Summary Grade 12 IEB IT Theory: Software & Computer Management

UNIT 2 SOFTWARE AND
COMPUTER MANAGEMENT
2.1 CLOUD COMPUTING
 Cloud computing – general term for the providing of hosted services over the
internet
 Cloud service has 3 characteristics that set it apart from traditional hosting:
o Sold on demand
o It is flexible – user can use as much or little as needed
o Service is fully managed by the provider, user only needs a PC and internet
access
 Public cloud – sells services to anyone on the Internet
 Private cloud – business network or data centre that supplies to a limited
number of people
 Virtual private cloud – when a service provider uses a public cloud resource to
create a private cloud

2.1.1 CLOUD COMPUTING SERVICES

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

 The provider supplies the hardware infrastructure and software product
 Can include web-based email or database processing

Cloud Backup / Online Backup

 Another form of cloud computing used for backing up data over the Internet to an
off-site server
 Server is hosted by a cloud service provider who charges the customer a fee

2.1.2 HARDWARE NEEDS FOR CLOUD SERVICES

Cooling Hardware

 Cloud data centres produce heat, this needs to be cooled
 Air conditioning is effective but requires a lot of power
 Cooling by water is more efficient and cheaper

CPU, Memory and Local Disk Equipment

 Traditional data centres require surplus memory, CPUs and disks to cater for
possible demands of workloads or even inefficient applications

Data Storage and Networking

 Data storage and networking must be managed collectively to be efficient
 The cloud should know where its data should be and to manage workload
effectively

Redundancy in Hardware

,  Data centres must move data around the network for backup and disaster
recovery
 These backups are on multiple drives simultaneously
 This redundancy must be managed to minimise need for hardware

2.1.3 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CLOUD COMPUTING

Advantages

 Cost efficient – elimination of investment in software and servers as well as
overhead charges
 Convenience and continuous availability – there’s easy access to all data and
information anywhere
 Backups and recovery – backing up and recovering data is simplified since it is
now on the cloud and not on a physical device
 Cloud is environmentally friendly – takes fewer resources to compute hence
saving energy
 Resiliency and redundancy – cloud offers automatic failover (procedure by
which a system automatically transfers control to a duplicate system when it
detects a fault or failure) between hardware platforms

Disadvantages

 Security and privacy in the cloud – company essentially gives away private
data and info, the company needs to trust the service providers
 Dependency on Vendor lock-in – there is a dependency on the provider, and it
is difficult to change provider
 Technical difficulties and downtime – any network or connection problems will
render the setup useless
 Limit control and flexibility – customer do not control the function and
execution of hardware and software
 Increased vulnerability – the data and info is on the internet, hence they are an
easier target for hackers and malicious users

2.1.4 OWNERSHIP

 It is often unclear who owns equipment and applications stored on a cloud
environment
 Most cloud service providers state that the agreement they have is that the
person or registered entity owns the account
 Individual account owners also have responsibilities such as turning off virtual
servers when not in use, as to decrease costs

2.2 VIRTUALISATION
It is the process of creating a virtual rather than an actual version of something.

2.2.1 VIRTUAL MACHINES

 They act like real computers with an OS, but the software executed works
independently of the underlying hardware
 The host machine is where the virtualisation takes place on
 The guest machine is the virtual machine