Cloud Computing vs. Distributed Systems | Confluent [Video]

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing delivers computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the internet (“the cloud”). Instead of owning your physical infrastructure, you access these resources on demand from a service provider like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or the Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

This provides great flexibility, enabling tasks like data analysis or implementing new data structures efficiently.

Benefits of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing offers many advantages, such as reduced upfront costs, as you only pay for what you use. The wide range of cloud services available includes Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) for virtualized computing resources, Platform as a Service (PaaS) for development and deployment environments, and Software as a Service (SaaS) for ready-to-use applications. These services span everything from data storage and analytics to artificial intelligence and machine learning tools.

Cloud platforms typically handle management and maintenance. This frees your IT team from more critical tasks and provides access to a …