Cloud Computing vs. Cloud Networking: What's the difference?

In the wave of digital transformation, cloud computing and cloud network have become the core technologies of modern enterprise IT architecture. Although the two are closely related in the field of technology, there are significant differences in their goals, application scenarios and technical implementations. This article will delve into the mystery of these two.

What is cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is a service model that provides scalable and elastic computing resources through the network. It moves workloads from traditional on-premises data centers to the data centers of cloud service providers (CSPS), eliminating the need to directly manage the underlying hardware infrastructure and providing on-demand access to compute, storage, and networking resources through cloud services.

Cloud computing is delivered through different consumption patterns. There are three basic models for consuming cloud services, each of which provides customers with different levels of workload visibility and control. These patterns are as follows:

Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) : Provides virtualized computing resources. Users can deploy and manage virtual machines at the hypervisor layer to flexibly configure computing, storage, and network resources.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) : Provides middleware environments such as databases, container orchestration platforms, and application development frameworks on which users can develop, deploy, and manage applications without having to focus on the underlying infrastructure.
Software as a Service (SaaS) : Provides a fully managed application where users access software services over the network without the need to install and maintain software or understand the underlying architecture.

Advantages and challenges of cloud computing

advantage

Agility and resiliency: Agility is a big advantage of cloud computing. New technology stacks can be launched in a matter of hours via IaaS, new development environments can be put into operation in a matter of minutes via PaaS, and new applications can be delivered to users in a matter of minutes via SaaS.

Access to data anytime, anywhere: Data can be accessed anytime, anywhere via the Internet. While on-premises deployments can also enable access, this requires more effort from the network, security and systems teams. In the cloud, all scaling and traffic management issues are handled by the CSP, as is system maintenance that enforces access control policies.
Fast data recovery: In emergency situations, cloud platforms can often recover backup data faster than on-premises infrastructure, especially if the material to be recovered in on-premises scenarios has been moved off-site for disaster recovery purposes. Cloud backups are typically located in online or near-line storage and can be accessed with just a few mouse clicks.

Challenge

Workload suitability: Not all workloads are suitable for the cloud. Horizontally scaled workloads written to meet dynamic requirements can benefit from using the resources of a cloud service provider and are less costly to run in the cloud. Applications (often legacy applications) built for vertical scaling, always running, or always allocating all the resources they might need, are less suited to the cloud model, and are often less costly to run on-premises.

How sensitive information is handled: The cloud platform is often a black box, and customers only know the platform information that the provider chooses to disclose, and there is no way to verify this information. Contractual terms and independent audits can offset some of this level of trust.
Skilled staff shortages: IT teams often struggle to find or retain enough staff with the expertise to understand how each cloud platform-specific approach implements the necessary system, network, and security functions. This is especially true for multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments. Implementing the same strategy may require very different approaches in different environments.

Issues with switching CSPS: Switching cloud service providers can cause migration and data access issues. One major factor that many organizations don't consider is the cost of moving data out of a cloud environment. These costs can be high if the amount of data is large, and the more data there is, the longer it will take to extract all of it. In addition, many providers do not provide proof of deletion of all copies of data removed on their platforms. Organizations may have to accept the possibility that old copies of their data are still circulating in some backup media.
What is Cloud networking?

Cloud networking refers to the technology that manages network connectivity, traffic control, and resource interconnection through a cloud service provider's infrastructure. It migrates the network management plane, control plane, and even some data planes to the cloud, enabling centralized management and automatic configuration of network resources.

Give an example

1. Wireless LAN management

Use a cloud-based network controller to manage wireless Lans. Cloud-based management is increasingly common in enterprise wireless local area networks (WLans) and even campus and data center networks. It removes the burden of keeping the management platform updated and simplifies vendor support. Vendors also use data from the numerous networks they manage to train AI systems to assist in network management, provide predictive analytics on performance and maintenance, and provide better insight into traffic management.

2. SD-WAN, SASE or Network as a Service

Use cloud-based network controllers for SD-WAN, SASE, or full network-as-a-service. SD-WAN and SASE connect multiple locations, including data centers, cloud environments, and sometimes external networks of customer partners. Architecturally, it makes perfect sense to use cloud services to manage these locations. A full cloud provisioning Network as a Service (NaaS) is the next logical step to move all remaining WAN infrastructure (except the minimum required to connect to the NaaS provider's access points) to the provider cloud to take advantage of cloud-level expansion of their staff expertise, CSP interconnect, and firewalls.

