Each cloud deployment model satisfies different organizational needs, so you must choose a model that will fulfill your organization's needs. It becomes vital to understand that each cloud deployment model has a different value proposition and costs associated with it. Therefore, your choice of a cloud deployment model may be money in many cases.
There are several cloud deployment models to choose from, each related to a different cloud environment. There are differences in who controls the cloud and access to it, the scale, and its primary purpose. Server location is another factor as the things that are fixed and things that can be altered. Some models have more services than others, which may require more work on the user's part. To make an informed decision, you need to be aware of the characteristics of each environment, as cloud deployment models affect the extent of resource sharing the organization will be subjected to.
There are five main types of service and deployment models of cloud computing. Each one is discussed in more detail below.
The public cloud is the most common model when discussing cloud providers. In this model, the resources like the hardware, software, facilities, and staff are owned and operated by the provider and offered as a service to the customer (public). Hence the name. Public Cloud deployment models in the cloud are perfect for organizations with growing and fluctuating demands. Its configuration and deployment are quick and easy, making it an ideal choice for test environments.
The most common uses of public clouds are for application development and testing, non-mission-critical tasks such as file-sharing, and e-mail service.
Benefits of Public Cloud
Easy deployment: Easy to use anytime and anywhere, with robust permission and authentication mechanism.
Low investment: As a pay-per-use service, there is no significant upfront cost, and it is ideal for businesses that need quick access to resources.
Low/Zero maintenance: It does not cost you any maintenance charges as the service provider does it.
Easily scalable: Public cloud services are available on-demand, they are easy to scale to user needs.
Limitation of Public Cloud
Shared resources: Since you share resources with a wide range of other users, it can lead to malfunction and outages.
Security concerns: The public cloud is accessible and does not fully protect against cyber-attacks.
Multitenant environment: This can lead to a conflict of interest, escalation of privilege, and information bleeding.
It is a one-to-one environment for single use, so there is no need to share your hardware with anyone else. It means that it will be integrated with your data center and managed by your IT team. Another term for the private model is "Internal cloud." Alternatively, you can also choose to host it externally. The private cloud is highly beneficial for organizations as it offers high-level customization. Private clouds are more expensive than public clouds due to the capital expenditure involved in acquiring and maintaining them.
Private clouds are a more suitable option if you want greater control over data & resources.
Benefits of Private Cloud
Total control: You have complete control over the hardware and can implement changes and set policies.
Easy Customization: It's easy to make changes to a public cloud to suit your needs, and many options are available.
Safe and Secure: Private cloud is closed off from other systems, and you can customize the level of firewall protection to safeguard your plan per your needs.
Limitation of Private Cloud
Restricted Scalability: Scalability depends on the choice of hardware, and sometimes it is challenging to upscale on short notice.
High cost: Requires significant capital to purchase and maintain the necessary hardware.
Maintenance: Additional maintenance cost is involved in managing an in-house technical team.
A hybrid cloud is a combination of two or more cloud architectures. While each model in the hybrid cloud functions differently, it is all part of the same architecture.
An organization uses interconnected private and public cloud infrastructure in a hybrid cloud. The main reason behind using this model is the need to scale up their IT infrastructure rapidly, such as when leveraging public clouds to supplement the capacity available within a private cloud.
Benefits of Hybrid Cloud
Flexibility: With the combination of multiple cloud models, one can achieve a higher level of customization to meet the requirement.
Higher security: You can separate your sensitive data from your general data and use different cloud models to reduce the chances of data theft.
Cost-effective: When compared to the advantages, ease of use, security, and capacity it offers, the hybrid cloud model proves to be very cost-effective.
Limitations of Hybrid cloud
Complex design: Since it involves the integration of two or more cloud architectures, the setup can be challenging.
Limited use cases: Due to its nature and complexity, only a few companies have implemented this model.
The community cloud model provides a shared platform and resources for organizations to work on their business requirements. This Cloud Computing model is operated and managed by community members, third-party vendors, or both. The group comes together to perform joint tasks and functions.
Access to the community cloud environment is restricted to community members. The most common examples of community clouds are gaming communities. For instance, the PlayStation network involves many different entities coming together to engage in online gaming.
Benefits of Community Cloud
Collaborative space: The community can use a shared platform and resources for their business requirements.
Cost-effective: As multiple organizations share a common platform and resources, they also share the cost.
Better security: It offers better security compared to public cloud
Limitation of Community Cloud
Shared resources: This model restricts bandwidth and storage capacity, sometimes leading to challenges.
Technical challenges: Segmentation is difficult to maintain.
The multi-cloud model uses public clouds from multiple providers such as Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud Platform. This method helps create redundancy so that the resources are available in the event of an attack or data loss. This method offers consistency and reliability.
Benefits of Multi-Cloud
Mixed services: Clients can mix and use different services offered by multiple providers.
Resilient network: Multiple clouds ensure you continue to have services even if one cloud goes down.
Faster delivery: You can select cloud regions close to your client and reduce the latency.
Limitations of Multi-Cloud
Complex setup: A seamless connection between multiple clouds is a complex game.
Higher cost: You need an in-house team of engineers and cloud experts to manage a multi-cloud environment.
Cloud deployment is the installation of hardware and software accessible over the Internet on a specialized platform. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to picking the right one for your business. Each cloud deployment model has a unique offering and can add value to your business. For small to medium-sized companies, a public cloud is an ideal model to start with. But if data security and a high level of customization are your priority, then you can switch to a private cloud on bare-metal servers.
Start assessing your needs and consider what type of support your application requires. You must select a model based on workload by workload.
