageous solution for small and medium companies. This solution allows companies to save money by eliminating the need to purchase additional equipment. All company devices can be protected remotely, eliminating the need to hire additional IT specialists. As a result, the protection of geographically distributed offices and branches of the company is simplified.

The main features of this cloud solution include the following:

1. Control access to devices and the Internet. Device control tools make it possible to determine which devices are allowed access to a company's corporate network. At the same time, Web Control allows you to set security policies regarding the Internet, as well as monitor the use of web resources by employees. The administrator can prohibit or restrict access to certain websites or categories of websites (for example, social networks).

2. Fast deployment from the cloud. Due to the fact that all protection functions are managed from the cloud, there is no need to install a management console on a local server. The cloud console is always available on the website https://cloud.kaspersky.com/, which makes it possible to deploy the necessary software directly from the cloud to all company devices (computers, file servers, mobile devices).

3. Easy management of mobile devices. Mobile device management (MDM, master data management) tools include functions that allow you to define access parameters for smartphones and tablets to the corporate network, set Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings, control camera use, and adjust other parameters. To manage iOS devices, you don't need to purchase a separate management solution because the iOS device management server is already deployed in the cloud.

4. Protection against mobile threats. Modern technologies Mobile device security products from Kaspersky Lab help protect mobile devices from various cyber threats, including ransomware. Anti-phishing tools (a set of technologies used to protect against online fraud and identity theft) protect against the theft of sensitive information or credentials on fake sites. Attempts at unauthorized flashing are immediately detected, and access to the corporate network is blocked for such devices.

5. Protect valuable data, including on lost devices. If an employee's mobile device is lost or stolen, the administrator can remotely lock the device from the cloud console or delete all corporate data from it, thereby avoiding the loss of important information.

The key functionality of the KES cloud console is presented in Table No. 4.

Table 4. Cloud console functionality

Functionality	Actions available to the administrator
User Account Management	View user accounts Creating Account Groups Change information about account Moving accounts between groups Deleting accounts Removing account groups
User Rights Management	Granting a user administrator rights Revoking administrator rights from a user
Device management	View a list of devices and device properties Connecting Windows devices Connecting mobile devices Sending commands to mobile devices Assigning an owner to a Windows device Removing a device from the device list
Security Profile Management	Creating and configuring a security profile Assign a security profile to a user account or group of user accounts Delete a security profile
Managing files in the Quarantine section	Viewing files in the Quarantine section Recovering files from the Quarantine and Backup categories Deleting files from the Quarantine section
Configuring general settings for Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud

The essence of cloud computing

Clouds appeared in IT as a reflection of the general trend of the sharing economy, which is focused on use instead of ownership and which has already given us home exchange, car sharing and even wedding dresses for rent. There are more and more things and services that you can use and pay only for their actual use, without large capital expenditures for the acquisition of property.

In the case of IT infrastructure, capital costs can be significant; it treacherously quickly becomes outdated and loses value, so using it under a rental scheme is often justified.

There is a significant limitation: a stable Internet connection in the place where you want to use the cloud, because... all the “cloud magic” is delivered via the Internet. If there is no Internet, there is no magic.

In addition to potential capital cost savings, there are other significant benefits:

Speed. You can get a cloud from leading providers in a few minutes/hours.
Flexibility. Thanks to visualization technologies, you can get as many computing resources as you need here and now. It's not a big deal to miss the mark and buy a server that is too slow.
Savings on associated costs. Uninterrupted power supply to the server, limited physical access to the server (+ the first rule of doing business in Russia* is easily followed), etc.
In some cases, savings on service personnel(more details below)

Interesting? Then let's move on.

What kind of clouds are there?

To choose a cloud solution, you need to decide how much you want to control the operation of the cloud yourself, and what you outsource, to be serviced by a third party (and depend on it).

There are three main formats of cloud solutions based on the service model.

SaaS - Software as a service

The most user-friendly clouds. You simply work in the necessary programs via the Internet (without installing them on your device).

