Cloud Computing Entry-level Jobs Jobs in Nigeria

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the internet. These services are divided into three main categories or types of cloud computing: infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS).

Cloud infrastructure involves the hardware and software components required for the proper implementation of a cloud computing model. Cloud computing can also be thought of as utility computing or on-demand computing.

Types of Cloud Computing

1. Public cloud: Public clouds deliver resources, such as computing, storage, network, develop-and-deploy environments, and applications over the internet. They are owned and run by third-party cloud service providers like Google Cloud.

2. Private cloud: Private clouds are built, run, and used by a single organization, typically located on-premises. They provide greater control, customization, and data security but come with similar costs and resource limitations associated with traditional IT environments.

3. Hybrid cloud: Environments that mix at least one private computing environment (traditional IT infrastructure or private cloud, including the edge) with one or more public clouds are called hybrid clouds. They allow you to leverage the resources and services from different computing environments and choose which is the most optimal for the workloads.

Benefits of Cloud Computing 

• It helps companies reduce capital costs in buying and maintaining equipment.

• It reduces the need for large IT teams to handle cloud data centre operations.  

•  It makes data mobility possible as information stored on the cloud can be accessed from anywhere and with any device. 

• It creates room for easy recovery of files and information because it can be accessed from anywhere. 

• In most cases, cloud vendors provide all the upgrades and updates automatically, saving time and effort.

Cloud Computing Services 

1. IaaS: IaaS providers, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), supply a virtual server instance and storage, as well as application programming interfaces (APIs) that let users migrate workloads to a virtual machine (VM). Users have an allocated storage capacity and can start, stop, access and configure the VM and storage as desired. IaaS providers offer small, medium, large, extra-large, and memory- or compute-optimized instances, in addition to enabling customization of instances, for various workload needs. The IaaS cloud model is closest to a remote data centre for business users.

2. PaaS: In the PaaS model, cloud providers host development tools on their infrastructures. Users access these tools over the internet using APIs, web portals or gateway software. PaaS is used for general software development, and many PaaS providers host the software after it's developed. Common PaaS products include Salesforce's Lightning Platform, AWS Elastic Beanstalk and Google App Engine.

3. SaaS: SaaS is a distribution model that delivers software applications over the Internet; these applications are often called web services. Users can access SaaS applications and services from any location using a computer or mobile device that has internet access. In the SaaS model, users gain access to application software and databases. One common example of a SaaS application is Microsoft 365 for productivity and email services.

Cloud Computing Career Paths 

1. Cloud engineer: Cloud engineers are responsible for building and maintaining an organization’s cloud infrastructure. While their precise duties and responsibilities fluctuate from one organization to another, engineers typically use their cloud computing skills and knowledge of cloud operations to ensure an organization’s cloud infrastructure runs both effectively and efficiently. 

2. Cloud architect: Cloud architects are responsible for designing the cloud infrastructure used by organizations. Working under IT directors and chief technical officers (CTOs), cloud architects must design cloud systems that support the goals and objectives outlined by the organization and ensure they operate as expected. 

3. Cloud Administrator: Cloud administrators, or cloud system administrators, maintain an organization’s cloud infrastructure. Cloud administrators work alongside other cloud professionals, such as cloud engineers and architects, to ensure that systems are running smoothly and efficiently. 

4. Cloud security analyst: Cloud security analysts, also known as information security analysts, ensure that an organization’s cloud data is safe from data breaches, unauthorized access, and other cybersecurity threats. Using their knowledge of data security and cloud computing, security analysts are tasked with monitoring cloud-based systems, developing new safeguards as cloud technology evolves, and resolving cybersecurity threats as they arise.