Cloud Security Notes To Prepare

Table of Contents

1. Cloud Computing Overview
2. What is AWS Cloud?
3. Benefits of AWS Cloud
4. Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3)
5. Use Cases of Amazon S3
6. Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store)
7. Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)
8. Amazon FSx

Cloud Computing Overview

Definition: Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of IT resources such as compute power, storage, and applications over the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing.

Traditional vs. Cloud: Traditionally, developers had to procure, set up, and maintain physical infrastructure. Cloud computing simplifies this by providing rapid access to flexible and low-cost IT resources, allowing developers to focus on building and maintaining applications without large upfront investments.

Key Characteristics:

• On-demand: Access resources when needed.
• Pay-as-you-go: Pay only for what you use.
• Scalable: Scale resources up or down as required.
• Global reach: Deploy applications globally with minimal effort.

Advantages of Cloud Computing

1. Pay as you go:

   • Only pay for the resources you use.
   • Reduces waste and optimizes costs.

2. Economies of Scale:

   • Aggregated usage leads to higher economies of scale.
   • Results in lower prices for users.

3. Capacity Management:

   • Avoid over-provisioning and under-provisioning.
   • Scale resources dynamically based on demand.

4. Speed and Agility:

   • Rapid provisioning of IT resources.
   • Reduces time to market and enhances innovation.

5. Cost Savings:

   • Focus on core business projects.
   • Reduce expenses related to maintaining physical infrastructure.

6. Global Deployment:

   • Deploy applications in multiple regions.
   • Provide lower latency and better customer experience.

What is AWS Cloud?

Definition: AWS Cloud refers to Amazon’s cloud computing services, which provide on-demand delivery of IT resources over the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing. It includes a vast array of services ranging from compute power to storage, databases, analytics, networking, developer tools, IoT, security, and enterprise applications.

Key Features:

• Global Infrastructure: AWS operates from multiple data centers globally, allowing users to deploy resources in regions that best suit their needs.
• Scalability: Easily scale resources up or down based on demand, from serving a single customer to millions.
• Flexibility: Users can choose from over 200 fully-featured services to build, deploy, and manage applications efficiently.
• Pay-as-You-Go Pricing: Pay only for the resources consumed, with billing based on per-second or per-hour usage, depending on the service.

Example Use Case:

• Users can spin up virtual machines (EC2 instances) with specific configurations (e.g., CPU cores, memory) in seconds and pay for usage only when instances are running.
• Resources can be provisioned, managed, and scaled as needed, offering flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

Benefits of AWS Cloud

1. Cost Efficiency:

   • No upfront costs; pay only for what you use.
   • Benefit from economies of scale due to AWS’s large infrastructure.

2. Agility and Innovation:

   • Rapidly deploy applications and scale globally.
   • Experiment and innovate faster with access to a wide range of services.

3. Reliability and Security:

   • Built-in security features and compliance certifications.
   • High availability and reliability with global infrastructure.

4. Global Reach:

   • Deploy applications closer to end-users for lower latency and improved performance.
   • Expand globally with minimal effort.

Customer Use Cases

• Startups: Scale from initial development to large-scale operations without infrastructure constraints.
• Enterprise: Modernize IT infrastructure, run mission-critical applications, and reduce operational costs.
• Public Sector: Support government agencies with secure and compliant cloud solutions.
• Education and Research: Facilitate collaboration and innovation in academic and research institutions.

Conclusion

AWS Cloud provides a robust platform for organizations of all sizes to leverage cloud computing advantages such as scalability, cost-efficiency, agility, and global reach. By utilizing AWS services, businesses can focus on innovation and growth while AWS manages the underlying infrastructure and operational aspects.

Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3)

• Overview: Fully managed, serverless, low-cost object-level storage service.
• Use Cases: Cloud applications, dynamic websites, content distribution, mobile and gaming apps, big data analytics.
• Key Features:
  • Scalability: Store virtually unlimited amounts of data with different formats.
  • Durability: Highly durable with data replicated across multiple Availability Zones (AZs).
  • Storage Classes: Various options tailored for different access patterns and cost requirements.

