Definition of cloud resource.
Cloud resources are the basic components that allow you to create and manage applications, data and infrastructure in a virtual environment. There are different types of cloud resources, such as virtual machines, storage services, networks, functions, databases, containers, and so on. Each cloud resource has specific characteristics, such as capacity, availability, scalability, security and cost. Cloud hyperscalers are cloud service providers that offer a wide range of cloud resources globally, with high quality and reliability. Some examples of cloud hyperscalers are Microsoft Azure, Amazon
Understanding what a cloud resource is will allow you to understand the definitions of the cloud which in turn will allow you to understand the definition of a cloud native information ecosystem, as described in the articleCloud native information ecosystem.
The basics
A cloud resource is a service offered by a primary cloud provider also called hyperscaler, due to its ability to provide supposedly highly scalable services.
Cloud resources are the instances of services that as a user I can purchase and use to create a cloud information system.
Examples of cloud resources
Any basic service present in a classic information system can be identified as provided by one or a set of cloud resources.
The offer of cloud resources (services) is therefore very broad. Each Hyperscaler classifies them according to specific metrics that are sometimes driven more by marketing.
But at the base we have available almost all the services that can be represented in an ISO/OSI stack.
The hardware and energy services, natively provided by the cloud provider, are missing. In essence, cloud resources are created natively to guarantee high local availability.
In the cloud I don't buy a hardware rack but at most a host virtual machine.
In the cloud I don't buy a network device but a network service.
For basic paid application services database, firewall etc. when requested I will have to buy software licenses when they are not open; in that case, as always, I will have to pay for a support service to guarantee continuity of the service.
In cloud we talk about configuration, parameterization, allocation, startup deallocation, shutdown of cloud resources.
They can be managed by specific control panels, mandatorily made available by the cloud provider.
In many cases I can operate by communicating via script languages for their configuration and quick change management.
The termcloud resource,is used in the blog to indicate service instances
Classification of cloud resources.
Cloud resources can be classified based on the service model provided whether IasS, PaaS, SaaS.
Normally the resources are classifiable and identified by the cloud provider for the ISO / OSI level of service they represent.
For example, we find resources of the network type (VPN, LAN etc), of the storage type (ARCHIVES, databases, data lakes etc) or of data transport or finally of the application type (paas services such as Kubernets, IaaS such as VM etc).
Given the large number of cloud resources available, each primary provider uses various resource classification criteria.
Below I present some of them.
Classification Cloud resources in Azure
To organize and manage cloud resources, Azure offers four levels of management: management groups, subscriptions, resource groups, and resources. Each level has a function and a relationship with the other levels. For example, management groups help you simplify access, policy, and compliance management for multiple subscriptions. Subscriptions logically associate user accounts with the resources you create. Resource groups are logical containers where you can deploy and manage Azure resources such as web apps, databases, and storage accounts.
In addition to management layers, you can also use naming standards and tagging to organize your cloud resources. Naming standards help you quickly identify resources associated with workloads, environments, ownership groups, or other important information. Tagging allows you to add custom metadata to assets
to help manage costs, operations, security, governance and workload optimization.
Finally, you can use tags to classify data based on sensitivity and business impact to identify risks.
Below are some small guides that can be useful in understanding the organization of resources in Azure
- Organize your Azure resources effectively
- Azure Resource Diagram
- Costing and scaling your Azure resources
Resource classification in AWS
The classification of cloud resources in AWS is similar to that of Azure, but uses different terms. Cloud resources are instances of services that you can create and use in AWS, such as virtual machines, storage, and databases.To organize and manage your cloud resources, AWS offers four levels of management: organizations, accounts, services, and resources1. Each level has a function and a relationship with the other levels.For example, organizations allow you to create and manage hierarchical groups of accounts1. Accounts are the logical containers that associate users with the resources you create1. Services are product categories that offer specific functionality, such as compute, storage, networking, and databases1. Resources are service instances that you can create and use in AWS, such as virtual machines, S3 buckets, and DynamoDB tables1.
In addition to management layers, you can also use naming standards and tagging to organize your cloud resources.Naming standards help you quickly identify resources associated with workloads, environments, ownership groups, or other important information2. Tagging lets you add custom metadata to resources to help manage costs, operations, security, governance, and workload optimization2. You can also use tags to classify data based on sensitivity and business impact to identify risks3.
References
Cloud resource classification for GCP
Cloud resource classification in GCP is based on the resource hierarchy and monitored services. Cloud resources are the instances of services you can create and use in GCP, such as virtual machines, storage, and databases.To organize and manage cloud resources, GCP offers a resource hierarchy that includes four levels: organizations, accounts, projects, and resources1. Each level has a function and a relationship with the other levels.For example, organizations allow you to create and manage hierarchical groups of accounts1. Accounts are the logical containers that associate users with the resources you create1. Projects are the basic units for billing, authorization, and resource configuration1. Resources are the service instances you can create and use in GCP, such as virtual machines, Cloud Storage buckets, and Cloud Bigtable tables1.
In addition to the resource hierarchy, you can also use monitored services to classify cloud resources based on the type of product or functionality they offer.Monitored services are the product categories that are monitored by Cloud Monitoring, such as Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL and others2. Each monitored service has one or more associated monitored resource types, which define the properties and metadata of the resources that belong to that service2. For example, the Compute Engine monitored service has the monitored resource types gce_instance, gce_disk, gce_autoscaler, and others2.
More information can be found in the following insights:
References: