Cloud computing refers to the use of IT infrastructure from anywhere in the world through the internet. Cloud computing has transformed the way companies procure and manage infrastructures. It enables individuals and businesses to use virtual servers, networking, storage, databases, software, and more on demand for various processes and business operations.
Cloud services allow the creation of cloud-native applications, store, analyze, backup, and recovering data. It also allows testing, building applications, streaming audio/video, delivering software on demand, embedding intelligence, and much more.
Cloud computing has numerous benefits such as, including digital transformation, it is cost-efficient, highly scalable, reliable, & flexible. As per Gartner, the public cloud services market is anticipated to grow by 21.26 % in 2023, reaching $599.84 billion compared to $494.65 billion in 2022.
Types of Cloud Deployment Models
There are three main cloud computing deployment models with different capabilities which are explained below.
Public Cloud
Public clouds are the most used ones. They are owned and operated by third parties such as, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and many more. Amazon Web Services (AWS), owned by Amazon, is the largest cloud services provider globally. Which is followed by Microsoft Azure and then Google Cloud Platform. Many businesses utilize multiple cloud service providers.
Private Cloud
Private clouds are dedicated, self-hosted, and customized, which provide full control, and are accessible only to the organization maintaining them. The cloud infrastructure – physical servers and other infrastructure hardware required to operate cloud services which are managed by the organization itself. The private cloud offers the same benefits as the public cloud but provides increased control and privacy. Private clouds are subject to regulatory compliance.
Hybrid Cloud
As the name suggests, a hybrid cloud is a combination of both public and private cloud computing deployment models. A hybrid cloud offers more tailored solutions that meet specific business processes and requirements. Businesses usually would limit the use of the public cloud only when required to cut costs. It is one of the most cost-effective methods for businesses to increase compute capacity on demand and have full advantage of an on-premises technology at the same time.
