Cloud Deployment Models
Tags: cloud, public, private, aws
Published: 2023-08-08 06:25:45

## What is a Cloud Deployment Model?

Cloud deployment refers to:

* How you **distribute** your cloud computing resources such as *"compute", "storage", "database" etc* **in terms of ownership, accessibility, and management**.
    
* It also defines, **how cloud services or infrastructure are deployed and made available to *users* or *organizations***
    

## Three very popular cloud deployment models

1. **Public Cloud (Cloud)**
    
2. **Private Cloud (On-Premise)**
    
3. **Hybrid Cloud (Public+Private)**
    

## Public Cloud

**Definition:**

* A cloud-based application is **fully deployed in the cloud** and **all parts of the application run in the cloud**.
    
* **Applications are either created in the cloud** **or migrated** from existing infrastructure to leverage cloud computing benefits.
    

**Ownership:**

* All hardware, software, and supporting infrastructure are **owned and managed by the cloud provider**.
    
* **You share the same hardware, storage and network devices** with other organizations or cloud “*tenants*”.
    

**Accessibility:**

* **Publicly accessible** by multiple users and organizations **over the Internet**.
    

**Scalability:**

* **Highly scalable**, resources can be easily scaled to meet your demanding needs.
    
* Cloud resources such as compute (EC2) can be **dynamically increased or decreased based on demand**.
    

**Cost:**

* **Pay-as-you-go model**: You pay for what you consume
    
* **Cost-efficient** especially for start-ups and small businesses
    

**Advantages:**

* **Lower costs**: no need to purchase hardware or software and you pay only for the service you use.
    
* **No maintenance**: The cloud service provider provides the maintenance.
    
* **Near-unlimited scalability**: on-demand resources are available to meet your business needs.
    
* **High reliability**: a vast network of servers ensures against failure.
    

**Examples:**

* Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud
    

## Private Cloud

**Definition:**

* Cloud Offering that is **created and owned by the same organization**
    
* Cloud offering that is **dedicated to single/same organization**.
    
* The infrastructure is provisioned on the organization's premises but may be hosted in a third-party data center. In most cases, a private cloud infrastructure is implemented and **hosted in an on-premise data center** **using a virtualization layer**
    

**Ownership:**

* Private Cloud is managed and **owned by the organization itself**
    

**Accessibility:**

* **Restricted access**, limited to a specific organization
    

**Scalability:**

* Scalability depends on the organization's infrastructure
    

**Cost:**

* Higher upfront costs and maintenance expenses
    
* Private Clouds are **more expensive than Public Cloud** due to the capital expenditure involved in building and maintaining the infrastructure.
    

**Advantages:**

* Private cloud **address the security and privacy concerns raised in public cloud** offerings.
    

**Examples:**

* Open Stack, Azure Stack
    

## Hybrid Cloud

**Definition:**

* Hybrid Clouds combine **on-premises infrastructure**, or **Private Cloud, with Public Cloud**
    
* Its **combination of public and private cloud** infrastructure
    

**Ownership:**

* Both Public and Private Clouds are used, Private Cloud ownership lies with organizations while Cloud Providers maintain the ownership of Public Cloud
    

**Accessibility:**

* Accessible to **multiple users and organizations**
    

**Scalability:**

* Scalability can be achieved by leveraging both environments
    

**Cost:**

* Costs vary depending on the mix of public and private usage
    

**Advantages:**

* Make the best of Public Cloud scalability and reliability features while maintaining security controls within the organization
    

**Examples:**

* AWS Outposts, Microsoft Azure Hybrid Cloud, Google Anthos
    

**Common Use Cases:**

* you might have **legacy applications** that are better-maintained on-premises, or **government regulations** require your business to keep certain records on premises
    
* **Data Center Extension**: Extending an organization's infrastructure into the cloud while connecting cloud resources to the internal system.
    
* **VMware Cloud on AWS**: is an integrated cloud offering delivering a scalable, secure and innovative service that allows organizations to seamlessly migrate and extend their on-premises VMware vSphere-based environments to the AWS Cloud running on next-generation Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) bare metal infrastructure.

## Let's Summarize
| Attribute       | Public Cloud                            | Private Cloud                                    | Hybrid Cloud                                       |
|-----------------|-----------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Definition      | A cloud-based application fully deployed in the cloud with shared resources among multiple users and organizations. | Cloud offering dedicated to a single organization, hosted on-premise or in a third-party data center using a virtualization layer. | Combination of public and private cloud infrastructure, offering both on-premises and cloud resources. |
| Ownership       | All hardware, software, and supporting infrastructure are owned and managed by the cloud provider. | Managed and owned by the organization itself. | Public Cloud owned by providers, Private Cloud owned by organizations. |
| Accessibility   | Publicly accessible by multiple users and organizations over the Internet. | Restricted access, limited to a specific organization. | Accessible to multiple users and organizations.       |
| Scalability     | Highly scalable, resources can be easily scaled based on demand. | Scalability depends on the organization's infrastructure. | Scalability achieved by leveraging both environments.   |
| Cost            | Pay-as-you-go model, cost-efficient for start-ups and small businesses. | Higher upfront costs and maintenance expenses. | Costs vary depending on the mix of public and private usage. |
| Advantages      | Lower costs, no maintenance, near-unlimited scalability, high reliability. | Addresses security and privacy concerns, more control over resources. | Utilizes best of public cloud scalability while maintaining security controls. |
| Examples        | Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud. | Open Stack, Azure Stack. | AWS Outposts, Microsoft Azure Hybrid Cloud, Google Anthos. |
| Common Use Cases| Applications fully in the cloud, cost-efficient scalability. | Legacy applications and regulatory compliance. | Data center extension, VMware Cloud on AWS.      |

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