Your Guide to Cloud Deployment: Public, Private, Hybrid, or Community?

Your IT department tables a proposal to migrate to the cloud. You analyze the benefits of cloud computing, compare associated costs, calculate its return on investment and finally decide to move your business to the cloud. Next: Deciding on a cloud computing deployment model. 

Cloud deployment models help you choose a cloud environment for your business depending on the accessibility, ownership, and purpose of the cloud infrastructure. 

Typically, there are four major deployment models of cloud computing – Public, private, hybrid, and community cloud. These cloud deployment models are based on who owns, maintains, and manages the cloud infrastructure as well as the resources they offer such as storage, computing resources, security, and other various factors.

Every business has a unique set of requirements and thus selecting a cloud deployment model that suits your business goals becomes essential.

the 4 Types of Cloud Computing Deployment Models Explained

Public Cloud

Public clouds are third-party servers that anyone can use for computing resources, storage, or deploying applications for free or by paying for a pay-per-use subscription. In the public cloud model, you don't need to buy and maintain hardware equipment, software, or other resources. The cloud service provider (CSP) owns the server infrastructure and is responsible for its upkeep. 

If your business does not deal with sensitive data and has lenient security policies, you can use the public cloud for your business operations. Some common uses of public clouds include application development and testing, file-sharing, email hosting, etc. Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Google App Engine, and IBM Cloud, to name a few are some popular public cloud providers you can choose from.

Pros

• Pocket-friendly - Public cloud computing deployment models do not involve set-up costs and typically come with a pay-per-use subscription.  
• Easy deployment - Public cloud is easy to set up and does not require you to look after its maintenance. 
• On-demand scalability - You can increase or decrease your computing resources on-demand using the public cloud. 

Cons 

• Data security and privacy concerns - Public clouds do not provide advanced security. 
• Lack of personalized services - Public cloud deployment models offer generalized services failing to match unique business requirements.
  
  

Private Cloud

A private cloud is a one-on-one exclusive cloud server intended to be used by a single company. Private clouds can be hosted and managed by the organization using it or can be outsourced to a reliable managed service provider like MicroTech.

Unlike public cloud deployment models, private clouds are comparatively costly and provide custom services tailored to your business. The private cloud also comes with heightened security measures empowering businesses to safeguard their sensitive operations. If your business requires robust security and has personalized cloud requirements, the private cloud is for you. Companies like Amazon, IBM, Cisco, Dell, etc provide private cloud solutions.

Pros 

• High security and privacy - Private cloud networks employ robust security measures and only the business using them can access the resources.  
• Customized infrastructure to suit unique business demands - Companies using private cloud models can customize the cloud infrastructure to fit their business needs. 

Cons 

• Costs more - Private cloud computing service models are comparatively expensive.

Hybrid Cloud

In a hybrid cloud, you can use private and public cloud infrastructure to match your requirements. For instance, you can move mission-critical operations to a secure private cloud and use the public cloud for less sensitive business activities. However, such hybrid allocation is only possible if you properly segregate your database depending on the sensitivity of the data.

Hybrid deployment models of cloud computing can also be used to accommodate customer demand when necessary. Say, you need more computing resources to cater to skyrocketing customer demand during the Black Friday sale. In this scenario, you can use public clouds alongside your private cloud infrastructure to balance the increased demand.

Pros 

• Flexibility - You are free to use both public and private cloud models depending on your usage and pay for the resources accordingly. 
• Security - Separating your database and storing business-critical data securely in a private cloud adds more security to your organization. 

Cons 

• Hard to implement - Splitting the database and ensuring the private cloud infrastructure is compatible with the public cloud can be an implementation challenge.
• Not easy to manage - It is challenging to monitor separate cloud environments, especially with in-house management tools of different cloud providers.
  
  

Community Cloud

Community cloud computing deployment models have shared cloud environments owned by a group of companies that have similar cloud requirements. Organizations with uniform security, privacy, and performance needs come together to own a community cloud that is shared by each participating enterprise. Universities collaborating in research, police departments within a country, organizations with similar interests, etc use community cloud infrastructure.

Pros 

• Reduced costs - The cost of the community cloud computing resources is shared by all participants thereby easing the cost burden.
• Easy collaboration - Companies in a community cloud network can easily exchange data to collaborate. 

Cons 

• Fixed bandwidth - As the community cloud is a shared cloud environment, participating organizations or institutions are allocated fixed storage and bandwidth capacity leaving less room for on-demand scalability.
  
  
  

Stay Connected While you Soak Up the Sun this Summer 

At Microtech, we understand that every business has unique goals and challenges. To match your business demands, we offer personalized cloud solutions that are secure, flexible, and ensure 24/7 uptime. Our suite of cloud services includes a feature-packed email platform, popular business applications, remote access to programs, and secure file storage.

Book a consultation call with our IT experts today and get the best cloud solutions for your small business.