August 2010 reports of the Consumers Research Network (CRN) estimate that by 2014, spending on cloud computing solutions would reach the $100 billion mark. Cloud computing is a very versatile and flexible computing model and thus can be customized as per requirements of individual organizations. Organizations need clouds for the different computation, software, data access, regulatory compliance, data security and storage services it offers. The degree of customization is so high that one can choose from different types of deployment modes for the same.

Deployment Options in Cloud Computing Solutions

The growing popularity of cloud computing is not only because it makes the business more agile and cuts costs, but also it is a dynamically scalable technology. Following are the commonly used deployment modes for Cloud computing solutions:

Public Cloud: This is usually how mainstream services are provided over the web. This type of web hosting is backed by a fairly large amount of shared infrastructure and resources that may be present on a single location. This model is provided to organizations on a self-service basis over the Internet. The billing is done on the basis of usage.

Private Cloud: Private cloud computing solutions would be an extension of the Virtual Private Network (VPN) concept. This is best suited for individual companies that want to exercise significant level of control over their sensitive data. It offers great deal of security to the data while still allowing for sharing.

Community Cloud: Community based cloud computing can be best understood as a culmination of various public cloud networks that come together to host a network. This joint effort is driven by similar needs and requirements of organizations that belong to a certain industry along with large scale requirements that cannot be hosted on a single public cloud. There are fewer users than a public cloud but more than private clouds. However, this expense is justified by higher standards of privacy and security levels.

Hybrid Cloud: This type of a computing environment has the organization managing some resources in-house and others on a public cloud model. It is best known to be used in cases where companies want to grow and expand inorganically without committing huge capital in the process. Hybrid systems also offer relatively greater control over data.

You should ensure you have all the information before deploying cloud computing solutions for your organization. Find out about the deployment models, platforms and benefits that you can avail so that you can leverage any investment you make in this upcoming technology.