What Is Cloud Computing? Azure, AWS, and The Cloud Explained

Understanding the invisible infrastructure running the internet

"The Cloud" is one of the most buzzed-about terms in tech, but it's often misunderstood. Is it a satellite? Is it vapor? No, it's just someone else's computer—but on a massive scale.

In this article, we'll demystify cloud computing, explore the major players like Azure and AWS, and explain why modern businesses refuse to build their own server rooms.

The Basic Concept

Traditionally, if you wanted to host a website, you had to buy a physical server, put it in a room with air conditioning, install the OS, connect it to the internet, and fix it when it broke.

Cloud Computing allows you to rent these resources over the internet. You want a server? Click a button. You want 1,000 servers for just an hour? Click a button.

The Big Three Models

Cloud service are generally categorized into three layers, like a pyramid.

1. IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)

You rent the hardware/VM. The provider gives you the raw compute power, storage, and networking. You are basically renting a virtual data center.

• You manage: OS, Middleware, Runtime, Data, Applications.
• They manage: Virtualization, Servers, Storage, Networking.
• Examples: AWS EC2, Azure VMs, Google Compute Engine.

2. PaaS (Platform as a Service)

You rent the platform. The provider abstracts away the OS and hardware management. You simply bring your code or application, and they handle the rest.

• You manage: Application, Data.
• They manage: Everything else (OS patching, scaling, runtime updates).
• Examples: Azure App Service, Google App Engine, AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

3. SaaS (Software as a Service)

You rent the software. The application is fully managed by the provider. You just log in and use it.

• Examples: Gmail, Dropbox, Microsoft 365, Salesforce.

Core Cloud Services Explained

Whether you choose AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, they all offer these four fundamental building blocks:

1. Compute (The Brain)

This is where your code actually runs. It can be a Virtual Machine (IaaS) where you control everything, or a Serverless Function (PaaS) where code runs on-demand.

2. Storage (The Hard Drive)

Cloud storage is incredibly cheap and durable. "Object Storage" is the most popular type, allowing you to store massive amounts of unstructured data (images, videos, backups) accessed via HTTP.

3. Databases (The Filing Cabinet)

Managed SQL (Relational) databases handle backups and patching for you. NoSQL databases offer infinite scale for modern apps that need speed and flexibility over rigid schemas.

4. Networking (The Cables)

Virtual networks (VPC/VNet) isolate your resources from the public internet, acting like a private data center in the cloud.

The Cloud Titans: Service Comparison Cheat Sheet

Navigating the naming conventions of the big three can be confusing. Here is a mapping of the most popular services:

Category	Amazon AWS	Microsoft Azure	Google Cloud (GCP)
Virtual Machine	EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud)	Azure Virtual Machine	Compute Engine
Serverless	AWS Lambda	Azure Functions	Cloud Functions
Object Storage	S3 (Simple Storage Service)	Azure Blob Storage	Cloud Storage
SQL Database	RDS (Relational Database Service)	Azure SQL Database	Cloud SQL
NoSQL Database	DynamoDB	Cosmos DB	Firestore / Bigtable
Docker/Kubernetes	EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service)	AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service)	GKE (Google Kubernetes Engine)

Which Cloud Should You Choose?

Amazon Web Services (AWS): The seasoned veteran. It has the largest market share and the most rigorous service catalog. It's the default choice for many startups and web-scale companies.

Microsoft Azure: The enterprise giant. If your company uses Windows, Active Directory, and .NET, Azure is the natural extension. It offers the best hybrid cloud support.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP): The innovator. Famous for its data analytics, AI/ML tools, and for inventing Kubernetes. It provides a very clean, developer-friendly experience.

Conclusion

Cloud computing has democratized technology. It allows a single developer in a garage to access the same supercomputing power as a Fortune 500 company. It is flexible, scalable, and the foundation of the modern internet.

Create Build/Release Pipeline for SSIS in Azure SQL server

Create a new pipeline in devops.

Select the source:

Select an empty template

Select Get Sources in the left panel:

Now add a new agent job to Build SSIS. Click the + icon.

Search for SSS job. (if it's not already installed, then first install it from the marketplace)

Add SSIS build and then add SSIS Deploy 

Once you add these two jobs, your screen should look like this:

Now Select Build SSIS:

in the Project Path field, select the directory where .sln file is located. 

Leave the rest of the fields as default.

Now Select Deploy SSIS job to configure deploying settings 

add source path = $(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory) (i.e. output path value from Build SSIS job-Previous step).

select destination type = SSISDB.

Destination Server = realdatabaseserver01.database.windows.net

Destination Path = /SSISDB/masterdatahub

Authentication type = SQL Server Authentication (you can choose any other option as per your need)

Click on the Triggers tab and configure Continuous Integration. 

Now Save and Queue the Pipeline. 

Once released you will see the ssis package under masterdatahub folder

That's everything for Azure devops continuous integration/ continuous deployment process for releasing ssis project to azure sql server. Good luck!

How to Remove Workspace in TFS 2010-2018

A definitive guide to cleaning up old Team Foundation Server mappings

Have you ever encountered a "Workspace already exists" error or needed to clean up a developer channel mapping on a new machine? Dealing with stale Team Foundation Server (TFS) workspaces can be a headache.

This solution works for TFS 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2018.

The Solution: Visual Studio Command Prompt

The most reliable way to delete a stubborn workspace is through the command line tool provided with Visual Studio.

Step 1: Open the Command Prompt

Search your Start Menu for "Developer Command Prompt for VS 20XX" (where XX is your version) and run it as Administrator.

Step 2: Run the Delete Command

Use the following command syntax to delete the specific workspace:

tf workspace /delete /server:http://tfs.site.com:8080/tfs WORKSPACENAME

⚠️ Warning: This action is irreversible. Make sure you have checked in all your pending changes before deleting the workspace!

Example Scenario

If your user is sanjeebPC and your TFS server is located at http://tfs.site.com:8080/tfs, the command would look like this:

tf workspace /delete /server:http://tfs.site.com:8080/tfs sanjeebPC

After hitting enter, you may be prompted to confirm. Type Y and press Enter.

Conclusion

Using the tf command line utility is a powerful skill for any .NET developer using legacy TFS. It grants you control that the GUI often hides.