The Cloud and Virtual Worlds - Cloud & Virtualization Basics

Cloud Deployment Models: Public, Private, and Hybrid Clouds

This describes how cloud infrastructure is organized and who has access to it.

• Public Cloud

  The public cloud is where cloud resources (servers, storage) are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service provider and delivered over the public internet. It is a multi-tenant environment, meaning you share the same physical hardware infrastructure with other organizations or "tenants."

  • Analogy: Living in a large apartment complex. You have your own secure apartment, but you share the building, elevators, and utilities with many other residents.
  • Key Benefit: Massive economies of scale, leading to the lowest cost and highest flexibility.
  • Providers: AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

• Private Cloud

  A private cloud is where cloud computing resources are used exclusively by a single business or organization. The infrastructure can be physically located in the company’s on-site data center or hosted by a third-party provider, but the hardware is dedicated to that one organization.

  • Analogy: Owning your own private house. You have complete control, privacy, and security, but you are responsible for all the maintenance and costs.
  • Key Benefit: Maximum control over security and data, which is often required for regulatory compliance (e.g., healthcare, finance).

• Hybrid Cloud

  A hybrid cloud is a combination of a private cloud and a public cloud, bound together by technology that allows data and applications to be shared between them. This gives businesses greater flexibility and more deployment options.

  • Analogy: Owning a house (private cloud) but renting a storage unit (public cloud) for things that don't fit or that you don't need to access every day. A private road connects the two.
  • Key Benefit: Allows organizations to keep sensitive, critical data on their private cloud while leveraging the powerful, scalable, and low-cost resources of the public cloud for less-sensitive workloads.