Azure Cloud Architecture Models Cheat Sheet

Last updated on July 3, 2023

Azure Cloud Architecture Models Cheat Sheet

Cloud computing is the delivery of services over the Internet that helps you reduce your operating costs, run your infrastructure efficiently, and scale as business requirements change.
- Benefits of cloud computing:
  - Cost – eliminates capital expense.
  - Global scale – ability to scale elastically.
  - Performance – computing hardware is always upgraded to the latest generation.
  - Security – data stored in the cloud has a broad set of policies, technologies, and controls.
  - Speed – computing resources can be provisioned in minutes.
  - Productivity – enables the customer to focus on business requirements instead of setting up on-site datacenters.
  - Reliability – availability of your resources at all times.
Three deployment methods of cloud computing: Public vs Private vs Hybrid.
The model you choose for cloud deployment depends on your budget, security, scalability, and maintenance needs.

Public Cloud

Focus on maintaining your applications without having to worry about purchasing, managing, or maintaining the hardware on which it runs.
You can use multiple public cloud providers of varying scale.

Advantages	Disadvantages
High scalability/agility	Specific security requirements
Pay-as-you-go pricing	Government policies, industry standards, or legal requirements
You are not responsible for the updates and maintenance of the hardware.	You don’t own the hardware or services and you also can’t manage them as you may want to.
The required technical knowledge is minimal.	Maintaining a legacy application might be hard to meet

Private Cloud

A dedicated on-premises datacenter configured to be a cloud environment that provides users in your organization with self-service access to compute resources.
You are responsible for the purchase and maintenance of the hardware and software services.
You can use a private cloud when an organization has data that cannot be put in the public cloud, perhaps for legal reasons.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Any scenario or legacy application configuration is supported.	CapEx involved – principal cost is the procurement of the equipment.
You have control (and responsibility) over security	To scale, you must buy, install, and set up new hardware
Compliance, or security requirements in your organization	Private clouds require IT skills and expertise

Hybrid Cloud

Data and applications can move between private and public clouds.
When there is a spike in demand in your private cloud, you can “burst through” to the public cloud for additional computing resources.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Maintain a private infrastructure for sensitive assets.	More expensive than selecting one deployment model since it involves some CapEx cost upfront
Take advantage of the resources in the public cloud when needed.	It can be more complicated to set up and manage
With the ability to scale to the public cloud, you pay for extra computing power only when needed.
Allows you to use your own equipment to meet the security and compliance requirements in your organization.

Validate Your Knowledge

Question 1

Question Type: Matrix Sorting Choice

Match the cloud models to their correct definitions.

Show me the answer!

Correct Answer: (1) Public Cloud, (2) Private Cloud, (3) Hybrid Cloud

Public clouds are owned and operated by third-party cloud service providers, which deliver their computing resources, like servers and storage, over the Internet. Microsoft Azure is an example of a public cloud. With a public cloud, all hardware, software, and other supporting infrastructure is owned and managed by the cloud provider. You access these services and manage your account using a web browser.

A private cloud refers to cloud computing resources used exclusively by a single business or organization. A private cloud can be physically located on the company’s on-site data center. Some companies also pay third-party service providers to host their private cloud. A private cloud is one in which the services and infrastructure are maintained on a private network.

Hybrid clouds combine public and private clouds, bound together by technology that allows data and applications to be shared between them. By allowing data and applications to move between private and public clouds, a hybrid cloud gives your business greater flexibility, more deployment options and helps optimize your existing infrastructure, security, and compliance.

Therefore, the following statements match the corresponding cloud computing types:

Public Cloud – All hardware, software, and other supporting infrastructure is owned and managed by the cloud provider.

Private Cloud – Computing resources used exclusively by one business or organization.

Hybrid Cloud – Combine on-premises infrastructure, or private clouds, with public clouds so organizations can reap the advantages of both.

Resources:

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/what-are-private-public-hybrid-clouds/
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/what-is-cloud-computing/#cloud-deployment-types

Note: This question was extracted from our AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Practice Exams.

For more Azure practice exam questions with detailed explanations, check out the Tutorials Dojo Portal:

Azure Cloud Architecture Models Cheat Sheet References:

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/what-are-private-public-hybrid-clouds/
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/principles-cloud-computing/4-cloud-deployment-models

Written by: Jon Bonso

Jon Bonso is the co-founder of Tutorials Dojo, an EdTech startup and an AWS Digital Training Partner that provides high-quality educational materials in the cloud computing space. He graduated from Mapúa Institute of Technology in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in Information Technology. Jon holds 10 AWS Certifications and is also an active AWS Community Builder since 2020.