Oracle Cloud - The CIO's Guide to Oracle Products and Solutions - page 153

3. Sotware : The use of applications running on a cloud infrastructure
environment
Each service model offers unique functionality depending on the class of
user, with control of the environment decreasing as you move from infra-
structure to platform to software. Infrastructure is most suitable for users
like network administrators, as organizations can place unique platforms
and software on the infrastructure being consumed. Platform is most suit-
able for users like server or system administrators in development and
deployment activities. Software is most appropriate for end users, since
all functionalities are usually offered out of the box. Understanding the
degree of functionality and what users will consume the services is critical
for organizations in determining the appropriate cloud service to procure.
NIST has also defined four deployment models for cloud services:
Private, Public, Community, and Hybrid. These service deployments can
be summarized as:
1. Private : For use by a single organization
2. Public : For use by general public
3. Community : For use by a specific community of organizations with
a shared purpose
4. Hybrid : A composition of two or more cloud infrastructures (public,
private, community)
These deployment models determine the number of consumers (multi-
tenancy) and the nature of other consumers' data that may be present in
a cloud environment. A public cloud does not allow a consumer to know
or control who the other consumers of a cloud service provider's envi-
ronment are. However, a private cloud can allow for ultimate control in
selecting who has access to a cloud environment. Community clouds and
hybrid clouds allow for a mixed degree of control and knowledge of other
consumers. Additionally, the cost for cloud services typically increases
as the control over other consumers and knowledge of these consumers
increases. When consuming cloud services, it is important for organiza-
tions to understand what type of data they will be placing in the environ-
ment and to select the deployment type that corresponds to the appropriate
level of control and data sensitivity.
To choose a cloud service that will properly meet a unique need, it
is vital to first determine the proper level of service and deployment.