Section: BS in Information Technology - 2A

Day: Saturday
Time: 8:00-11:00
COMPUTING PLATFORMS
WHAT IS A PLATFORM?
WHAT DOES PLATFORM MEAN?
• A platform is a group of technologies that are used as a base upon
which other applications, processes or technologies are developed.
• In personal computing, a platform is the basic hardware (computer)
and software (operating system) on which software applications can be
run. This environment constitutes the basic foundation upon which any
application or software is supported and/or developed.
• Computers use specific central processing units (CPUs) that are
designed to run specific machine language code. In order for the
computer to run software applications, the applications must be in that
CPU’s binary-coded machine language.
WHAT DOES PLATFORM MEAN?
• A computer platform — also called digital platform or computing
platform — generally refers to the operating system and computer
hardware only.
• A platform is a toolset which is used to build, modify, maintain and
monitor services and products used in the cyber world. Such a platform
can be many things including cloud infrastructures, APIs, user
interfaces and everything else that can be used for configuring,
developing, building and maintaining products.
• An example of a computing platform is a modern laptop running
Windows as an operating system. Another example would be an Apple
computer running the Mac OS X operating system.
WHAT DOES COMPUTING
PLATFORMS MEAN?
WHAT DOES COMPUTING PLATFORMS MEAN?
• A computing platform or digital platform is the environment in which a
piece of software is executed. It may be the hardware or the operating
system (OS), even a web browser and associated application
programming interfaces, or other underlying software, as long as the
program code is executed with it.
• Computing platforms are usually used by IT specialists, development
agencies, developer groups or single developers. Developers who use
such platforms include software developers, game developers, web
developers, Software as a Service developer, Platform as Service
developers and others.
PLATFORM STANDARDS
• The platform conforms to a set of standards that enable software
developers to develop software applications for the platform. These
same standards allow owners and managers to purchase appropriate
applications and hardware.
• Thus, to run a bookkeeping program on a computer, one must
purchase a bookkeeping software application that was developed for
the platform on which it will be used
MULTIPLE PLATFORMS
• New standards-based interfaces and open interfaces allow application
programs to run on multiple platforms.
• Additionally, software developers have developed software tools that
allow applications to run on multiple platforms.
CROSS-PLATFORM SOFTWARE AND MULTI-
PLATFORM SOFTWARE
• This has given rise to the terms cross-platform software and multi-
platform software. A classic example is represented by videogames
developed specifically for a certain platform, in this case a console such
as the PlayStation or Xbox.
• Although the same game may exist in different versions to be run on
different systems, if that version is built to be run on Microsoft
Windows, it won’t work if loaded on an Xbox.
• Each gaming platform will adhere to its own set of standards as well as
rules and hardware restrictions. For example, developers may need to
lower in-game graphics settings if the game engine is too heavy on a
specific console’s hardware.
BROWSERS
• Newer web browsers allow third-party plug-ins to be run as part of the
browser.
• Therefore, some browsers are now spoken of as platforms since they
are used as a base on which to run other applications' software
programs.
COMMON TYPES OF COMPUTING PLATFORM
Hardware Platform

• A line of hardware that are compatible with each other. In many cases,
hardware vendors will maintain backward compatibility for decades.

• The hardware platform is essential for most of the products that are
available in the digital world as hardware is the backend machine that
handles all. A line of hardware products that are compatible with one
another creates a complete hardware platform used by dozens of
different kinds of users.
COMMON TYPES OF COMPUTING PLATFORM
Operating Systems

• Operating systems provide a platform for developing and managing

• The operating system is the ultimate platform for the development of

Cloud Platform
• Platforms for developing, deploying and managing cloud
infrastructure, software and services.
• Cloud computing platforms are widely used for different purposes by
many kinds of users including developers, IT professionals and
companies. As it is cost-effective, easy to access, very flexible and very
secure platform, its popularity is growing every single day, more and
more companies start to use it to store and process large data.
COMMON TYPES OF COMPUTING PLATFORM
Client/Server
• Platforms for client/server software such as web servers.
• Server platforms are used to receive requests or data from a client’s
web browser or app, process it and send back required data. Such
platforms are essential for any website, online games, internet-based
apps, and software.

