What Are the Types of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a very popular solution for all types of businesses, both small and large. The fact that over 60% of all businesses moved their workloads to the cloud in 2020 only speaks to the popularity of cloud computing. Out of all providers, the largest market share belongs to Amazon Web Services, with over 32%. So, let's see what all the fuss is about regarding cloud computing and what it offers.

Cloud computing is a broad term that refers to everything that provides on-demand services over the Internet. Cloud computing allows you to save files on a remote database in the cloud or a virtual space instead of having an on-site data center or another storage device.

There are different ways in which cloud computing can be deployed and delivered to users, and some of them are the following:

Public clouds

these are cloud environments created on the cloud provider's IT infrastructure and not on the user's infrastructure. It is a popular cloud deployment model, as over 90% of businesses used it in 2019. Compared to traditional public clouds that always operate off-premises, cloud providers today offer cloud services on the on-premise data centers of the client. So, ownership and location differences do not matter anymore. Public clouds are created by partitioning the environments and redistributing them to numerous tenants. Some providers offer their clouds for free to the users, like the Massachusettes Open Cloud, while others charge fees. Some examples of public cloud providers are Alibaba Cloud, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, etc.

Private clouds

these cloud environments are usually defined as being dedicated to an individual user or a group of users. The private cloud environment generally runs behind the firewall of that user or group. Clouds are made private when the underlying IT infrastructure is dedicated entirely to an individual user with isolated access to the cloud. However, private clouds do not have to be deployed only from on-premise IT infrastructure anymore. Nowadays, businesses deploy their private clouds on rented, off-site data centers owned by the cloud service provider. So, like with public clouds, location and ownership do not matter or change anything. Some examples of private cloud providers include Amazon Web Services, Dell, IBM, OpenStack, etc. There are two main types of private clouds:

• Managed private clouds –they are deployed, customized, and managed by the service provider, and they help businesses that are understaffed or have unexperienced IT teams that cannot manage the cloud on their own

• Dedicated clouds – these clouds can be deployed on either a private or a public cloud. It's basically a cloud within a cloud because it runs within the private or public cloud the company already has

Hybrid clouds

these cloud environments merge together multiple environments into a single one and are connected via local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), virtual private networks (VPNs), and APIs. It is a prevalent cloud deployment model, with approximately 82% of businesses using hybrid clouds. Some characteristics that need to be included for the environment to be considered a hybrid cloud are:

• At least one private cloud and at least one public cloud

• Two or more private clouds

• Two or more public clouds

• A bare-metal or virtual environment connected to at least one public cloud or private cloud

When apps can move in and out of various separate—yet connected—environments, any IT system becomes a hybrid cloud. Some examples of hybrid clouds are Microsoft, VMware, Rackspace, EMC, etc.

Multiclouds

over 90% of businesses use a multicloud solution as of 2021. This is a cloud deployment model that encompasses more than one cloud service that is provided by more than one private or public cloud provider. Basically, all hybrid clouds are multiclouds, but not vice versa. Multiclouds are considered hybrid clouds when some type of integration or orchestration connects numerous clouds. Usually, there are two reasons why multicloud environments exist:

• On purpose so that sensitive data is controlled better, or they exist as redundant storage space for better disaster recovery On accident as a result of shadow IT

• Despite the reason why multiclouds are created, many businesses use this cloud deployment model for improved security and performance. Some multicloud providers include Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, etc.

Let's see what is the same across all types of cloud computing. So, every cloud pools and shares scalable computing resources across a network. Also, all cloud types provide cloud computing, i.e., all types enable workloads to run within their systems. Almost all types of cloud computing are created using the same technologies, which usually include an operating system, a type of management platform, and APIs. Additionally, every type of cloud can benefit from the integration of virtualization and automation technologies for enhanced capabilities and efficiency.

As mentioned before, there are four different cloud computing types today, which include public, private, hybrid, and multiclouds. In the past, the key differences between the different types were based on location and ownership. However, seeing as today those lines are blurred, is it not as simple anymore. So, basically, the main difference between the cloud computing types is the services they offer individually. Also, there is a difference in who has access to the cloud depending on the type. For example, private servers can only be accessed by either an individual user or a group.

Cloud services include third-party hosted services like infrastructure, platforms, or software that are accessible via the Internet. Cloud services are used for enabling the flow of data from front-end users to the system of the providers and vice versa. You can access cloud services easily. All you need is a computer, operating system, and an Internet connection or VPN.

There are four main types of cloud computing services available today, and they are:

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – with IaaS, the service provider manages and maintains the servers, network, virtualization, and data storage via the Internet. You have access to the infrastructure through an API or dashboard. You are responsible for managing and maintaining resources like the OS, applications, and middleware. Also, the provider is responsible for fixing issues like outages, repairs, and hardware issues. You pay for the use of IaaS on a pay-as-you-go basis. Some examples of IaaS providers include DigitalOcean, Linode, Rackspace, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco Metapod, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine (GCE), etc.

• Platform as a Service (PaaS) - is a cloud service that provides users with hardware and software over the Internet. PaaS users are typically looking to develop an application, hosting the hardware and software with the PaaS provider. Users can access PaaS through the provider's hosted infrastructure; it does not entirely replace a company's IT infrastructure for software development. The majority of PaaS users access the service through a web browser. Public, private, and hybrid clouds are all options for PaaS providers. Users can get an operating system, a programming language execution environment, a database, a web server, and other platforms through PaaS. It also includes a graphic user guide as well as software for designing applications. Some PaaS providers are AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Microsoft Azure App Service, Heroku, Force.com, Google App Engine, etc.

• Software as a Service (SaaS) - the term "service" refers to a method of delivering software to customers without requiring them to install it. Instead, the program is accessible over the Internet and is kept in the cloud. As a result, consumers can subscribe to an application and access it from any device with an Internet connection. Users can connect to programs over a network, and their data can be saved locally or in the cloud with SaaS. SaaS is interoperable with other software and can be integrated using an API. Companies usually use SaaS for email, sales management, CRM, billing, financial management, collaboration, and other setups. Some SaaS providers are BigCommerce, Google Workspace, Dropbox, Salesforce, Zoom, etc.

• Everything as a Service (XaaS) - XaaS encompasses various tools, applications, services, games, and other offerings. The cloud is used to offer all of these items to users. Users pay for XaaS using a flexible consumption approach, which means they don't have to pay upfront or buy a license. XaaS has a number of benefits, including improving the expenditure model, speeding up the development of new apps and business processes, and redirecting IT resources to higher-value projects. Some of the most common types of XaaS are Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Storage as a Service (StaaS), Database as a Service (DBaaS), Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS), Communications as a Service (CaaS), Network as a Service (NaaS), Data as a Service (DaaS), etc. Some of the most popular XaaS providers are Auvik, AWS, etc.

To conclude, cloud computing is an excellent solution that a significant portion of businesses are using for various reasons. It offers many benefits to its users and helps solve various problems. There are different cloud deployment models that are similar but deploy cloud services in a different manner. So, you can choose the one best suited for you specifically.

Also, there are four main service types: IaaS in cloud computing, PaaS in cloud computing, SaaS in cloud computing, and XaaS in cloud computing. All of them offer different resources that are suitable for different needs. So, it is up to you to choose the right one for you and your business.