MÓDULO 2 - Video 1: Introducción al cómputo en la nube

Welcome to Module 2,

Cloud Computing. In this video

you will discover what cloud computing is

, what its main

characteristics are and how its ecosystem is formed

. In addition, you will learn about the

service models that make it possible to

access digital tools and resources

from anywhere. This

knowledge will allow you to

better understand the technologies that are part

of today's digital environment. Let's begin.

Remember to take notes and pause the video

when you need to.

Imagine you're at the office and

you discover that the file you need

is still on your home computer, or

that an online business starts

having problems because its

servers are no longer sufficient to

handle the demand. But given this,

how is it possible to access and manage

digital resources without limits from

different locations?

Currently, there are thousands of situations

related to the availability,

capacity, and access to

technological resources that are part of the

needs of individuals and

organizations.

Given this scenario, various

technologies have evolved to

offer alternatives that allow for the

more flexible and

efficient use of computer services and resources.

One of them is cloud computing,

present in tools and platforms

that we use daily. For example,

when you use Netflix, Spotify, Google

Drive, or even your online banking,

you are actually accessing digital services and

resources hosted

remotely via the internet. However,

computer services did not always

work this way. For a

long time, organizations

relied on their

own technological infrastructure to store

information and manage

digital services. With the advancement of new

technologies,

cloud computing platforms and providers emerged that

transformed the way

technological resources are used.

Currently, it is possible to access

various digital services from

different devices and locations with an

internet connection. In addition, there are

different service models that

adapt to the needs of each

user or organization. Next,

we will review some of the most important concepts,

features, and service models

related to

cloud computing. First I define it in the

cloud. This is a model that allows

access to computer services such as

servers, storage,

databases, networks and software through the

internet, adapting to the needs

of each user. Instead of buying and

maintaining the physical hardware. Everything is

offered by an external provider. A

common example is when you use Google Drive

to save your photos or files.

Actually, you're not storing the

information on your device, but on

Google's servers which

you can access via the internet,

paying only for additional space if

you need more capacity. Now that

we know what cloud computing is, it's

worth asking ourselves how

this technological model emerged. To

find out, let's review the following

timeline with the most

important stages of its evolution.

As you can see, between 1960 and

1980, companies and organizations

used large

central computers called mainframes, [music]

to which several users connected

via processorless terminals.

Subsequently, between 1980 and 2000,

personal computers, well known as PCs, and

local servers became popular. At this stage, it was

necessary to buy and manage your

own servers for

email, file storage, or

databases, which involved higher

costs and difficulties in expanding

technological capacity. Later

came virtualization.

A single physical machine could run multiple

virtual machines, giving rise to the

first modern data centers.

Finally, starting in 2010,

cloud computing began to become

popular with platforms such as

Amazon AWS, Microsoft Asure, and

Google Cloud, which facilitated

access to computing services through

self-service and pay-per-use models.

Currently, many institutions and

companies use cloud services

to avoid large

initial investments. For example, a school that

previously needed to buy servers and

hire specialized staff to

offer email. Today you can

use platforms like Gmail or

Outlook 365 directly from the Internet.

To better understand how

cloud computing works, let's look at the

following diagram, which shows

the main characteristics that

distinguish it from other

technological models. Cloud computing is

defined by six

main characteristics.

One, on-demand access. This means

that users can request and

use resources such as servers or

storage when they need them. And

without directly depending on the

intervention of the service provider,

only a web interface or an

application programming interface

known as an API is needed. Two, access from

anywhere.

Cloud services are

available via the internet from

any device such as computers,

tablets or cell phones, as long as there is

connectivity. Three. Scalability

refers to the ability to increase

available resources to respond to

higher levels of use. This can be

done in two ways. The first is

vertical scaling, which consists of

increasing the memory or CPU of the same

server, for example, from 4 GB to 16 GB.

The second is horizontal scaling,

which involves adding more servers, for

example, from one to 10 web servers.

Four. Elasticity is the ability to

grow and also shrink according to

demand. [music] This dynamism allows

that if there are not so many users anymore,

resources are freed up so as not to pay for

unnecessary resources.

Five. Pay per use or pay per consumption.

In this model, you only pay for the

resources you actually use, such as

processing time, storage,

or the number of requests made.

It works similarly to services

like water or electricity, where the

cost depends on the consumption.

Six, high availability.

This means that the services are

designed to remain operational

most of the time. To achieve this,

redundancy is used, that is, the use

of multiple servers,

backup systems and data centers distributed

in different regions.

After learning about the main

characteristics of cloud computing, it

is important to compare it with the

traditional local computing model. By examining

their differences, it will be easier

to identify how the way

people and organizations access and

manage technological resources has changed. One

of the most important differences

relates to the initial investment in

local computing. It is high, since

servers, licenses and other

technological equipment are acquired. In contrast, in

cloud computing, resources are

contracted according to the user's needs

and you usually only pay

for what you consume.

Regarding scalability, in a

local environment, increasing capacity

involves acquiring new servers, and the

process of quoting, acquiring, and

installing may require more time and

additional costs. [music] In the cloud,

resources can be scaled up or

down quickly and flexibly

according to demand.