Third Platform
• A buzzword for platforms with support for modern features such as
mobile computing, social media, cloud computing, big data and
internet of things.
COMMON TYPES OF COMPUTING PLATFORM
Platform as a Service
• Platforms that offer a complete environment for developing cloud
based services.
• Platform as a service (PaaS) is a complete development and
deployment environment in the cloud, with resources that enable you
to deliver everything from simple cloud-based apps to sophisticated,
cloud-enabled enterprise applications.
• You purchase the resources you need from a cloud service provider on
a pay-as-you-go basis and access them over a secure Internet
connection.
WHAT IS CLOUD
COMPUTING?
WHAT IS CLOUD COMPUTING?
• Simply put, cloud computing is the delivery of
computing services—including servers, storage,
databases, networking, software, analytics, and
intelligence—over the Internet (“the cloud”) to
offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and
economies of scale.
• You typically pay only for cloud services you use,
helping you lower your operating costs, run your
infrastructure more efficiently, and scale as your
business needs change.
BENEFITS OF CLOUD COMPUTING:
Cost
• Cloud computing eliminates the capital expense of buying hardware and
software and setting up and running on-site datacenters—the racks of
servers, the round-the-clock electricity for power and cooling, and the IT
experts for managing the infrastructure. It adds up fast.
Speed
• Most cloud computing services are provided self service and on demand, so
even vast amounts of computing resources can be provisioned in minutes,
typically with just a few mouse clicks, giving businesses a lot of flexibility and
taking the pressure off capacity planning.
BENEFITS OF CLOUD COMPUTING:
Global scale
• The benefits of cloud computing services include the ability to scale
elastically. In cloud speak, that means delivering the right amount of IT
resources—for example, more or less computing power, storage,
bandwidth—right when they’re needed, and from the right geographic
location.
Productivity
• On-site datacenters typically require a lot of “racking and stacking”—
hardware setup, software patching, and other time-consuming IT
management chores. Cloud computing removes the need for many of these
tasks, so IT teams can spend time on achieving more important business
goals.
BENEFITS OF CLOUD COMPUTING:
Performance
• The biggest cloud computing services run on a worldwide network of secure
datacenters, which are regularly upgraded to the latest generation of fast
and efficient computing hardware. This offers several benefits over a single
corporate datacenter, including reduced network latency for applications and
greater economies of scale.
Reliability
• Cloud computing makes data backup, disaster recovery, and business
continuity easier and less expensive because data can be mirrored at
multiple redundant sites on the cloud provider’s network.
BENEFITS OF CLOUD COMPUTING:
Security
• Many cloud providers offer a broad set of policies, technologies, and controls
that strengthen your security posture overall, helping protect your data,
apps, and infrastructure from potential threats.
THREE DIFFERENT WAYS TO DEPLOY CLOUD SERVICES:
Public cloud
• Public clouds are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service
providers, which deliver their computing resources, like servers and
storage, over the Internet.
• Microsoft Azure is an example of a public cloud. With a public cloud,
all hardware, software, and other supporting infrastructure is owned
and managed by the cloud provider. You access these services and
manage your account using a web browser.
THREE DIFFERENT WAYS TO DEPLOY CLOUD SERVICES:
Private cloud
• A private cloud refers to cloud computing resources used exclusively
by a single business or organization.
• A private cloud can be physically located on the company’s on-site
datacenter.
• Some companies also pay third-party service providers to host their
private cloud.
• A private cloud is one in which the services and infrastructure are
maintained on a private network.
THREE DIFFERENT WAYS TO DEPLOY CLOUD SERVICES:
Hybrid cloud
• Hybrid clouds combine public and private clouds, bound together by
technology that allows data and applications to be shared between
them.
• By allowing data and applications to move between private and public
clouds, a hybrid cloud gives your business greater flexibility, more
deployment options, and helps optimize your existing infrastructure,
security, and compliance.
TYPES OF CLOUD SERVICES:
Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
• The most basic category of cloud computing services. With IaaS, you rent
IT infrastructure—servers and virtual machines (VMs), storage, networks,
operating systems—from a cloud provider on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Platform as a service (PaaS)
• Platform as a service refers to cloud computing services that supply an on-
demand environment for developing, testing, delivering, and managing
software applications.
• PaaS is designed to make it easier for developers to quickly create web or
mobile apps, without worrying about setting up or managing the
underlying infrastructure of servers, storage, network, and databases
needed for development.
TYPES OF CLOUD SERVICES:
Serverless computing
• Overlapping with PaaS, serverless computing focuses on building app
functionality without spending time continually managing the servers and
infrastructure required to do so.
• The cloud provider handles the setup, capacity planning, and server
management for you. Serverless architectures are highly scalable and event-
driven, only using resources when a specific function or trigger occurs.
TYPES OF CLOUD SERVICES:
Software as a service (SaaS)
• Software as a service is a method for delivering software applications over
the Internet, on demand and typically on a subscription basis.
• With SaaS, cloud providers host and manage the software application and
underlying infrastructure, and handle any maintenance, like software
upgrades and security patching.
• Users connect to the application over the Internet, usually with a web
browser on their phone, tablet, or PC.
USES OF CLOUD COMPUTING:
You’re probably using cloud computing right now, even if you don’t
realize it. If you use an online service to send email, edit documents,
watch movies or TV, listen to music, play games, or store pictures and
other files, it’s likely that cloud computing is making it all possible
behind the scenes.
The first cloud computing services are barely a decade old, but already
a variety of organizations—from tiny startups to global corporations,
government agencies to non-profits—are embracing the technology for
all sorts of reasons.
USES OF CLOUD COMPUTING:
Create cloud-native applications
• Quickly build, deploy, and scale applications—web, mobile, and API.
Take advantage of cloud-native technologies and approaches, such as
containers, Kubernetes, microservices architecture, API-driven
communication, and DevOps.
Test and build applications
• Reduce application development cost and time by using cloud
infrastructures that can easily be scaled up or down.
USES OF CLOUD COMPUTING:
Store, back up, and recover data
• Protect your data more cost-efficiently—and at massive scale—by
transferring your data over the Internet to an offsite cloud storage
system that’s accessible from any location and any device.
Analyze data
• Unify your data across teams, divisions, and locations in the cloud.
Then use cloud services, such as machine learning and artificial
intelligence, to uncover insights for more informed decisions.
USES OF CLOUD COMPUTING:
Stream audio and video
• Connect with your audience anywhere, anytime, on any device with
high-definition video and audio with global distribution.
Embed intelligence
• Use intelligent models to help engage customers and provide valuable
insights from the data captured.
Deliver software on demand
• Also known as software as a service (SaaS), on-demand software lets
you offer the latest software versions and updates around to
customers—anytime they need, anywhere they are.
REFERENCES:
• https://www.scribd.com/presentation/434271605/PLATFORM-TECHNOLOGIES
• https://www.techopedia.com/definition/3411/platform-computing
• https://simplicable.com/new/computing-platform
• https://www.db2teamblog.com/computing-platform/
• https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/what-is-cloud-computing/