Cloud Databases

 Cloud Databases

Table of contents

 

1. Introduction 

2. Why use a cloud database?

3. Microsoft azure

4. Amazon Web Service (AWS)

5. Google Cloud

Introduction

A cloud database is a database service built and accessed through a cloud platform. It serves many of the same functions as a traditional database with the added flexibility of cloud computing.  

Why use a cloud database?

• Fast Deployment. Cloud databases are the perfect choice when you urgently need a database, as they can be up and running in minutes. Cloud databases eliminate the need to purchase and install hardware and set up a network.

• Accessibility. Users have quick access to cloud databases remotely through the provider's API or web interface.

• Scalability. You can expand cloud database storage capacity without disruptions and meet the requirements. Cloud database scalability is seamless due to DBaaS implementation, which is a major benefit for growing businesses with limited resources.

• Disaster Recovery. Data backups are regularly performed on cloud databases and kept on remote servers. These backups enable a business to stay online in cases of natural disasters, equipment failure, etc.

• Lower Hardware Costs. Cloud database service providers supply the infrastructure and perform database maintenance. Hence, companies invest less in hardware and have fewer IT engineers for database maintenance.

• Value for Money. Many DBaaS solutions are available in multiple configurations, allowing companies only to pay for what they use and turn off services when they don't need them. Cloud databases also save money by not requiring operational costs or expensive upgrades.

• Latest Tech. Cloud database providers upgrade infrastructure and keep it updated with new tech. This brings significant savings as companies don't have to allocate funds on new tech or staff training.

• Security. Most cloud database providers encrypt data and invest in the best cloud security solutions to keep the databases safe. Although there is no impenetrable security system, it is a safe way to protect data. Since cloud database providers use automation to enforce the best security practices, there is less room for human error compared to using on-premises databases.

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure is a broad, ever-expanding set of cloud-based computing services that are available to businesses, developers, government agencies, and anyone who wants to build an app or run an enterprise on the internet without having to install and manage hardware or server software. It has been the fastest-growing business segment for Microsoft in recent years and in recent years has surpassed both Windows and Office in terms of revenue.

Benefits

The most obvious benefit of Azure's IaaS offerings is that your organization doesn't have to buy, configure, maintain, and repair hardware to run cloud-based workloads. Savings start with the cost of the hardware but encompass a far greater number of indirect costs, including the physical space required to house those servers as well as the electricity to keep them running.

Because Azure-based resources are virtual, they're not vulnerable to unexpected hardware failures that can result in downtime while you wait for repairs or a replacement. Virtual hardware resources can scale up or down in a way that physical hardware can't, making it possible to deal with sudden surges in traffic to an Azure-based website. Large organizations that have to meet global privacy requirements for data storage and transfer can easily move data and services to a region of their choosing.

For developers, Azure offers instant access to services for developing mobile apps, designing IoT devices, connecting to online storage and database resources, and deploying container technology. In addition, Microsoft has invested heavily in machine learning and AI tools for developers.

Popular Azure service: AZURE SQL

Azure SQL database comes under the category of the platform as a service (PaaS) and is related to most of the database management functions, like – backups, monitoring, patching, and upgrading without any kind of user involvement. The efficiency of Azure SQL without requiring any human intervention is the reason why we have to mention it in our list of top Azure services.

The Azure SQL database brings integrated PaaS capabilities helping you administer domain-specific databases and optimize the activities as per your business needs. The Azure SQL database is always upgraded to the latest and stable version of the SQL server database engine. It is accompanied by a patched OS with 99.99% availability.

If your business deals with both relational and non-relational data structures like JSON, Spatial, graphs, and XML, then Azure SQL database can be one of the best Azure services for processing both kinds of data structures. For modern cloud applications, the Azure SQL database adds a readily available data storage facility with enhanced performance for enterprises.

AWS

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud service provider and a subsidiary of Amazon. It offers secure, scalable computing power, database storage, content delivery, and other cloud services to help businesses run and grow more efficiently.

