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Cloud computing has enabled primary stakeholders in software development to deploy a broad set of resources and services for on-demand usage. Based on scalability, cost, performance, efficiency, and security these stakeholders can choose from a variety of deployment models for making these resources available over the cloud.
Resource management over the cloud ensures that your data is backed up and protected in a safe and secure location. Any downtime can be minimized, enhancing productivity in the process.
Let us begin by understanding what we mean by cloud deployment models. We will also be discussing different types of cloud deployment models in detail.
What Are Cloud Deployment Models?
Cloud deployment is the process of building a virtual environment for keeping all the necessary computing resources on servers. When you choose a particular cloud deployment model you define where the servers you are using will be placed and how they will be managed. It defines the appearance and the changeable elements of your cloud infrastructure.
Different models also decide whether all the cloud services would already be available to you or whether you must build them yourself. Cloud deployment fundamentally consists of the setup of one of the following cloud computing platforms:
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Different deployment models satisfy different organizational needs and have varying value propositions and costs involved in setting them up. To make the best decision as per the needs of your organization, you must know how the popular cloud deployment models differ from each other.
Let us now discuss the 5 commonly used cloud deployment models.
What Are the Types of Cloud Deployment Models?
Cloud deployment models differ in the way the users connect to the cloud infrastructure. They also differ based on how the cloud provider manages all the servers and the rest of the hardware components.
The following are the commonly used cloud deployment models:
Public Cloud
Public cloud is the most commonly used cloud deployment model in which you don't own any hardware. All the resources - virtual machines, applications, storage, etc. - are made available to you on a subscription basis. You can gain access to these resources for free or through a pay-per-usage model.
A third-party cloud provider hosts the on-demand IT resources. These are made available either over a public internet connection or a dedicated network. The public cloud infrastructure consists of on-demand computing, provisions for self-servicing, broad network access, resource pooling, and more.
The provider has a multi-tenant architecture, wherein the users (the tenants in this case) can run workloads on shared infrastructure. While the tenants use the same computing resources, each tenant's data is logically separated.
Benefits of the public cloud include the following:
- It is the least expensive deployment model without any unnecessary overhead.
- There is no need for investment in hardware as it is made available by the provider.
- There is no need for the client to arrange a team for infrastructure management.
Private Cloud
A private cloud is defined as a cloud deployment model that is managed and operated exclusively for a single organization. A private cloud could be physically located at an on-site data center owned by the company. It could also be hosted by a private cloud provider.
This model follows a single-tenant architecture where the cloud's hardware, storage, and network components are dedicated to a single entity. A private cloud deployment model ensures heightened compliance and security. This is because organizations have stronger control over the network infrastructure. Due to these advantages medium and large businesses, as well as healthcare firms, opt for this model.
A high level of security enables certain types of companies to better protect sensitive customer information and confidential business plans. As seen in the image below, the engineering, government, healthcare, education, and telecommunication sectors primarily rely on private clouds.
Percentage-wise use of cloud architectures (grouped by industry)
Some benefits that highlight the preferability of private clouds are:
- Organizations can customize the cloud based on their needs.
- Data access needs to be granted by super admins, ensuring privacy.
- Security is enhanced by cloud data segmentation.
- A single organization has total control over the cloud's operations and service integrations.
Hybrid Cloud
In a hybrid cloud deployment model, an organization can reap the benefits of an interconnected private and public cloud infrastructure. In other words, the public cloud is combined with an on-premise cloud platform. The business-critical operations are carried out in the private cloud. High-volume tasks that command low sensitivity are managed in the public cloud.
When an organization needs to scale up its operations it leverages the public cloud to take over when the private cloud's capacity is completely used up. For this, the hybrid cloud model implements "cloud bursting" into the public cloud in times when the load gets heavy on the private network.
The first layer of a hybrid model consists of a public IaaS platform, such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform. The next component is the on-premise data center and an adequate network connection between the two. The cloud is either used as a front-end application host or a unified elastic resource pool is created.
Some benefits of the hybrid model are:
- It is a great way to balance operational costs like in the case of this public transport application, Chalo.
- Organizations can leverage hybrid cloud models to strengthen their disaster recovery strategy.
- Applications can be developed and tested faster.
- Dynamic workloads can be easily managed.
- Segmented storage and workflows enable better security for sensitive data.
Virtual Private Cloud
A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is an isolated private cloud hosted within a public cloud. The private cloud component of the VPC can be used by organizations to execute code, host websites, and for storage. A VPC isolates computing resources from each other on the larger public cloud.
The key technologies used by VPC for isolating computing resources are:
i)Subnets: These are a range of reserved IP addresses within a network, dividing the network for private use. These private IPs addresses are hidden from the public internet.
ii)VLAN: A Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) consists of a network of computers connected to each other without the internet. VLAN helps in partitioning the private cloud and the public cloud.
iii)VPN: A Virtual Private Network (VPN) utilizes encryption strategies to create a private network on top of a public network. VPN scrambles traffic through routers and switches to hide the network from the public.
VPC is advantageous in the following ways:
- The organization can scale up and add more resources on demand.
- The VPN makes it simple to connect the public cloud to the private network.
- The performance of cloud-hosted applications on the VPC is better than other models.
Community Cloud
A community cloud is similar to a private cloud but consists of a multi-tenant architecture. Organizations form a community and share computing resources on a public cloud with controlled access privileges.
A community cloud can be hosted on a third-party server or even on one of the tenants' data centers. The cloud computing resources can be owned by one of the community's tenants or a cloud provider or by both.
The cloud can be customized for a specific "community" like a group of sister companies in the financial sector. Such a community's tenants would all require the same kind of specific security application.
Some benefits of the community cloud are:
- While it performs as well as a private cloud, the costs involved in a community cloud are a fraction of the former.
- The collaborative setup allows for shared growth and resource enhancement.
- The compliance requirements of a particular industry are met.
Utilize Our Cloud Deployment Solutions to Grow Your Business
Are you planning to leverage the benefits of cloud-based applications? You need a team equipped with the right expertise in cloud deployment models and cloud infrastructure. This will ensure seamless integration of your software onto the cloud.
You can learn more about how Daffodil can help you reduce the cost of your IT ecosystem with its Managed Cloud Services.