Advantages:

Technical details are completely hidden. We connect via the Internet and use the ready-made program. Updates, performance and other technical issues and problems are resolved by the service provider.
+ as a rule minimum terms availability. Just order the service and you can use it in a few minutes.

Flaws:

Not all programs are available in this format for technical reasons.
- The ability to customize and change the program to suit your requirements is limited.
- Strong dependence on the service provider and the quality of his work.
- You often have limited control over your own data.
- Often more expensive than other types of clouds/classic applications, especially for large customers.

SaaS Examples

As a rule, SaaS is provided by the developers of these very applications. Finding a comprehensive solution for all the necessary programs from one supplier is problematic.

PaaS - Platform as a Service

You rent a certain computing platform consisting of virtual computing services (analogous to the central processor and RAM of the server), information storage services (analogous to the server’s hard drive), data transfer services (consumed traffic), etc. The golden mean of cloud services. You can construct arbitrary virtual computers with a variety of system and user software. Suppliers - leading IT companies with a worldwide reputation - ensure stable operation of these computers and programs. Solutions in this area are popular among corporate customers and developers.

These solutions are poorly tailored for small businesses and are inconvenient to use in this context.

Advantages:

Amazing flexibility - you can assemble a computer of any power (from a micro server comparable in power to a smartphone to a cluster of hundreds of thousands of servers), and install a variety of applications on it.
+ major suppliers have huge, geographically distributed computing networks, which makes it easy to deploy fast, massive and fault-tolerant applications
+ it is possible to additionally connect advanced services in which Oracle, Microsoft, Google have unique competencies - use artificial intelligence, analysis of large amounts of information, etc.
+ it is possible to pay only for actually consumed resources.

Flaws:

To use it, you need to “assemble” the system from virtual component components. This requires specific knowledge and skills.
- each platform imposes its own restrictions on implementation; there is no complete freedom in implementation
- quite high base cost

PaaS Examples

These providers provide a full range of cloud services, but the cloud platforms are central.

The total cost of solutions consists of the cost of actually consumed computing resources (Compute), occupied storage space (Storage), and the amount of data transferred over the network (Network). Consumed resources are periodically calculated and invoiced for payment. Thus, an idle server is cheap.

Compliance of services across different providers:

Google Cloud Platform	Amazon Web Services	Microsoft Azure	Oracle Cloud	Note
Google Compute Engine	Amazon EC2	Azure Virtual Machines	Oracle Cloud Infra OCI	computing power
Google App Engine	AWS Elastic Beanstalk	Azure Cloud Services	Oracle Application Container	internet application hosting
Google Kubernetes Engine	Amazon EC2 Container Service	Azure Container Service	Oracle Kubernetes Service	container application hosting
Google Cloud Functions	AWS Lambda	Azure Functions	Oracle Cloud Fn	serverless computing
Google BigQuery	Amazon Redshift	Microsoft Azure SQL Database	Oracle Autonomous DataWarehouse	SQL database
Google Cloud Bigtable, Google Cloud Datastore	Amazon DynamoDB	Azure Cosmos DB	Autonomous NoSQL	NoSQL database
Google Cloud Storage	Amazon S3	Azure Blob Storage	Oracle Cloud Storage OCI	Semi-structured data warehouses

IaaS - Infrastructure as a Service

You rent a server/computing resources. The service provider is guaranteed operability at the server level (server electronics, Internet, power supply, etc.)/virtualization technology (see below).

There are three formats for providing services:

Dedicated server - dedicated server. Essentially, renting a separate physical server that only you can use (hence the name - dedicated). Differs relatively high cost, but guarantees that all the computing resources of the server are completely at your disposal. The vendor provides full administrative access to the server and your specialist configures it the way you want.
IaaS in its purest form is a virtual data center. The supplier installs on one or more servers special programs virtualization, and then transfers access to the management interface of these programs to you. This approach is highly flexible, since you can independently create and configure an arbitrary number of virtual servers for yourself.
VPS/VDS - virtual private/dedicated server. This is when the IaaS from step 2 is configured by the supplier for you and only transfers access to virtual servers, the parameters of which you cannot change. The important differences here are the virtualization technology used (KVM/XEN/OpenVZ/Hyper-V/VMware), as well as guaranteed performance. VPS/VDS are low-cost, but due to overselling they may have low/unstable performance. The performance of VDS is higher than that of VPS, all other things being equal. The VPS/VDS market is saturated and highly competitive, VPS search service

