The concept of cloud computing became the market sensation earlier in the 21st century. Multinational tech giants like Amazon and Google started rolling out cloud-based solutions to help big companies hare data and applications. There are various types of clouds like private and public cloud models. Distributed cloud is rather a new model that is yet to reach its potential.
Distributed Cloud vs Hybrid Cloud
The main difference between distributed and hybrid cloud is that distributed cloud is a type of public cloud infrastructure that is relatively new in the market than a hybrid cloud. On the other hand, hybrid cloud combines both private and public cloud models so that data can be shared with the public depending on the level of confidentiality.
Distributed cloud model runs a public cloud infrastructure which means applications and data can be accessed from third-party data centers and not only the cloud providers’ servers. There are various types of other clouds but distributed cloud is better than most of them because it shows better performance by reducing latency and inconsistency.
Hybrid cloud computing, as can be understood by the name itself defines a combination of more than one cloud computing model. It is a mixed computing infrastructure that combines private cloud services with a public cloud. The best examples of hybrid clouds are Microsoft Azure and AWS.
Comparison Table Distributed Cloud and Hybrid Cloud
| Parameters of Comparison | Distributed Cloud | Hybrid Cloud |
| Definition | Distributed cloud is a type of public cloud system that interconnects various applications and can deliver data to various geographical locations. | A hybrid cloud is a type of data infrastructure that can combine a private and a public cloud and allow sharing of data between them. |
| Launch | Distributed cloud is comparatively new in the market and Google has launched it recently. | Hybrid cloud was introduced in the market in 2011. |
| Resilience | Distributed cloud operates in a network of decentralized servers which means that failure in one server doesn’t affect the other servers. | A hybrid cloud is less resilient than distributed cloud. |
| Compliance | Distributed cloud has better regulatory compliance as data stays in the originating location. | Due to lack of visibility, the hybrid cloud finds it challenging to meet regulatory compliances. |
| Scalability | It is one of the best advantages of distributed cloud system as it can add more servers to the existing resources as well as add more power to the existing servers. | Hybrid clouds are not as scalable as distributed clouds. |
| Security | Distributed cloud is public and thus they are more prone to cyber-attacks. | The hybrid cloud model ensures better safety by storing sensitive data in the private cloud environment. |
| Implementation | Distributed cloud model is used by cloud providers to reduce the latency of delivery. Example: a content delivery network (CDN) | Hybrid clouds are used such that sensitive information is stored in a private environment and when workload increases, less sensitive information is shared through the public environment. |
What is Distributed Cloud?
Distributed cloud is going to be the next-gen ultimate cloud infrastructure due to its unlimited storage capabilities and accessing data from several geographic locations. This cloud model provides on-demand computing resources from storage to various applications. Google has recently launched its Distributed Cloud Edge and eventually made other tech giants will adapt to this cloud environment. Distributed cloud is known for reducing latency, better scalability, and compliance, and also cost-saving. Although the distributed cloud is a public cloud, protection of individual data is possible through various virtualization techniques.
In a distributed cloud model, computation workload is deployed at various server points known as points of presence (POPs). This makes distributed cloud model very flexible as if one of the servers is compromised, it doesn’t have any effect on other servers. In this infrastructure, the cloud provider mainly expands the centralized cloud by deploying several micro-cloud satellites in various parts of the world. So, the user sees everything as a part of a single cloud.
Distributed cloud has improved transparency over hybrid cloud models. One of the best examples to explain distributed cloud protocol is the content delivery network (CDN) that improves both the delivery speed and streaming performance of video content. Distributed cloud is of huge advantage in the healthcare sector since it minimizes latency.
What is Hybrid Cloud?
Hybrid cloud infrastructure is very common when it comes to running a big enterprise. The workload of a big company (data, applications, etc) are better accessed, managed, and performed in an optimized environment for increasing the effectiveness. A hybrid cloud has one private and one public cloud combined to create a single and flexible cloud environment. But there can also be more than one public cloud involved from a different cloud provider which is known as hybrid multi-cloud.
A hybrid cloud system helps a company distribute its workload in several ways. The sensitive data goes into the safe private cloud environment whereas the rest of the data is made public for all users for various purposes. Hybrid cloud offers multiple functionalities from multiple cloud computing vendors. For each workload, an optimal cloud environment can be chosen and the movement of information from private to public cloud and vice-versa can be also done freely.
A hybrid cloud is a better choice for businesses over either a private or public cloud installation. Though the capital cost for deployment can go a little high (because it involves both types of cloud), in the long run, it is more effective. IBM is one of the leading tech companies to offer hybrid cloud solutions.
Main Differences Between Distributed Cloud and Hybrid Cloud
- Distributed cloud is a public cloud model that enables the geographical distribution of data that is centrally managed. On the other hand, a hybrid cloud is a type of data infrastructure that can combine a private and a public cloud.
- Distributed cloud was launched much later in the market as compared to a hybrid cloud model.
- Distributed cloud models are more resilient than hybrid cloud models.
- Distributed cloud has better regulatory compliance than hybrid cloud due to lack of visibility in the latter one.
- Distributed clouds are more scalable as compared to hybrid clouds.
- Distributed clouds are used to reduce latency and improve performance whereas hybrid clouds are used to compartmentalize sensitive data and then distribute less sensitive data between two environments.
Conclusion
Based on the very concrete foundation of cloud computing various models is developed today. As the need for a more optimized environment increases to process more data and harness more power from it, new technologies arrive in the market. Similarly, the concept of cloud computing was first invented in the 1960s when Joseph Licklider started his work on ARPANET.
Today, more than half a century later the concept of hybrid and distributed clouds have been introduced into the market. So today we might be thinking distributed cloud is enough to suffice our needs but maybe another fifty years down the line we will be brainstorming to come up with a more effective model to suffice our needs at that time.
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1084804520302149
- https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.10489