3. Enterprise WAN traffic transmission

An internal WAN using a CSP transfers enterprise WAN traffic between locations. Especially when combined with the NaaS platform, this can eliminate the need to provide a dedicated link for interregional or intercloud WAN traffic or trust such traffic to the public Internet. Instead, it uses CSP's own backbone and non-public Internet peering used by major providers, which are better managed and configured than the best-effort public Internet.

Advantages and challenges of cloud networks

advantage

Reduce the complexity of local network equipment and software: Every site needs a router or similar endpoint node to connect to provider services, but other functions, such as load balancing and firewalls, can be moved to cloud services.
Reduce system update burden: Cloud service providers (CSPS) are responsible for handling system updates, freeing up employees to work on higher-priority tasks. Complex enterprise Wans often require significant maintenance efforts to keep software patched and updated. In many organizations, much of the work is not automated, and there is a risk that the update process is performed incompletely or inconsistently and that any subsequent configuration changes may be required.
Easily scale operations: Adding a new cloud environment to an existing Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) environment is as simple as clicking a few buttons, extending existing policies into it and adding any configurations specific to the new resource. In the case of a merger or acquisition, where it is equally easy to establish links from the acquired company's infrastructure, NaaS providers bear the burden of interim measures, such as large-scale network address translation and segmenting traffic for security purposes, until resources are more fully reviewed and absorbed.

Challenge

Vendor lock-in: There are currently no standards for interconnecting Network-as-a-service (NaaS) products or migrating management data from one SD-WAN or WLAN cloud management platform to another. This means that the greater the investment in the platform, the greater the effort required to migrate from it. Before migrating a site, you may even need to start the new environment in parallel with the old environment across all sites and in the cloud.
Connectivity and uptime issues: The flip side of offloading infrastructure and interconnection issues is that organizations are unable to work directly with cloud service providers (CSPS) to resolve issues. This has always been a problem with WAN connectivity or networks in the cloud, but for areas that can be managed in the traditional way, such as WAN and WLAN, it is a new problem.

Cloud computing versus cloud networking

There is a natural overlap between cloud computing and cloud networking. Anyone using a cloud computing platform through infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) uses a cloud network to connect virtual machines in that environment to each other, other cloud services, and the Internet. In hybrid cloud, enterprises use cloud networks to interconnect cloud resources with internal systems in the data center. In modern hybrid networks, it is common practice to move some of the functionality provided by network devices in traditional networks to the cloud. For example, an enterprise might migrate its global load balancer from the data center to an IaaS environment or switch to a function as a service model as part of a broader move toward Network as a Service (NaaS).

Factors driving organizations to adopt cloud networks

Almost all organizations use cloud computing, and the drive to increase agility, force updates to older applications, and move away from capital-intensive service models will continue to drive adoption. Newer businesses may not have their own data centers. A small number of organizations are using cloud networks outside of their cloud computing environment, but several trends are increasing this proportion, including:

Use of Multiple IaaS platforms: The number of organizations using multiple infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) platforms has increased. The complexity of connecting these environments to each other and to local networks makes cloud services more attractive. Mergers and acquisitions almost always mean increasing the number of cloud environments in use.

The rise of zero-trust network access services: Zero-trust network access services are rapidly emerging to replace traditional VPNS. Zero-trust network access services can also replace private WAN connections for small and medium-sized branches, and often result in significant cost savings.

Scaling of Security Service Edge and Security Access Service Edge: Cloud networks that provide critical security infrastructure, with or without SD-WAN services, can make it faster and easier for enterprises to extend Security Service Edge (SSE) and Security Access Service Edge (SASE) protection and control across their entire environment.

Adoption of cloud-managed WLAN: The adoption of cloud-managed wireless local area networks (WLans) can shift some of the enterprise WLAN management and maintenance burden from overburdened IT teams to service providers. This approach also provides a direct and easy path to piloting and possibly adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in network management.

Sum up

Cloud computing and cloud network are the key technologies for the digital transformation of modern enterprises. Although there are significant differences in their goals, application scenarios and technical realization, they are interdependent and mutually promoting. When selecting cloud computing and cloud networking solutions, enterprises need to consider business requirements, technology maturity, cost effectiveness, and security compliance. With the continuous development of emerging technologies such as multi-cloud architecture, ZTNA and SASE, the integration of cloud computing and cloud network will become an important trend of enterprise IT architecture in the future. Enterprises should actively embrace technological innovation, give full play to the advantages of cloud computing and cloud network through reasonable planning and management, promote the sustainable development of business and enhance competitiveness.