Cloud architecture is a key element of building in the cloud. It refers to the layout and connects all the necessary components and technologies required for cloud computing . Migrating to the cloud can offer many business benefits compared to on-premises environments, from improved agility and scalability to cost efficiency . While many organizations may start with a lift-and-shift approach, where on-premises applications are moved over with minimal modifications, ultimately it will be necessary to construct and deploy applications according to the needs and requirements of cloud environments .
Cloud architecture dictates how components are integrated so that you can pool, share, and scale resources over a network. Think of it as a building blueprint for running and deploying applications in cloud environments . The basic cloud architecture layers include hardware, virtualization, application and service, and network .
The hardware layer consists of servers, storage, network devices, and other hardware that power the cloud . Virtualization is an abstraction layer that creates a virtual representation of physical computing and storage resources . The application and service layer is where the backend software or application the client is accessing from the front end to coordinate or fulfill client requests and requirements . The service is the heart of cloud architecture, taking care of all the tasks being run on a cloud computing system. It manages which resources you can access, including storage, application development environments, and web applications . The network layer is the internet, intranet, or intercloud .
Cloud architecture is how individual technologies are integrated to create cloud computing environments . There are four key steps of cloud architecture: planning, designing, building, and operating . The types of architectures include public, private, hybrid, and multicloud . Cloud architects are responsible for designing and implementing cloud computing systems, including the hardware, software, and networks involved in the systems . They also ensure that the systems are secure, scalable, and reliable .
Google Cloud offers an Architecture Framework for guidance, recommendations, and best practices to build and migrate your workloads to the cloud . They also provide an Architecture Diagramming Tool for pre-built reference architectures and customizing them to your use cases . VMware Glossary defines cloud architecture as the way technology components combine to build a cloud, in which resources are pooled through virtualization technology and shared across a network . Hewlett Packard Enterprise defines cloud architecture as the complete infrastructure of hardware and software that businesses and institutions use to create, index, store, and share vast amounts of data from multiple users and locations .