Business owners have paid attention to the possibilities of cloud services long ago. Today, both large and small businesses can develop an IT structure in the cloud using cloud tools and services. In this article, we will analyze the functionality of the database as a service.
Cloud Database – an indispensable solution for your business
Cloud computing is a dynamic method of increasing service productivity or capabilities, without investing in new infrastructure, staff training, or software licensing. The most commonly used are cloud services designed to acquire skills in working with web services and regular documents. But new cloud models are emerging, including DBaaS (Database As Service). According to the definition of the standard – providing consumers with a database on a cloud computing model – Database- as-a-Service – refers to the PaaS service model.
DBaaS is a database concept that is a resource in the cloud. A database is a systematic collection of data that supports the storage and manipulation of information. The user does not know where the database is physically located, it is automatically created in the “cloud” at the request of the user, then the customer works with this database in the usual way: through the application or uses it for development or testing tasks. To create databases and search for information in them are designed programs called database management systems (DBMS).
The DBaaS architecture model consists of the following levels:
- User interface level – provides access to cloud services through a web browser and the Internet.
- Application-level – used to access software services and cloud storage.
- Database layer – provides an efficient and reliable database management service through data warehouse queries.
- Data warehouse layer – stores data in encrypted form and decrypts them as needed, provides backup management, and monitors disks.
Benefits of DBaaS
The cloud database is also provided as a service where the provider directly manages the backup processes of database installation, deployment, and resource allocation. DBaaS service has significant advantages in support and maintenance:
- provides access to a common consolidated database services platform via the Internet;
- provides a model of self-service to initialize the required resource consumer;
- provides elastic scaling of database resources depending on the needs of the user;
- provides continuous service and quick recovery in case of fall;
- cloud DBMS providers operate in secure environments using additional measures (firewalls, antivirus, etc.).
The best cloud database options
The most popular cloud services for working with databases include:
- Google Cloud SQL is a web service that allows you to create, build, and use relational databases with your applications based on App Engine applications written in the Python programming language. It is a fully managed service that maintains and manages databases, allowing developers to focus on implementing programs and required services.
- Microsoft SQL Azure is a projection of the traditional MS SQL Server database on the cloud, which provides opportunities to work with the database using Internet services. This technology allows you to store structured and unstructured information, perform relational queries, and provides functionality for searching, creating analytical reports, integrating and synchronizing data.
- E-Cloud is a complex of IT resources that gives complete freedom to create any IT landscapes: virtual machines, virtual disks, and networks, united into an IT infrastructure within a virtual data center. E-Cloud is based on three TIER III data centers that have been operating without downtime for many years: GigaCenter, BeMobile, and Atman. The infrastructure of three data centers allows you to build any complex and fully redundant IT landscapes.