The Ultimate Guide to Cloud Computing

The architecture of both private and public cloud models are pretty similar, so there’s not a lot of difference between the two. However, as its name suggests, a private cloud is a cloud infrastructure dedicated to a single organization. This is why it is sometimes referred to as the internal or corporate model.  

An organization by itself could manage this type of infrastructure. It can also be handled by a service provider onsite or offsite. The server is hosted externally or onsite by the owner company. Regardless of where it is hosted, the private cloud infrastructure is maintained on a private network and utilizes software and hardware that only the owner company can access.  

Private clouds are deemed more expensive than public clouds due to their acquisition and maintenance costs. However, private clouds can better address security and privacy concerns that organizations face today.  

This model of cloud deployment is available to the general public. With this type of model, data resides in third-party servers. Service providers essentially own the server infrastructure, and users don’t need to purchase and maintain their hardware. They can thus ensure high availability.  

Cloud providers offer their platform either for free or on a subscription over the internet. Users can scale resources as they deem fit. The public cloud cost is usually lower since there’s no capital expenditure involved.  

Public clouds are typically used for application development, testing, email services, and file exchange. They are recommended for companies with low privacy concerns. Popular examples of the public cloud deployment are Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), Microsoft Azure, IBM Cloud, Heroku, and Google App Engine. 

A hybrid cloud utilizes a combination of two or more cloud infrastructures (public, private, or community). The different types of infrastructure are connected securely over the internet via a virtual private network or dedicated private channel.  

This deployment model enables users to scale their infrastructure rapidly when they need more resources to run applications. It allows users to mix and match the features of the various cloud infrastructure to meet their requirements. An example is when an e-commerce store needs more capacity during the holiday season.  

 Another example is when a company balances its load by placing sensitive workloads on a private cloud and locating less sensitive workloads on a public cloud. This way, the company can protect and control access to its critical assets in a cost-effective manner.  

This deployment technique, also known as cloud bursting, basically utilizes a private cloud as its primary cloud for saving data and proprietary applications. When demand increases, the private cloud infrastructure may not cope with its current capacity. A public cloud’s computing resources then supplement it, so the company won’t have to buy new servers and other infrastructure to meet the higher traffic volume.  

A community cloud infrastructure is shared by several distinct organizations forming a community. This community is bound by shared concerns, such as policies, mission, security requirements, and compliance. The multi-tenant cloud platform may be managed by the owner organization or by a third-party provider, either on-premise or off-premises.  

In essence, the community cloud is a private cloud that works just like a public cloud. Examples of entities that use a community cloud are universities engaged in research and police departments that share computing resources and projects. Users typically hail from the same field and industry. Access to this type of cloud is limited only to community members who share the cost of the service.  

One of the main advantages of using the community cloud deployment model is scalability at a cost distributed among organizations. Despite the shared space, the system is highly flexible. Each organization can configure access controls and allocate resources as demand shifts. Organizations can have peace of mind knowing that they are secure and compliant with industry regulations, with fellow organizations from the group sharing the responsibility of ensuring compliance. Decision-making is also a collaborative process.  

Some instances require more than one or two types of cloud deployments to meet a company’s computing needs. In this case, several cloud computing and storage models are incorporated in a single heterogeneous architecture. A multi-cloud environment essentially combines a private cloud with many public cloud platforms. This arrangement is more varied and tailored to each organization’s IT infrastructure requirements.  

The advantage of a multi-cloud model is flexibility. For instance, a marketing department may have different cloud computing demands compared to other departments inside a company. By using a multi-cloud architecture, the company can opt for multiple public cloud environments to address the department’s evolving needs, especially when performing separate tasks.  

Multi-cloud environments can bring IT costs down, allowing companies to leverage various cloud providers. Companies are not reliant or locked into one vendor. Organizations can also meet their objectives without expanding or overhauling their existing infrastructure.

Cloud computing leads to lower operating costs as it frees up the company from the work that comes with managing its underlying infrastructure. The cloud provider, often a managed IT services provider, completely takes over the managed components, assuming all the risks and burdens. This enables the former to focus on work that matters for their organization. It may even eliminate the need for in-house IT personnel.  

In terms of figures, companies typically save between 15 to 30% of their IT costs when they migrate to the cloud. Considering that a third of a company’s budget is dedicated to cloud services, this can translate to huge savings. Working from home with cloud computing also saves companies about $10,000 per year per team member.  

Cloud technologies have a direct impact on employee productivity. The applications and processes users can access through the cloud allowing them to be more efficient at their jobs. Cloud-based solutions also enable users to collaborate and communicate efficiently, share information and work with colleagues. A survey by Frost & Sullivan found that companies investing in such technologies boosted productivity by up to 400%.  

Today, users are frequently saving their files in the cloud. The redundancy offered by cloud providers enables users to access relevant files whenever and wherever they want. Users don’t have to worry about their computers and phones crashing. They only need to log into the cloud to obtain their files and documents.  

The issue of data security is an inevitable topic in cloud computing. It’s understandable for users and companies, in general, to give thought to cloud security. After all, the cloud servers where your files are stored are not under your control. The truth is, your data is much safer on the cloud than on your computer. It is because cloud providers are heavily invested in robust security technologies and measures to protect your data.  

The cloud is helping tackle the climate crisis that the world is facing by enabling rapid digital transformation. Moving away from legacy hardware platforms and into the cloud leads to a reduced carbon footprint. According to Accenture’s report on green cloud computing, cloud migrations result in a significant reduction of carbon emissions of about 59 million tons per year, which is equivalent to “taking 22 million cars off the road.”