Amazon S3 Storage Classes

1. Amazon S3 Standard

   • Suitable for dynamic websites, content distribution, mobile apps.
   • Provides high throughput and low latency.
   • Example: Storing frequently accessed media files for a social media platform.

2. Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering

   • Automatically moves objects between two access tiers based on changing access patterns.
   • Example: Data lakes where access patterns are unpredictable.

3. Amazon S3 Standard-IA (Infrequent Access)

   • Ideal for data that is less frequently accessed but requires rapid access when needed.
   • Example: Backup and restore systems for disaster recovery.

4. Amazon S3 One Zone-IA

   • Offers cost-effective storage in a single AWS Availability Zone.
   • Example: Storing secondary backup copies.

5. Amazon S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval

   • Low-cost archive storage with millisecond retrieval times.
   • Example: Compliance data that needs to be retained for long periods.

6. Amazon S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval

   • Flexible retrieval options with costs balanced against access times.
   • Example: Offsite storage for disaster recovery.

7. Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive

   • Lowest-cost storage for long-term retention and digital preservation.
   • Example: Regulatory compliance data retention.

8. Amazon S3 on Outposts

   • Extends Amazon S3 storage to on-premises AWS Outposts environments.
   • Example: Hybrid cloud deployments requiring local data storage.

Benefits of Amazon S3

• High Durability: Data is replicated across multiple AZs.
• Scalability: Easily scale storage capacity up or down as needed.
• Event Triggers: Supports event-driven applications using AWS Lambda.
  • Example: Automatically generating thumbnails for images uploaded to S3.

Use Cases of Amazon S3

1. Content Storage and Distribution

   • Store and distribute large volumes of data.
   • Example: Hosting media files for a streaming service.

2. Backup and Archiving

   • Durable storage for backup data.
   • Example: Long-term storage of database backups.

3. Build a Data Lake

   • Store and analyze large datasets.
   • Example: Big data analytics platforms.

4. Backup and Restore Critical Data

   • Ensure high availability and data integrity.
   • Example: Continuous data protection for critical applications.

5. Archive Data

   • Cost-effective long-term storage for data compliance.
   • Example: Archiving financial records.

6. Run Cloud-Native Apps

   • Build scalable applications in the cloud.
   • Example: Development and deployment of serverless applications.

Other AWS Storage Services

Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store)

• Description: Provides persistent block-level storage volumes for use with Amazon EC2 instances.
• Use Cases:
  • Database Storage: Running databases that require consistent performance.
  • Boot Volume: Storing the operating system or boot applications.
  • Transactional Workloads: Handling transactional workloads requiring low-latency storage.
• Features:
  • Snapshotting: Allows creating point-in-time backups of volumes.
  • Encryption: Provides data-at-rest encryption for enhanced security.
  • Volume Types: Offers options like General Purpose SSD, Provisioned IOPS SSD, and Throughput Optimized HDD.

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)

• Description: Provides scalable file storage for use with Amazon EC2 instances.
• Use Cases:
  • Big Data Applications: Storing large datasets for analytics.
  • Content Management: Managing content repositories and media files.
  • Web Serving: Hosting web content that needs shared access.
• Features:
  • Elasticity: Automatically scales storage capacity up or down as files are added or removed.
  • Compatibility: Supports the Network File System (NFS) protocol.
  • Performance Modes: Offers two performance modes: General Purpose and Max I/O.

Amazon FSx

• Description: Offers fully managed file systems optimized for specific workloads.
• Supported File Systems:
  • Amazon FSx for Windows File Server: Provides fully managed Windows file servers with native Windows file system compatibility.
  • Amazon FSx for Lustre: Offers high-performance file systems optimized for compute-intensive workloads.
• Use Cases:
  • Windows File Server: Centralized storage for Windows-based applications and workloads.
  • Lustre File System: High-performance computing, machine learning, and media processing.
• Features:
  • Managed Service: Handles maintenance tasks such as patching and backups.
  • Integration: Easily integrates with other AWS services like EC2 and S3.
  • Cost Efficiency: Pay only for the storage and throughput capacity you use.