Advantages:

+ “burying” money in the purchase of a server is not always wise, because it becomes outdated over time. By renting a server, you can always change or update it at minimal cost.
+ you can select and manage server performance and parameters as you wish
+ complete freedom to realize what you want. You can install any operating systems and programs. Customize and use as you please.
+ low prices, good price/feature ratio

Flaws:

You need your own specialist to configure and maintain the software.
- often there is a binding to specific characteristics of the server/virtualization technology and a little flexibility is lost.

IaaS Examples

Prices are approximate (for conditionally comparable servers), check on the websites

Aichor
Dedicated servers from 4.1 thousand rubles/month
Virtual servers from 2 thousand rubles/month

FirstVDS
Virtual servers from 3 thousand rubles/month

The concept of cloud computing (computing) or cloud (dispersed) processing was first proposed in the 1970s. The idea was officially published and scientifically substantiated in 2006, when the company Amazon presented its web services infrastructure (Web Services), providing not only hosting, but also providing the client with remote computing power. Similar services following Amazon presented Google, Sun And IBM And Microsoft. Moreover Microsoft introduced not just a service, but a full-fledged cloud operating system Windows Azure.

Cloud Computing(English, cloud computing)- a distributed data processing technology in which computer resources and power are provided to the user as an Internet service. As a rule, the term “cloud computing” used today is applicable to any services that are provided via the Internet. The term “cloud” itself comes from the accepted graphic designation of the Internet, which is depicted in the form of clouds. Thus, cloud computing is a new paradigm that involves distributed and remote processing and storage of data.

Today, a cloud service includes three main characteristics that distinguish it from a regular service:

mode of “resources on demand”;
elasticity;
independence from infrastructure management elements.

As simple example, reflecting the differences between cloud systems and conventional ones, we can cite the services of issuing resources on web servers. In the case of a conventional system, the provider charges for the provided capacity and resources, regardless of their use. As for cloud structures, fees are charged only for the capacity and resources used, thereby saving the user money.

Cloud services can be divided into five categories:

1) software as a service;
2) platform as a service;
3) infrastructure as a service;
4) data as a service;
5) workplace as a service.

Software as a service (Software-as-a-Service - SaaS) - a model in which the consumer is given the opportunity to use the provider's application software running in the cloud infrastructure and accessible from various client devices or through a thin client, for example, from a browser (for example, webmail) or a program interface. Control and management of the underlying physical and virtual infrastructure of the cloud, including control of the network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities (except for a limited set of user-defined application configuration settings), is carried out by the cloud provider.

Platform as a service (Platform-as-a-Service - PaaS) - a model when the consumer is given the opportunity to use the cloud infrastructure to host basic software for subsequent placement of new or existing applications on it (own, custom-developed or purchased replicated applications). Such platforms include tools for creating, testing and executing application software - database management systems, middleware, programming language execution environments - provided by the cloud provider.

Control and management of the main physical and virtual infrastructure of the cloud, including control of the network, servers, operating systems, storage, is carried out by the cloud provider, with the exception of developed or installed applications, as well as, if possible, configuration parameters of the environment (platform).

Infrastructure as a service (Infrastructure-as-a-Service - laaS) is provided as the ability to use cloud infrastructure to independently manage processing, storage, networking and other fundamental computing resources, for example, a consumer can install and run arbitrary software, which may include operating systems, platform and application software. The consumer can control operating systems, virtual storage systems and installed applications, as well as a set of available services. Control and management of the main physical and virtual infrastructure of the cloud, including control of the network, servers, types of operating systems used, and storage systems, is carried out by the cloud provider.

