What are three types of cloud development models?
Cloud development happens when software firms develop, test, and run applications in a web-based or virtual environment. Cloud-based computing is increasing in popularity for a variety of reasons. The demand for complex software has risen, and cloud-based environments offer a more convenient, cost-effective platform for building code, collaborating with colleagues, and testing units of code in manageable batches. A developer cloud also enhances DevSecOps in ways that aren’t practical in traditional coding environments. However, one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to cloud-based coding. Here are three cloud development model examples and the benefits and disadvantages of each.
#1 Private Model
The private model is a developer environment in which all of the cloud-based computing infrastructure is dedicated to one user organization. This cloud-based developer environment can be hosted by the using organization or by a vendor that offers private virtual hosting services. In a private virtual environment, the using organization usually manages the operations within the cloud-based developer environment.
Advantages
Nearly every day one hears about a cyberattack that disrupts business operations in a critical industry or that exposes the sensitive personal data of millions of people. As a result, cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing career fields in the world.
Smart development teams incorporate IT cloud security mechanisms into their products by employing a security mindset throughout the software life cycle. By using a private model, your organization will have more control over IT security from the time that you gather requirements to the time that you deploy your software for full production.
Security is such a pressing issue that many governments have drafted laws that dictate how international companies handle the data of its citizens. For instance, companies that do business in European Union (EU) countries may need to safeguard collected customer data on a private network because EU representatives deem public networks to be less secure than private ones.
Disadvantages
Companies realize huge cost savings by using cloud-based computing environments instead of physical servers in local facilities. However, those savings lessen when they acquire private virtual environments. Even if they opt for a vendor-provided private set up, they will pay more for the dedicated equipment and software in the private environment than for public hosting services.
#2 Public Model
The public model is a developer environment in which a set of predetermined infrastructure is shared among a group of tenants. Public environments are hosted by vendors that often provide both public and private environments. The hosting provider maintains the infrastructure, installs updates and patches, and manages the application software as part of the service.
Advantages
The biggest advantage of using a public environment is the low initial cost. There may be a small setup fee to begin a public service, but once this charge is paid, companies pay as they go. The low monthly fees are great for startup companies that are on tight budgets and that don’t want to get tied to long-term, expensive contracts.
Since public environments are outfitted and managed by third-party service providers, the using organization doesn’t need deep knowledge of IT network security or operations to hit the ground running.
Disadvantages
Public cloud-based developer environments don’t support Agile methods as well as private environments do. Agile is a software developer philosophy that ascribes to early and frequent deliveries of usable software. The goal is to manage customer expectations with early and continuous verification of delivered software. This means that changes are expected and welcomed, and close collaboration among developer and operations (DevOps) team members is needed throughout the process.
The right type of cloud-computing environment accelerates Agile methods so that project teams can make frequent deliveries to clients, get feedback, and incorporate modifications into follow-on software iterations. When you’re using a public environment, system performance is impacted by other tenants’ usage. If numerous other tenants are using the network at the same time, you’ll get slower performance. This may impact deadlines to customers.
Also, public environments aren’t customizable. If your team needs to install another server to increase development or testing capacity, it will likely need a workaround since public cloud-computing resources are fixed by the service provider.
Public environments are not suitable for organizations that handle sensitive financial or personal data.
#3 Community Cloud Model
The community model is a relatively new concept for cloud-computing environments. Community clouds offer infrastructure that hosts share among user groups that are working on similar projects or that have the need to collaborate with each other. Third-party service providers host community clouds.
Advantages
Community clouds offer some of the advantages of private clouds at a lower overall price. The costs of the hardware, middleware, and software applications are shared among the various community groups.
Community clouds deliver better security than public clouds. The community has a fixed set of vetted user groups, which reduces the chance that a bad actor will launch a successful cyberattack. Organizations that use community clouds include government departments that must collaborate with other government agencies and private research organizations that require some of the same infrastructure as those government departments.
Disadvantages
Community clouds are more expensive than public clouds. They also aren’t customizable.
Bonus: Hybrid Developer Cloud Model
A hybrid model is a combination of multiple cloud-computing environments that are linked together to appear as a single environment. The most common way to link those connected environments is through application programming interfaces (APIs). APIs allow cloud developers to install software applications in one environment and use them in another connected environment.
Advantages
Software applications in different cloud-computing environments that are connected through APIs can be managed in a single environment. This saves organizations money.
Disadvantages
Hybrid clouds that employ APIs can be vulnerable to data theft when proper security measures are neglected.
Conclusion
Cloud-based computing has gotten cheaper to use in recent years, and businesses are rushing to get cloud-based software applications as a result. It just makes sense that applications that are designed to run in a virtual environment be developed in one. However, the cloud-based developer model that you choose will impact your IT security and the way that your teams conduct DevOps.