Benefits

• Ease of use: designed to allow application providers and independent software vendors (ISVs) to quickly and securely host applications. AWS Management Console/web services APIs can be used to access AWS’s application hosting platform

• Flexibility: allows users to choose the operating system, programming language, web app platform, database, and other services as required. There’s a service to suit every need, and users have the facility to build the exact infrastructure that works for them

• Cost-effective: users only pay for the compute power, storage, and other resources used, making AWS very cost-effective

• Security: no matter what size the company in question may be, AWS offers top-class end-to-end security across its services and data centers. Amazon’s data centers are staffed with security 24/7, employing state-of-the-art electronic surveillance and multi-factor access control systems

• Performance and scalability: Amazon’s solid and extensive infrastructure allows AWS users to scale up or down based on demand

• Reliability: AWS provides a scalable and secure global infrastructure which minimizes downtime, quickly recovers from any failures, and dynamically acquires the resources necessary to meet demand and mitigate disruption

Popular AWS services: AMAZON RDS

Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) makes database configuration, management, and scaling easy in the cloud. Automate tedious tasks such as hardware provisioning, database arrangement, patching, and backups – cost-effectively and proportionate to your needs.

RDS is available on various database instances which are optimized for performance and memory, providing six familiar database engines including Amazon Aurora, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle. database, and SQL server. By leveraging the AWS Database Migration Service, you can easily migrate or reproduce your existing databases to Amazon RDS. Visit Amazon’s RDS page.

DYNAMODB

DynamoDB is a document database with key-value structuring that delivers single-digit millisecond performance at scale. Dynamo has built-in security with a fully managed, multimaster, multiregion, durable database, backup and restore, and in-memory archiving for web-scale applications.

DynamoSB can manage upward of 10 trillion requests daily and can support thresholds of more than 20 million requests per second.

Google Cloud

Google Cloud is a suite of public cloud computing services offered by Google. The platform includes a range of hosted services for compute, storage and application development that run on Google hardware. Google Cloud services can be accessed by software developers, cloud administrators and other enterprise IT professionals over the public internet or through a dedicated network connection.

Benefits

• High Productivity with Innovation

 As Google weekly updates the platform, your productivity level steadily increases.

• Easy to Adopt Latest Functionalities 

The changes made on the platform are small and gradual, allowing the users time to adjust.

• Remote Access 

You get complete access for accessing the data from anywhere at any time via Google’s web apps.

 

• Smooth Collaboration 

Google Cloud smoothens the collaboration aspect of a project by allowing simultaneous contribution and access.

 

• Unmatched Security 

Google is a name associated with security and its cloud counterpart is an apt example for the same.

 

• Reduced Breaches

As the platform allows minimal storage of offline data, the chances of breach significantly drop.

 

• High Reliability 

In case an error disrupts the data center from functioning, then the system goes to a secondary center with no interruption faced by the users.

 

• Offers Flexibility and Control 

You can choose the tech and have control over the data in Google applications. In case you opt-out of their services, your data can be easily extracted.

Popular Google cloud services: 

Cloud Bigtable: Cloud Bigtable is a fast, fully-managed, highly-scalable NoSQL database service. It is designed for the collection and retention of data from 1TB to hundreds of PB.

Datastore: Datastore is a fully-managed, schemaless, non-relational datastore. It provides a rich set of query capabilities, supports atomic transactions, and automatically scales up and down in response to load. It can scale to support an application with 1,000 users or 10 million users with no code changes.

Firestore: Firestore is a NoSQL document database for storing, syncing, and querying data for mobile and web apps. Its client libraries provide live synchronization and offline support, while its security features and integrations with Firebase and Google Cloud Platform accelerate building serverless apps.

Memorystore: Memorystore, which includes Memorystore for Redis and Memorystore for Memcached, provides a fully-managed in-memory data store service that allows customers to deploy distributed caches that provide sub-millisecond data access.

Cloud Spanner: Cloud Spanner is a fully-managed, mission-critical relational database service. It is designed to provide a scalable online transaction processing (OLTP) database with high availability and strong consistency at global scale.

Cloud SQL: Cloud SQL is a web service that allows you to create, configure, and use relational databases that live in Google's cloud. It is a fully-managed service that maintains, manages, and administers your databases, allowing you to focus on your applications and services.