Cloud Computing and Big Data
Science & Technology › IT, Telecommunications and Computers · Topic 14.13
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services, such as servers, storage, databases, software and analytics, over the internet on demand, with payment according to use. The United States National Institute of Standards and Technology describes it by five features: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity and measured service. Service models are Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service and Software as a Service, and deployment models are public, private, hybrid and community clouds. Big data means datasets so large, fast or varied that ordinary tools cannot handle them, described by the five Vs of volume, velocity, variety, veracity and value, and handled with systems such as Hadoop and Spark. India's government cloud is MeghRaj.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Science & Technology · IT, Telecommunications and Computers
At a Glance
- Service models IaaS, PaaS, SaaS
- Deployment Public, private, hybrid
- Big data Five Vs
- Indian government cloud MeghRaj
- Debate Data localisation
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Science & Technology: IT, Telecommunications and Computers
Where Does It Fit?
This topic follows the account of net neutrality. After open access to the network, the macro looks at where data is stored and processed, which links with the Internet of Things and with emerging technology such as artificial intelligence. Previous topic: Net Neutrality. Next topic: Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin).
What Are Cloud Service and Deployment Models?
| Model | Description and examples |
|---|---|
| Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) | Rent virtual servers, storage and networks. The user manages the operating system and applications. Examples include Amazon EC2 and Microsoft Azure virtual machines |
| Platform as a Service (PaaS) | A ready platform to build and run applications without managing servers, such as Google App Engine |
| Software as a Service (SaaS) | Complete applications delivered through a browser, such as email, office tools and customer management |
| Public cloud | Run by a provider for many customers over the internet |
| Private cloud | Used by a single organisation, in its own or hosted data centre |
| Hybrid cloud | A mix of public and private clouds, so sensitive data stays private |
| Community cloud | Shared by organisations with similar needs, such as government departments |
What Is Big Data and How Is It Used?
- Volume: the size of data, in terabytes, petabytes and beyond
- Velocity: the speed at which data arrives, such as social media posts or sensor readings
- Variety: different forms, structured tables, text, images, audio and video
- Veracity: the accuracy and trustworthiness of data
- Value: the benefit that can be drawn from the data
- Tools: Hadoop for distributed storage and processing, Spark for fast processing, NoSQL databases and machine learning
- Uses: targeted services, fraud detection, weather forecasts, health research, traffic planning and crop advisories
- Government use: analysis of GST, tax and benefit data for better targeting and compliance
What Else Should You Remember?
- Advantages of cloud: lower upfront cost, scalability, quick deployment, disaster recovery and access from anywhere
- Risks of cloud: data security, dependence on providers, outages and compliance with laws
- MeghRaj: the GI Cloud policy of 2013 and 2014 lets departments use cloud services from empanelled providers, as in Digital India Initiative and E-Governance Programmes
- Data centres: India has a growing number of data centres in cities such as Mumbai and Chennai, supported by a policy to give data centre infrastructure the status of infrastructure
- Data localisation: the requirement that some data be stored in India. The RBI asked payment firms to store payment data in India in 2018, and the data protection law allows transfers except to restricted countries
- Edge computing: processing near the source, as in Internet of Things (IoT)
- Serverless and containers: modern ways to run applications without managing servers
- IndiaAI Mission: approved in March 2024 with an outlay of about Rs 10,372 crore, to build compute capacity, datasets and AI skills
- National Data Governance Policy: a proposed framework for sharing non-personal data in government
- Open government data: data.gov.in publishes datasets for public use
- Energy: data centres use large amounts of power and water, which links to sustainability
- Caution: provider market shares and data volumes change fast, so avoid exact figures
- Cloud security shared responsibility: the provider secures the underlying infrastructure while the customer must secure its own data, accounts and settings
- Content delivery networks: servers placed near users that store copies of popular content to load it faster
- Data analytics types: descriptive analytics tells what happened, predictive analytics what may happen and prescriptive analytics what to do
- Healthcare and agriculture analytics: large patient and crop datasets help to find disease patterns and advise farmers
Why Does It Matter for the Exam?
- Models: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS and cloud types
- Big data: five Vs and tools
- Indian links: MeghRaj and IndiaAI
- Current affairs link: data localisation and AI compute
- Common errors: confusing PaaS with SaaS or saying big data means only large size
As an analytical point, cloud and big data allow low-cost scaling for businesses and government, but they also concentrate data in a few providers. Clear rules on security, localisation and competition are needed.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Models Service types
- Big data Five Vs
- Policy MeghRaj, localisation
What Came Next?
The next topic covers blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. Next topic: Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin).
Key People and Terms
- IaaS Infrastructure as a Service
- PaaS Platform as a Service
- SaaS Software as a Service
- Hadoop Distributed data framework
- Data lake Store of raw data
- Elasticity Scaling up and down
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Three service models: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS.
- Five Vs: volume, velocity, variety, veracity, value.
- Government cloud: MeghRaj.
- IndiaAI Mission: 2024, about Rs 10,372 crore.
- Hybrid = public plus private.
Do Not Confuse With
- IaaS and SaaS Rented infrastructure versus ready-made software
- Public and private cloud Shared provider versus single organisation
- Big data and data analytics Large complex data versus the method of studying it
Memory Hook
Infra, platform, software as a service; volume, velocity, variety, veracity, value make big data.
Mains Angle
Questions ask for models and the five Vs. These points help.
- Benefits Scale and cost
- Risks Security, control
- Policy Localisation, AI
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Discuss the benefits and risks of cloud computing and big data for governance in India.”
How to Answer
- Models Cloud types.
- Big data Five Vs.
- Government MeghRaj.
- Risks Security, localisation.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cloud computing?
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing resources such as servers, storage, databases, software and analytics over the internet on demand, with payment according to use. Users do not need to own or maintain the hardware, and can scale resources up or down quickly, which lowers cost for businesses and governments.
What is the difference between IaaS, PaaS and SaaS?
Infrastructure as a Service gives virtual servers and storage that the user manages. Platform as a Service gives a ready platform for building and running applications without managing servers. Software as a Service provides complete applications, such as email or office tools, through a browser, with the provider managing everything underneath.
What are the five Vs of big data?
The five Vs are volume, the amount of data, velocity, the speed at which it is created, variety, the different types of data, veracity, how accurate and reliable it is, and value, the benefit that can be obtained from it. Together they describe why ordinary tools cannot handle big data.
What is MeghRaj?
MeghRaj is the cloud computing initiative of the Government of India, also called the GI Cloud. It lets central and state departments use shared cloud services from providers empanelled by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, to deliver e-services faster and at lower cost and avoid building separate data centres.
What is data localisation?
Data localisation is the requirement that certain data about a country's citizens be collected, stored and processed within that country. Supporters argue that it helps law enforcement, security and privacy, while critics argue that it raises costs and limits cloud services. In India, rules exist for payment data, and a data protection law governs transfers.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Software as a Service delivers complete applications through the internet.
Such as email.
2 The five Vs of big data include velocity.
The speed of data.
3 A hybrid cloud uses only a public cloud.
It mixes public and private clouds.
4 MeghRaj is India's national government cloud initiative.
Also called the GI Cloud.
Past Mains Questions on This Topic
This topic comes under IT, Telecommunications and Computers. UPSC Mains questions asked on the matching syllabus topic, year-wise with marks:
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