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8.1 Cloud Models

The previous chapter covered wireless networking, the last piece of on-premises infrastructure. Many organizations extend their networks into the cloud. Cloud networking applies the same concepts (subnets, routing, firewalls) in a virtualized environment.

Building and maintaining physical data centers requires capital investment, long lead times, and dedicated staff. Cloud providers offer compute, storage, and networking as a service. Organizations provision infrastructure in minutes and pay for the resources they consume. The networking layer in the cloud mirrors on-premises networking. Software-defined equivalents replace physical devices.

ModelDescription
Public cloudInfrastructure owned by a provider (AWS, Azure, GCP), shared with other customers, accessed over the internet.
Private cloudInfrastructure dedicated to 1 organization, hosted on-premises or by a provider.
Hybrid cloudA combination of public and private cloud, connected by VPN or dedicated circuit.
Community cloudShared infrastructure for organizations with common requirements (government agencies, healthcare).
ModelCustomer ManagesProvider ManagesExample
IaaSOS, middleware, application, dataCompute, storage, networkingAWS EC2, Azure VMs
PaaSApplication and dataRuntime, OS, infrastructureAWS Elastic Beanstalk
SaaSNothing (uses the service)EverythingMicrosoft 365, Salesforce

The service model determines the boundary of responsibility. In IaaS, the customer configures the virtual network. In SaaS, the provider handles everything.

Hybrid cloud connects plant to cloud

OT organizations use hybrid cloud: on-premises control with cloud analytics. VPN or Direct Connect bridges the 2 environments.

IaaS gives the most control

In IaaS, configure the virtual network, subnets, and security groups. In SaaS, the provider handles everything.

Cloud deployment and service models define the management boundary. The next page covers VPC architecture: the virtual network for subnets, route tables, and security controls.

  • CompTIA Network+ N10-009 Exam Objectives, Domain 1: Networking Concepts (Cloud)