Mastering Cloud Computing: 4 Deployment Models

What’s the first thing that pops up in your mind when you hear the word ‘cloud’? A lot of people assume that cloud computing refers to public cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Although it is indeed the most common deployment model of cloud computing, it isn’t the only one!

In this guide, we will discuss the four deployment models of cloud computing.

Before you head on to the deployment models, it is important to understand the different service models of cloud computing.

The most common deployment model is the ‘public cloud’ model, such as that of AWS. In fact, big MNCs like eBay, Apple, Fitbit, and Netflix are using cloud computing to run their business models smoothly. One example of the success of deployment models in cloud computing is how Netflix uses cloud computing to scale up its infrastructure and cut down its operational costs at the same time!

Stay tuned till the end of the blog to learn about the deployment models of cloud computing in detail. This is also useful to know if you are preparing to take the CCNA certification exam.

The Four Deployment Models of Cloud Computing

The following are the four deployment models of cloud computing:

Private cloud
Community cloud
Public cloud
Hybrid cloud

Let us now discuss each one of the four deployment models.

1. Private Cloud

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a private cloud is explained as a cloud infrastructure that is provided for exclusive use by a single organizations that consist of multiple consumers, such as business units.

It could be owned, managed, and operated by the organization, a third party, or both. The following are the key features of the private cloud:

The private cloud is mostly used by large enterprises or government organizations.
Although the cloud is private, it can still be owned by a third party.
For example, although AWS is known as a public cloud offering, it also provides a private cloud service called the Amazon Virtual Private Cloud or Amazon VPC. Red Hat Inc. uses Amazon VPC.
Private clouds can be on or off premises. Many people think that the private cloud and on-premises are two different things, but it is not always true.
The same kind of services, such as SaaS, Paas, IaaS, etc., are offered in the private cloud as they are in the public cloud.
The only thing that is reserved is the infrastructure for a single organization’s use.

2. Community Cloud

The community cloud provides cloud infrastructure that is reserved for a community of consumers from organizations that have shared concerns, such as security requirements, policies, and compliance considerations.

It could be owned, managed, and operated by one or more of the organizations in the community or even by a third party.

The key features of the community cloud are as follows:

This is the least used cloud deployment.
It is quite similar to the private cloud, but the infrastructure is reserved to be use by a group of organizations holding the same set of interests.

For example, Walmart uses the Salesforce Community Cloud for its customer experience.

3. Public Cloud

Let us now explore the most popular cloud deployment model, the public cloud. This cloud infrastructure is open to be use by the general public.

It can be owned, managed, and operated by an MNC, government organization, academic organization, or a combination of them.

The highlighting pointers of the public cloud are as follows:

It can be accessed on the platform of the cloud provider.
This is the most commonly used cloud deployment as compared to others.
Some of the most popular public cloud providers are as follows:
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Microsoft Azure
- GCP (Google Cloud Platform)
- OCI (Oracle Cloud Infrastructure)
- IBM Cloud
- Alibaba Cloud
AWS has been the leading public cloud computing service provider for a long period of time.

4. Hybrid Cloud

A hybrid cloud can be referred to as a cloud infrastructure that is composed of two or more unique cloud infrastructures, such as private, public, or community. These exist individually but are bound together by a company-owned technology that allows data and application portability.

A good example of it is cloud bursting for load balancing between clouds. It is a configuration set up between a private and a public cloud.

The hybrid cloud is the most popular choice of deployment models among streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu due to the sudden spikes in bandwidth demand. In such cases, the hybrid cloud is the best choice to offload these bandwidths. Other companies include Airbnb and Uber.

The key features of the hybrid deployment model are:

It is a combination of any of the three cloud deployment models, namely, public, private, or community cloud.
For example, a private cloud can offload to a public cloud when needed due to resource restrictions.

Can We Expect New Cloud Services in the Industry?

In the near future, we can expect generative AI cloud services in the market. A California-based MNC called Nvidia has already taken the first step.

It has introduced a new set of cloud services that will allow businesses to create and use their own generated AI models. These models will be customized according to their own proprietary data and needs.

This cloud service will be very helpful to enterprises as they can build their own applications for their own needs, such as customer support, intelligent chat, digital simulation, and even professional content creation.

The cloud computing industry is the future, for sure!

Conclusion

Nothing can beat the advances in the cloud industry. This is evident from the recent developments in the industry. It is very important to understand the deployment models of cloud computing if you want to learn the basics of cloud computing.

This guide is really helpful to those who want to take the CCNA 200-301 exam or even those who are curious to learn more about cloud computing.