From an infrastructure point of view, the following deployment models are distinguished:

private cloud;
public cloud;
hybrid cloud;
public cloud.

Private Cloud(English, private cloud) - infrastructure intended for use by one organization, including several consumers (for example, divisions of one organization), possibly also clients and contractors of this organization. A private cloud may be owned, operated and operated by the organization itself or by a third party (or some combination thereof), and may physically exist within or outside the owner's jurisdiction.

Public cloud (public cloud) - infrastructure intended for free use by the general public. A public cloud can be owned, managed, and operated by commercial, academic, and government organizations (or some combination thereof). The public cloud physically exists in the jurisdiction of the owner - the service provider.

Hybrid cloud (hybrid cloud) is a combination of two or more different cloud infrastructures (private, public or public) that remain unique entities, but are interconnected by standardized or proprietary data and application technologies (for example, short-term use of public cloud resources to balance load between clouds).

Public Cloud (community cloud) - a type of infrastructure intended for use by a specific community of consumers from organizations that have general tasks(e.g. mission, security requirements, policies and compliance with various requirements). A community cloud may be cooperatively owned, managed and operated by one or more community organizations or a third party (or some combination thereof), and may physically exist within or outside the jurisdiction of the owner.

Along with obvious advantages, the concept of cloud technology is not without its disadvantages. The main complaints relate to security and the need for reliable broadband Internet access.

Let's look at examples of implementation of cloud technologies (besides webmail).

For example, a cloud service was launched in the USA OnLive, providing the opportunity to play modern games even on the simplest equipment. Technically, it looks like this: the game itself is located on a remote server and the graphics are processed there, which are delivered to the end user’s computer in a “ready” form. In other words, the calculations meant to be done on your computer's graphics card and processor are done on the server, and your computer is used only as a monitor.

Also Apple is developing cloud technology in the form of a service called MobileMe. The service includes an email client, calendar, address book, file storage, photo album and a tool for locating lost items iPhone. This service is paid, but the main thing here is different. Apple provides this level of interaction of its set of Internet services and applications on a computer, phone, player and iPad, that the need to use a browser disappears. You use familiar programs on your Mac, iPhone And iPad, however, all data is not stored on them, but in the cloud, which allows you to forget about the need for synchronization, as well as accessibility. At the same time, let’s make a reservation that you don’t have to use the applications specifically - you can simply log into your account through a browser from any computer.

Under development Google operating system Chrome OS is actually one browser through which the user interacts with an extensive network of web services. The OS is aimed at netbooks, with very low system requirements and no need to install programs yourself. In other words, Google provides the benefits of the cloud concept to ordinary users. The truth is that the disadvantage of this approach is that without the Internet, a netbook based Chrome OS will be completely useless.

Let us note the advantages and disadvantages of cloud technologies.

Advantages cloud computing:

reducing the requirements for the computing power of the user's computer (any computer that can open a browser window receives the enormous potential of a real workstation);
cost savings on purchasing, supporting, upgrading software and equipment;
scalability, fault tolerance and security; automatic allocation and release of the necessary resources depending on the needs of the application. Maintenance and software updates are carried out by the service provider;
remote access to data in the cloud - you can work from anywhere on the planet where there is access to the Internet;
high data processing speed;
payment for services as needed and only for what is used;
saving disk space Submissions and programs are stored on remote servers).

Flaws cloud computing:

dependence of the integrity of user data on the companies providing the service;
the need for reliable and fast access to the Internet;
lack of generally accepted standards in the area of security of cloud technologies;
the possibility of the emergence of cloud monopolists;
the danger of hacker attacks on the server (when storing data on a computer, you can disconnect from the Internet at any time and clean the system using an antivirus).

Despite all the criticism, cloud technologies have a good future. The simplest proof of this is that no matter how the three main giants competed and contradicted each other ( Microsoft, Apple And Google), they all almost simultaneously rushed into this new technology and have no intention of leaving. Moreover, all three companies connect their future with cloud technologies. Two years ago the concept cloud computing seemed only beautiful idea, a “bait”, a strange experiment. Today, the benefits of cloud technologies can be felt even by those people who are not involved in software development, web technologies and other highly specialized things ( Xbox Live, Windows Live, MobileMe, OnLive, Google Docs- vivid examples of this).

