Today, let’s talk about Cloud Deployment Models. Essentially, cloud computing relates to a new way of thinking to a world in which a company’s computers, software and data is not held on a private server in a basement. Instead it’s in a secure shared internet-based environment.

In a prior article defining “what is cloud computing“, I explained how cloud computing has 5 shared characteristics. These are: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service. That then translates into 3 types of cloud computing. The first is SAAS (Software as a service). The second is PAAS (Platform as a service). And the third is IAAS (Infrastructure as a service). That’s all address in that prior article. Today, armed with all that information, let’s look at the 4 possible cloud deployment models.
4 Cloud Deployment Models

Cloud Computing for Dummies: ‘Deployment models’ is a fancy IT term for saying ‘Ways to operate in the world of cloud computing’.
Depending on which of the four models you will choose, your cloud deployment could have limited private computing resources and instead give you access to large quantities of remotely accessed resources. Each deployment model presents its own set of benefits & tradeoffs in terms of how customers can control their resources, the scale, cost & availability of resources.
- Public Cloud. In this case the cloud infrastructure is available to the general public or a large industry group. It is typically owned by an organisation selling cloud services.
- Private Cloud. This is a cloud deployment model that’s opposite to the private cloud in that the cloud infrastructure is operated exclusively for 1 single organization. It is still cloud computing, and may be managed by the organization or a third party and may exist on premise or off premise.
- Community Cloud. In this case, the cloud infrastructure is shared by a group of organisations called a ‘community’. This community has shared concerns such as a mission, security requirements, policy, and compliance considerations. It may be managed by the organisations or a third party and may exist on premise or off premise.
- Hybrid Cloud. In the case of a hybrid cloud deployment solution, the cloud infrastructure is a composition of 2+ clouds (private, community or public) which remain unique entities but are bound together by standardised or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between clouds).
Which Cloud deployment model is best for you?
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Last Updated on June 30, 2023
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