What is Community Cloud?

Cloud Deployment Models

Beyond how services are delivered (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), cloud computing also defines where these services are physically located and who owns and manages the underlying infrastructure.

These are known as cloud deployment models.

Understanding these models helps organizations decide the best fit for their specific security, compliance, and operational needs.

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Community Cloud

A community cloud is a collaborative cloud infrastructure shared by several organizations that have common concerns, such as specific security requirements, compliance needs, or shared missions.

Definition:

• A Community Cloud is a cloud infrastructure that is shared by several organizations from a specific community with common interests.
• It can be managed internally by one or more of the organizations, or by a third party, and can be hosted either on-premises or off-premises.
• The defining characteristic is the shared purpose and requirements among the participating entities.

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Key Characteristics:

• Shared by Specific Community: Exclusively used by a group of organizations with shared objectives or concerns.
• Common Interests: Members typically share security, compliance, performance, or mission-specific requirements.
• Cost Sharing: Costs are distributed among the participating organizations, making it more economical than a purely private cloud for each member.
• Enhanced Collaboration: Facilitates collaboration and data sharing among community members.
• Tailored for Specific Needs: Designed to meet the unique needs and regulations of the community.

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Customer Control & Management:

• In a community cloud, the control and management responsibilities are shared among the participating organizations, or delegated to a third-party provider.
• This often involves collective decision-making on infrastructure, security policies, and compliance standards, ensuring that the cloud environment meets the specific needs of the entire community.

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Analogy: A Shared Research Lab Imagine a group of universities or research institutions collaborating on a major scientific project that requires specialized equipment and secure data handling.

The Research Lab (Community Cloud):

• Instead of each institution building its own expensive, specialized lab, they collectively invest in and share a dedicated research laboratory.
• This lab is equipped with specific tools (servers, storage, specialized software) and adheres to strict protocols (security, compliance) that meet the needs of all participating researchers.

Your Role:

• Each university (organization) contributes to the funding and governance of the lab, and its researchers use the shared resources for their specific experiments.
• They benefit from the collective investment and specialized environment without having to bear the full cost and management burden individually.

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Use Cases:

• Government Agencies: Sharing infrastructure for specific projects or data that requires a common level of security clearance.
• Healthcare Industry: Collaborating on research or patient data while adhering to strict regulations like HIPAA.
• Financial Institutions: Sharing a cloud environment for specific, highly regulated financial operations.
• Research and Development: Joint ventures or consortia that require a shared, secure, and specialized computing environment.
• Industry-Specific Compliance: When multiple companies in the same industry need to comply with the same set of industry-specific regulations.

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Quick Note: The "Collaborative" Cloud

• The community cloud is often considered the "collaborative" cloud.
• It offers a unique solution for groups of organizations with shared requirements, providing a balance between the dedicated nature of a private cloud and the cost-sharing benefits of a public cloud, all tailored to their specific needs and compliance standards.