Below is a brief description of several open source cloud technology projects.

Chef- relatively new project, which is only a year old, but is actively being developed, as can be seen from the frequency of code registrations. This is a build framework for configuration management of all types of /G infrastructure, in particular among cloud developments. First, source code is written that describes how the infrastructure will be built, and then these descriptions are applied to the servers. The result is a fully automated infrastructure. Chef professionally supported and sponsored by the company Opscode.

Eucalyptus- this is infrastructure Open Source software for implementing cloud technologies on clusters. Current interface Eucalyptus interface compatible Amazon's EU 2,

S3 and EBS, however, the infrastructure is designed to support multiple client interfaces. Eucalyptus implemented using generally available tools Linux and basic web service technologies, which facilitates installation and support of the system. Eucalyptus Systems provide counseling, training and support services.

First of all, the cloud is of interest to end users of information systems. The simplest case: there is a web service that serves requests from users. The service is implemented in the cloud. As the number of requests grows and the service can no longer cope with the load, new nodes can be added to the system (dynamically or on demand) and the load redistributed between them

Secondly, Eucalyptus useful in the actual development of software systems. In the cloud, you can combine hardware resources of all stripes and shades that meet the requirements Eucalyptus.

OpenNebula- this is perhaps the most interesting and most significant project in the list of “cloud” technologies, advertising itself as Open Source tools for cloud computing. OpenNebula is a tool that can be used for any type of cloud implementation and for managing virtual infrastructure in a data center or cluster, or for combining local infrastructure with a public cloud-based infrastructure. OpenNebula also supports public clouds, allowing cloud interfaces to expose their functionality to virtual machine, memory and network management.

Zenoss- has the ability to track Amazon Web Services and all types of other cloud and virtual infrastructure.

Enomaly's Elastic Computing Platform(hereinafter - ECP) - programmable virtual cloud infrastructure for all types of enterprises. ESR Helps develop, manage and implement virtual applications in the cloud and significantly reduce administrative and system workload. The web-based dashboard enables 77 employees to simplify and effectively plan implementations, automate scaling and load balancing of virtual machines, analyze, configure and optimize the cloud capabilities of easy-to-use utility programs. ESR the platform was designed to work with the virtual data center, delivering added value and reduced costs.

Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud includes Ubuntu Server Edition and integrates several Open Source projects, including Eucalyptus. UEC provides users with turnkey packages for implementing a private cloud.

Cloud technologies 1C:Enterprises provide ubiquitous and convenient work with application solutions on various client devices with different operating systems.

At the same time, clients can use devices with low computing power and mobile devices. Clients may not install 1C:Enterprise software on their devices at all, or they may install a lightweight client application that does not require a large amount of resources.

All basic calculations and application logic are implemented in a 1C:Enterprise server cluster, which provides scalability, fault tolerance, dynamic load redistribution and interaction with DBMSs storing application solution data. If necessary, the server cluster can be strengthened by the service infrastructure, which allows you to provide clients with services for using software as a service, keep records of the consumption of these services, carry out general administration of the service, etc.

The term "cloud" is used as a metaphor for these technologies. It is based on the fact that the Internet is depicted on computer diagrams as a cloud, behind which the complex infrastructure and all technical details are hidden from the client. In 1C:Enterprise, such an infrastructure includes the following mechanisms and technologies:

Possibility of connecting to information base via the HTTP (HTTPS) protocol, thanks to which clients can work via the Internet from anywhere in the world;
Availability of a web client that does not require prior installation on the user’s computer. Thanks to this, clients can work from an unprepared computer or mobile device;
Fault-tolerant scalable server cluster, thanks to which 1C:Enterprise can serve a large number of simultaneously working clients;
The presence of a data sharing mechanism, thanks to which application solutions can work in a multitenancy architecture, when a single instance of an application object running on the server serves many clients or organizations;
Availability of a service infrastructure that allows you to deploy 1C:Enterprise applications in the SaaS model, when the supplier develops and independently manages the application solution, providing the consumer with access via the Internet. This business model relieves the consumer of all costs associated with installing, updating and maintaining hardware and software; The consumer only pays for the use of the service.