Regarding maintenance,

local computing requires specialized personnel

to manage the infrastructure,

perform updates, and resolve

technical failures. In contrast, in the

cloud it is done by the provider and

is included in the payment for

cloud services. Regarding

[music] access, on local computing

it is limited to the local network and if there is

internet access,

the necessary services must be contracted and

the equipment configured. While

availability is automatic in the cloud, all we

need is an

internet connection. Finally, the

availability of services in a

local environment will always depend on the

infrastructure of each company or

organization. Cloud computing

is supported by providers and

guaranteed by contract that

services will function

continuously.

As we have seen, many of the

differences between the two models are

related to the way in which technological

resources are managed and provided

.

But what makes all this

possible? For cloud computing to

work, a

technological infrastructure is required, composed

of different elements that work

together. One of the

main components are data centers,

which are physical facilities that

house hundreds or thousands of servers,

cooling systems,

electric generators, fiber optics and

security measures that allow

services to be available

continuously, while a

typical data center can occupy several

hectares. Within these

data centers are the servers, which

are high-powered computers

designed to run services

continuously.

In the cloud, users do not interact

with physical servers, but with

virtual servers that operate

over the internet. Another

fundamental component is the networks, which are the

set of cables, switches, routers and

fiber optic connections that connect

the servers to each other and to the

outside world through the internet.

Furthermore, the Cloud ecosystem works

through virtualization, a

technology that allows

multiple operating systems to run on the

same physical hardware. To achieve this,

a software called a Hypervisor is used,

which is responsible for creating, managing

[music] and isolating each virtual machine

independently.

Thanks to this, multiple users can

securely share the same physical hardware without interfering with each other.

A simple way to understand it is to

imagine an apartment building.

The physical server would be the

entire building, while each

virtual machine functions as an

independent department with its own resources.

Another important element is

cloud storage, which consists of

virtual hard drives that can be

connected to servers to store and

manage information.

There are different types of

storage.

Object storage is used

to save files such as documents,

photos, [music] videos, or

data backups. On the other hand,

block storage works

similarly to a hard drive for a

virtual machine, allowing the storage of

systems and applications. Finally,

file storage, which allows

information to be shared through

file systems accessible from different

computers or users simultaneously.

Finally, the internet functions as the

access medium that allows

users to connect with the services and

resources of the cloud ecosystem. Without an

internet connection,

cloud services could not be used. In addition, the

quality of your experience, i.e.,

speed or latency, depends on your

internet connection and the distance to the

data center.

Hybrid cloud models also exist today, where

part of the infrastructure is

local. and another part is in the

cloud. Both environments can be connected

via virtual private networks

[music] or direct connections.

Something you can't lose sight of is

that not all cloud services

work the same way.

There are three main models that

adapt to the needs of each

user or organization depending on the

level of control and administration

required. IAS or Infrastructure as

[music] a service. In this model, the

provider offers the

basic infrastructure such as virtual servers, which

are the CPU and memory, storage,

networks and firewalls, well known as

security systems. The user is

responsible for controlling the

operating system, applications, and data.

It's similar to renting an empty plot of land and

building your house from scratch according to your

needs.

Pass or [music] Platform as a Service.

Here the provider gives you the

complete platform to develop, run and

manage applications without the

user having to worry about

[music] the operating system, patches,

scaling, etc. The user focuses solely

on developing their code. It

can be compared to renting a house

that already has electricity, water and

plumbing, and the user only provides the

furniture, i.e., their application.

SAS or ASA Service software. In this

model, the provider gives you the software

ready to use, accessible via the internet,

usually by subscription. The user does

not need to install anything, just use the

program. Some common examples are

email platforms or

streaming services. It's similar to

using a fully equipped

and furnished house, where everything is ready to

use. In addition to these

main models, there are other

specialized services,

for example, FAS or Function as a

Service, which allows you to run

code functions based on certain events and

only pay [music] for each

execution performed. Another example is DAS

or Desktop ASA Service, which provides

virtual desktops accessible

via the cloud. There is also

Devas or Database ASA Service, where the

provider manages the database and

its updates, preventing the

user from having to install or

maintain this type of system.

We have reached the end of this introduction

to cloud computing. Now [music]

let's return to the initial question. How

is it possible to access and manage

digital [music] resources from

different locations without being

completely dependent on your own physical infrastructure

?

The answer [in music] lies in

cloud computing, a model that allows the

use of servers, storage, and

software via the internet. Without

needing to buy or maintain your

own infrastructure. Pay only for what you

use. [music] In addition, thanks to

features such as remote access,

scalability and elasticity,

technological resources can be adapted

[music] quickly to different

needs. This allows access to

information from different

devices and the ability to increase or decrease

capacity according to demand. All of this

is possible through different

service models. On one hand, IAS provides

the basic infrastructure. On the other hand, PAS

offers complete platforms for

developing applications. Finally,

SAS provides software ready to

use directly on the internet.

Thus, the cloud becomes a

tool that facilitates access,

management, and availability of

digital resources in different

contexts. With what you have learned today, you

now have the foundation to continue

exploring the world of

cloud computing. Do you have any questions or is there a

concept you would like to explore further?

Write it down and share it during the

synchronous class. Until next time. [music]