Cloud Computing Models

Cloud Computing Models

Cloud services provide a vast range of options, from storage, processing power and networking to even artificial intelligence and language processing as well as the basic office applications. Cloud computing services are delivering practically every service, which does not require physical access of computer hardware.

The fundamental concept behind cloud services is based on either the cloud location or on the services offered. Based on cloud location, the cloud can be classified into the following categories:

Public cloud - Public cloud is the basic cloud computing model, which works on multi-tenant architecture. It offers a large pool of resources and computing power over the internet and has the ability to quickly scale a service. The large pool of resources allow the user to access these resources as per requirement.

Private cloud - As the name suggests, it allows the user or companies to create, manage and control their own private cloud or private network. In this model, the companies have complete control over their data and can build applications and infrastructure in the way they want.

Hybrid cloud - This is a blend of public and private cloud elements. In this model, companies can use private cloud for sensitive data and information and use the public cloud for non-sensitive data, information or operations.

Community cloud - This is a shared infrastructure between organizations, usually only data is shared. Community clouds can be located on-premises or off premises. For instance, a government of a country can own a community cloud.

Based on the services offered, the cloud can be classified into the following categories:

Infrastructure-as-a-Service ( IaaS ) - Iaas refers to computing infrastructure, which provides virtual computing as a service. The services offer virtual server space, network connections, storage space, IP addresses, firewalls, virtual local area networks etc. For example, Windows Azure, Amazon EC2, Google Compute Engine are Iaas.

Platform-as-a-Service ( PaaS ) - Paas provides computing platforms. It provides operating systems, web servers, databases, programming language execution environment etc. It basically provides environments to developers to build applications over the internet. For example, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Google App Engine, Windows Azure are Paas.

Software-as-a-Service ( SaaS ) - Saas is also referred to as "on-demand software", it provides access to application software. The service providers does the installation, setup and operation of the application for the user. For example, Microsoft Office 365, Google Apps are Saas.

Cloud computing offer large variety of services, and choosing the right type of cloud and service will mostly depend on the task at hand, client requirements and business needs with clear understanding of costs and liabilities involved.