There are four main scenarios for using 1C:Enterprise cloud technologies:

Cloud within the organization

Inside separate organization cloud technologies can be used to ensure that employees have the opportunity to connect to the information base from different places, even from those where 1C:Enterprise is not installed on the computers. This is useful for managers moving between offices who need timely information about their departments. This is convenient for managers because they can receive the necessary reports from almost anywhere, at a retail outlet or at a supplier.

Non-employee consumers can also connect to the cloud deployed within an organization. Suppliers, clients, contractors, etc. in order, for example, to receive reports on the sale of your goods or their balances in the warehouse.

Benefits of cloud technologies within an organization

employees can use computers that do not have a lot of computing power,
employees move easily within the organization and between offices,
It's easy to connect external clients; no software installation is required.

Cloud inside the holding

Within a holding company that unites several companies, cloud technologies help reduce the costs of maintaining identical application solutions. For example, each of the companies included in the holding maintains accounting records using the 1C: Accounting program. Then, instead of each company deploying and maintaining its own 1C:Accounting information base, you can deploy it once, in the central office, for example, and use it in data separation mode.

As a result, each company will work in its own independent data area, and configuration, updating, backup and other administrative actions need to be carried out for one information base, and not for several.

Advantages of cloud technologies within the holding

reducing the cost of administering identical application solutions,
fast and simultaneous update of the application solution for all companies.

Cloud for clients

The use of cloud technologies greatly facilitates work in cases where potential consumers of an application solution are not connected to a local network, have heterogeneous equipment and are not inclined to follow any mandatory recommendations on the composition of hardware and software.

For example, by automating a homeowners' association, you can provide all residents with the opportunity to work with the program via the Internet, using only an Internet browser. Moreover, in the vast majority of cases, they will not be required to modify their equipment in any way or install additional software. The web client runs on all common browsers, on Windows and Linux operating systems, and on iPad mobile devices.

Benefits of cloud technologies for customers

simple and convenient connection to the program,
mobility, the ability to use the program from different places (at home, at work, etc.).

Working in a service model

Cloud technologies are most fully used when work with application solutions is organized in a service model. The service model implies that consumers do not purchase the application solutions themselves. They pay only for using the application solution via the Internet. The application solutions themselves are installed, operated and maintained by the service provider, on its equipment.

The supplier ensures round-the-clock uninterrupted operation of application solutions, their timely updating, creation backup copies and confidentiality of stored data. In order to keep records in one or another 1C:Enterprise program, consumers pay the supplier a certain amount of services that they are going to use, use a browser to connect to the desired program and keep records in it.

This business model relieves the consumer of all costs associated with installing, updating and maintaining hardware and software. All these tasks are undertaken by the service provider, providing the consumer only with the service of using the program as a service.

Each of the programs provided in the service model operates in data sharing mode. Each of the subscribers (legal entities or individuals) connecting to the service can have several physical clients (for example, employees of an organization). Each subscriber can work with several programs at once. As a result, in a specific program, each subscriber is allocated its own independent data area with which its clients work.

For the subscriber, everything looks as if only his clients are working with the program. For the service provider, all subscribers working with the program access a single information base. That is, a single copy of the program running at the supplier serves all subscribers. Thus, for example, the provider updates the program quickly and simultaneously for all subscribers.

Advantages of working in a service model

the consumer does not bear the costs of installing, updating and maintaining equipment and software,
the consumer is free to choose the time and place of work with the program, because the supplier ensures its operation around the clock via the Internet,
guaranteed stable operation on the latest version of the program that complies with the latest changes in legislation.

You can see how work in the service model looks like in real life on the 1cfresh website, which provides the opportunity to use familiar applications for accounting and doing business via the Internet.

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