Cloud Deployment Models

Beyond service models, cloud computing is also categorised by deployment model — describing who owns and who can access the underlying infrastructure.

The Deployment Models

Each deployment model trades off cost, control, and complexity differently, and organisations often use a combination depending on the workload.

• Public cloud — infrastructure owned by a third-party provider and shared across many customers (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Private cloud — infrastructure dedicated entirely to a single organisation, whether hosted on-premises or by a third party.
• Hybrid cloud — a combination of public and private cloud, with workloads moving between them as needed.
• Multi-cloud — using more than one public cloud provider simultaneously, often to avoid dependency on a single vendor.

Common Mistakes

• Assuming public cloud is inherently less secure than private cloud — major public cloud providers invest heavily in security, often exceeding what most individual organisations could achieve on their own.
• Underestimating the complexity of managing a genuine hybrid or multi-cloud environment, including networking and consistent security policies across providers.
• Choosing a private cloud purely out of habit or perceived control, without weighing its significantly higher operational cost and complexity.
• Confusing "hybrid cloud" (a mix of public and private infrastructure) with "multi-cloud" (using multiple public cloud providers).