Cloud computing is already that buzz in the market and is still rising with time. But still, some people get confused and are not clear about the difference in the working of the cloud computing and data centers. We are very well aware of the fact that as the technology gains pace along with that increases the misconceptions that comes as part and parcel with the development.
Our data centers and cloud computing refer to the same thing as it seems? To understand this one does not require very deep technical knowledge. But if people think of them as the same thing then why do the cloud companies often talk about their data centers?
Actually, both cloud hosting and data centers are very closely related. This can be clearly understood if we will first try to understand the difference-
Difference between data centers and cloud computing
A data center can be understood as a house that stores all the servers and data for an organization. The data can be related to the internal of the organization or for any outside organization. The whole data center setup also includes the hardware, space and power systems along with its backup. The confusion arises when big cloud giants offer cloud computing services by providing rack spaces in their data centers. These big giants have their own data centers wherein they store their internal data as well as have allocated separate rack spaces for the data of an outside organization.
See the rise in the demand of cloud data centers
Where data centers provide the required space for the data, the cloud helps in running the data off-premises. With the help of the cloud, this data can be accessed remotely through strong internet services.
| Data Centers | Cloud |
| Requires specialized equipment and knowledge | Required no specialized knowledge in computing |
| Owner maintains complete control over hardware and software | Platform independednt |
| Highly customized | Not as highly customizable as data centers |
| Component of cloud | Compound of many data centers |
| Data centers can be internal or outsourced | Often represents outsourcing as a Risk Transference Strategy |
Data centers vs Cloud
In the case of a cloud data center, the hardware is looked out by the cloud company responsible. The clients then manage their applications and their data through a virtual infrastructure that runs on the cloud servers.
But there is one more confusing set of difference and that is the difference between the traditional data centers and cloud data centers. So the cloud uses the concept of the data center that is based on the traditional one so the difference comes across.
Let’s see what the major differences between them are-
| Traditional Data Centers | Cloud Data Centers | |
| Servers | Co-located dependent Failure | Integrated Fault-tolerant |
| Resources | Partitioned Performance Interrelated Unified Performance | Unified performance isolated |
| Management | Separated Manual | Centralized full control with automation |
| Scheduling | Plan ahead overprovisioning | Flexible scalable |
| Renting | Per physical machines | Per logical usage |
| Application/Services | fixes on designated servers | Runs and moves across all VMs |
Traditional vs cloud data centers
Not only the above mentioned, but the cost of traditional data centers is also higher than the prevalent cloud data centers. As there used to be more heating issues and other hardware/software related issues with the traditional data centers.
The traditional data centers were not that scalable too as are the current cloud data centers. The cloud data centers can scale up or down as and when required. The costs incurred during the times of traditional data centers were more on the maintenance whereas cloud platform requires very minimum maintenance and not very expertise as well.
Transformation in the handling of the data centers-
Saying that the cloud has transformed the data centers would be at all an exaggerated statement. It has changed the way we used to think about whenever the word data centers came up in our minds. The cloud model has restructured the infrastructure of the data centers from top to bottom. But this departure from the traditional model brought greater efficiency and shaped the data centers according to the end-user applications. It is difficult to understand the way the cloud data centers have evolved the way we consume content or use our applications these days. As everything now being migrated over the cloud, we have been spoiled by its seamless connectivity and scalability. Overall this has raised the bars of our expectations so high that it can only be surpassed when a greater technology than cloud which cannot be anticipated in the near future. Till then companies are more than satisfied with the kind of service these cloud data centers are providing for their internal usage as well as for third party organizations. Although this data center transformation will continue to evolve and develop and will keep on encouraging cloud companies to form strategies accordingly. For now applications are enjoying the good fit and the typical flexibility of cloud.
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