Private vs Public vs Hybrid Cloud

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Private vs. Public vs. Hybrid Cloud in Cloud Computing

In this article, I am going to discuss Private vs. Public vs. Hybrid Cloud in Cloud Computing. Please read the following three articles before proceeding to this article. We discussed what these 3 (Private, Public, and Hybrid) clouds are, their benefits and limitations, and use cases in our previous 3 articles.

1. Public Cloud
2. Private Cloud
3. Hybrid Cloud

Private, public, and hybrid clouds are different deployment models in cloud computing, each offering distinct benefits and use cases. Let’s explore these three models:

Private Cloud:

A private cloud is a cloud infrastructure that is dedicated to a single organization. It is built and managed internally or by a third-party provider, exclusively serving the needs of that organization. Private clouds offer greater control over resources, security, and compliance. Organizations with strict data privacy and regulatory requirements often use them. Private clouds can be hosted on-premises (on your own data center) or off-premises (hosted by a third-party provider). On-premises private clouds require significant upfront investment and ongoing management.

• Cloud Hardware: In the case of private cloud, the entire cloud infrastructure, such as the physical servers, storage, networking, etc., must be procured by the organization that owns the private cloud
• Tenancy: Single-tenancy, that is, a private cloud, is usually used by a single organization.
• Data Center Location: In this case, the location of the Data Center is Inside the organization’s corporate network.
• Scalability: The scalability depends on the private cloud infrastructure. That means the Private cloud scalability is limited by the amount of infrastructure it has. Beyond a certain point, it is impossible to scale up unless the organization procures additional hardware and sets it up.
• Cloud Maintenance: The organization is responsible for setting up as well as maintaining the private cloud.
• Costs: It requires huge initial capital expenditure as the organization has to purchase all the cloud hardware, set it up, and maintain it. The organization also needs to hire a workforce to maintain a private cloud. So, there is a monthly operating expenditure as well.
• Accessibility: Only the organization that owns the private cloud can access private cloud resources and services.

Public Cloud:

A public cloud is a cloud infrastructure shared by multiple organizations and owned and operated by a third-party provider. Services are delivered over the Internet. Public clouds offer scalability, flexibility, and cost efficiency. Users can access resources on-demand and pay only for what they use. Public clouds are suitable for various use cases, from web hosting to application development and deployment. They are particularly well-suited for startups, small businesses, and projects with variable workloads.

• Cloud Hardware: In this case, the public cloud service providers like Amazon or Microsoft provide the infrastructure.
• Tenancy: Multi-tenancy, that is, public cloud resources, are going to be shared by multiple organizations.
• Data Center Location: The location of the Data Center is anywhere on the Internet. For example, Public cloud providers such as AWS and Azure data centers are typically located in many countries across the entire world.
• Scalability: This is the biggest advantage of the Public Cloud. Near-unlimited scalability i.e., on-demand resources, are available to meet your business needs. So you will never run out of resources.
• Cloud Maintenance: No maintenance, as your service provider, such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, etc, will provide the maintenance. Organizations and even the general public can use public cloud services by paying a monthly fee.
• Costs: No need to purchase hardware or software; you only need to pay for the service you use. The more public cloud services you use, the more you have to pay. Sometimes, the overall price tag you need to pay might be higher than what you expected, especially if you use a lot of public cloud services for a long time.
• High reliability: A vast network of servers ensures against failure.
• Accessibility: A public cloud is exposed to the public. So, anyone can access its resources and services anytime and from anywhere with an internet-connected device.

Hybrid Cloud:

A hybrid cloud combines elements of both private and public clouds. It allows data and applications to be shared between the two environments. Organizations use a hybrid cloud to leverage the benefits of both models. For example, sensitive data can be stored in a private cloud for security and compliance reasons, while less sensitive workloads can run in the public cloud for scalability. Hybrid clouds enable workload flexibility, cost optimization, and a gradual transition to the cloud. They can be complex to manage, requiring private and public environments integration.

• Cloud Hardware: It is the combination of both Private and Public cloud. For the private cloud, your organization is responsible for providing and setting up the infrastructure, whereas the public cloud service providers, such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, etc., provide the infrastructure for the public cloud.
• Tenancy: The private part of the hybrid cloud is only used by a single organization, whereas multiple organizations share the public part of the hybrid cloud.
• Data Center Location: The private cloud data center is typically inside the organization’s corporate network, whereas the public cloud data center is anywhere on the internet.
• Scalability: The scalability of the private cloud services and resources is limited by the underlying available infrastructure, whereas we do not have such a limitation with the public cloud services.
• Cloud Maintenance: The private cloud is managed by the organization that owns it, whereas the cloud service provider manages the public cloud.
• Costs: With the private cloud, the organization is faced with the initial capital expenditure and monthly operating expenses to maintain it. With the public cloud, you only have to pay a monthly fee for the services and resources you use.
• Accessibility: Private cloud services can be accessed only by the organization that owns it, whereas anyone can access public cloud services.

Key considerations when choosing between these deployment models include:

1. Data Sensitivity: A private cloud may be preferred if data security and compliance are critical. Public clouds can be suitable for non-sensitive workloads, but organizations should assess the cloud provider’s security measures.
2. Scalability: Public clouds provide quick scalability to handle variable workloads. Private clouds may require more planning and investment for scaling.
3. Cost: Public clouds offer pay-as-you-go pricing, reducing upfront costs. Private clouds involve higher upfront investment but may have lower long-term costs.
4. Control: Private clouds offer more control over resources and configurations. Public clouds abstract some control to the cloud provider.
5. Complexity: Hybrid clouds introduce complexity due to the need for integration and data synchronization between environments.
6. Use Case: Consider the specific needs of your applications and workloads. Some applications may benefit from public cloud scalability, while others may require the security of a private environment.

Organizations often opt for a multi-cloud strategy, combining public, private, and hybrid clouds to match their various needs and objectives best.

In the next article, I am going to discuss Infrastructure as a Service, also called IaaS, in detail. This article explains the Private vs. Public vs. Hybrid Cloud in Cloud Computing. I hope now you understand the need and use of Private vs. Public vs. Hybrid Cloud in Cloud Computing.