What is Cloud Virtualization?

Cloud Computing Concepts

Understand the fundamentals of cloud virtualization and how it powers cloud computing. Learn about different types, the role of hypervisors, and its impact on cost-efficiency and scalability.

What is the basic concept of virtualization, and how is it applied in cloud computing?

Virtualization, also known as virtual machines or VMs, creates virtual operating systems but still runs on one physical machine. Examples include servers and operating systems. Virtualization is designed so that several users can be on the same cloud.

Providers use virtualization for different services, including web hosting and web apps.

What are the different types of virtualization used in cloud computing, and what are their benefits?

The different types of cloud computing virtualization are used for varying objectives. Here’s a rundown of each:

Server Virtualization: Making multiple virtual servers from the same physical server. This is used for management and resource allocation.
Desktop Virtualization: Virtual, accessible desktops. Some companies have their IT teams access employee computers virtually for ticket resolution.
Network Virtualization: Part of the physical network, but not dependent on it. Often used for security purposes.
Storage Virtualization: Centralizing physical storage devices into a digital version. Used for managing storage and capacity optimization.

What is the role of hypervisors in virtualization, and what are the different types available?

Hypervisors are used for resource management and allocation, and two main types exist. These are:

Bare-Metal: These run from physical hardware and are designed for performance.
Hosted: These are used as part of an operating system and are designed for flexibility.

How does virtualization contribute to the cost-efficiency, scalability, and flexibility of cloud computing?

Virtualization is used for each of these components in the following ways:

Cost: Virtualization should be designed for hardware and server optimization.
Scalability: Cloud computing providers often increase or decrease virtual machines based on demands.
Flexibility: You should use VMs to pay for the resources you need, which might be higher or lower depending on the season.

Can you provide real-world examples of how major cloud providers like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud leverage virtualization to deliver their services?

Some cloud providers using virtualization include:

Amazon Web Services (AWS): Simple Storage Service (S3) is used for storage purposes, and the company uses Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) for its virtual private servers.
Microsoft Azure: Virtualization is used for virtual storage to host data online. Azure also makes virtual networks via virtualization.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP): Cloud Storage is used for storage that can increase or drop. Kubernetes Engine is used for containers that deploy apps and do other things.

Conclusion

You need to consider virtualization when researching cloud computing. Moreover, you need to think about the type of virtualization that you need – based on the two options available. Different cloud computing providers, such as GCP and AWS, use virtualization for different operations.

When looking at virtualization, think about your usage across different times of the year. Moreover, you will need to consider factors like security and flexibility.

Key takeaways

Core to Cloud Computing: Virtualization is what makes several virtual machines run on the same server.

Different Purposes: Businesses should choose a virtualization type based on their needs (e.g. flexibility and security).

Hypervisors: Virtualization requires bare-metal or hosted hypervisors for resource allocation.