Infrastructure in Cloud

This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of cloud infrastructure — the foundation that enables cloud computing services to operate efficiently, securely, and at scale. It explores the key components, architectures, and management principles that form the backbone of modern cloud environments.

The chapter begins by defining cloud infrastructure and its core elements, including compute resources (virtual machines, containers, and serverless architectures), storage systems, and networking components. It then examines how these resources are provisioned and managed through virtualization and orchestration technologies such as hypervisors, Kubernetes, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC).

Further sections address the different types of cloud deployment models — public, private, hybrid, and multi-cloud — highlighting their advantages, limitations, and ideal use cases. Special attention is given to scalability, reliability, and elasticity, which are critical characteristics of cloud infrastructure design.

The chapter also discusses security considerations, such as identity and access management (IAM), network segmentation, and data encryption, ensuring that infrastructure remains resilient against threats. Finally, it reviews current trends and best practices, including automation, monitoring, and cost optimization, that organizations adopt to maintain efficient and sustainable cloud operations.

Overall, this chapter establishes a solid understanding of how cloud infrastructure underpins modern digital ecosystems, enabling flexible resource management, high availability, and global scalability.