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.
