Introduction to Cloud Transformation

Innovation, efficiency, and profitability are some of the main tenets for businesses to be able to adapt to the changing needs of the world. Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple are organizations that effectively continue to strive for innovation and manage to reinstate their successes at multiple turning points in their journeys. Netflix was able to reinvent its business and make the streaming experience more enjoyable by innovating its platforms so that they can withstand disruptions. Technology plays a crucial role in helping organizations increase their innovation and agility.

Cloud transformation becomes a topmost priority for organizations who want to explore, improve their day-to-day operations, and succeed in their businesses in these constantly changing times. Businesses around the world are embracing the cloud to supercharge their organization’s growth, as well as innovating, running, scaling, delivering, optimizing, and mitigating any business risks quickly and efficiently. Cloud transformation often poses barriers that are difficult to break down and requires a clear vision of where to start.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• Introduction to the cloud
• Key characteristics of cloud computing
• Motivators for cloud adoption
• Cloud service providers at a glance – AWS, GCP, Azure, and more
• Service models (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS)
• Exploring the deployment models (private, public, hybrid, multi, and community)