The Different Types of Cloud Models

     This week we will discuss the different types of cloud models. These are Public, Private, Community, and Hybrid cloud models, which will thoroughly go into some detail with examples of what they are and how they are used.

     For many, some of us used cloud storage, either for work or personal use. A majority of users that store their photos, music, or documents may be using a private cloud, such as Apple's iCloud Drive, Microsoft's One Drive, or Google's Drive, to name a few.

     However, large companies may use services, such as Amazon Web Services or Services from Google that are suited for business logistics. These services will have different features than your regular cloud services.

     Whether it be for personal use or business, cloud services can vary on what features are available. Let us look at the different types of cloud models and how they are used.

     In total, there are four types of cloud models: Public, Private, Community, and Hybrid, which I mentioned above.

     Public clouds are what you would expect them to be. These are cloud services available to the general public, and information is created and kept on third-party servers. These can be a free service or pay-per-use basis via an internet connection. A third party and users maintain the servers can scale them when needed. Also, this service model would be the first choice for businesses that have low privacy concerns. The most popular public cloud services are Amazon Elastic Compute, Google AppEngine, IBM's Blue, and Microsoft Azure.

            Pros: 

                       Unsophisticated setup and use, easy access to data, flexibility to add and reduce capacity, cost-effectiveness, continuous operation time, 24/7 upkeep, scalability, and eliminated the need for software.

            Cons:

                      Data security and privacy, compromised reliability, and the lack of individual approach.

    On the other hand, private clouds share similarities with the public cloud, except that they are owned by one specific company and are also known as internal or corporate. These data center architectures will also reside within the firewall, which will provide enhanced security. While the public cloud is maintained by a third-party, the private cloud is hosted on-premise or externally of the user company. With that, only a small few will have access to the data that is kept on the server to prevent the general public from using it.

            Pros:

                       Individual development, storage, and network components are customizable, high control over corporate information, and increased security, privacy, and reliability.

           Cons:

                       Cost

This model's downside is the cost intensiveness, as the expense will be on hardware, software, and staff training. Companies that provide private cloud setups are Amazon, IBM, Cisco, Dell, and Red Hat, to name a few.

     Community clouds are also similar to a private cloud model, but the difference here is the users' set. Instead of one company owning the servers, several organizations with similar backgrounds share the infrastructure and related resources. This is suitable for companies that work on joint projects.

           Pros:

                       Cost reduction, improved security, privacy, and reliability, ease of data sharing, and collaboration.

           Cons:

                       Higher cost than public cloud, sharing of fixed storage and bandwidth capacity, not yet widespread.

 Companies that can help create a community solution are Google, Red Hat, IBM, Microsoft, and other providers.

    Hybrid clouds encompass the best of features of the other cloud models mentioned above. This allows companies to mix and match the facets of all three types that would best suit their needs. A good example would be if a company can balance its workload by locating a mission-critical workflow on a secure private cloud and deploy less sensitive ones to a public one. A hybrid model's benefits are Improved security and privacy, enhanced scalability and flexibility, and reasonable pricing.

Of course, before you make any considerations in the models above, it would be best to first review all your business and technical requirements before making a decision.

So, do you use anyone's cloud model for your company or personal use? If so, how do you like it? Do you prefer a particular cloud service over all others? If so, why? 

 I would love to hear your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

 Until next week!

Reference

BkVOIvsxB, and Davina Morones. “4 Best Cloud Deployment Models [An Overview with Examples].” SaM Solutions, 27 Nov. 2019, https://www.sam-solutions.com/blog/four-best-cloud-deployment-models-you-need-to-know/.