The public cloud refers to the cloud computing model in which IT services are delivered via the internet. As the most popular model of cloud computing services, the public cloud offers vast choices in terms of solutions and computing resources to address the growing needs of organizations of all sizes and verticals.
The defining features of a public cloud solution include:
High elasticity and scalability
A low-cost subscription-based pricing tier
Services on the public cloud may be free, freemium, or subscription-based, wherein you’re charged based on the computing resources you consume.
The computing functionality may range from common services—email, apps, and storage—to the enterprise-grade OS platform or infrastructure environments used for software development and testing.
The cloud vendor is responsible for developing, managing, and maintaining the pool of computing resources shared between multiple tenants from across the network.
When to use the public cloud
The public cloud is most suitable for these types of environments:
Predictable computing needs, such as communication services for a specific number of users
Apps and services necessary to perform IT and business operations
Additional resource requirements to address varying peak demands
Software development and test environments
Advantages of public cloud
People appreciate these public cloud benefits:
No CapEx. No investments required to deploy and maintain the IT infrastructure.
Technical agility. High scalability and flexibility to meet unpredictable workload demands.
Business focus. The reduced complexity and requirements on in-house IT expertise is minimized, as the cloud vendor is responsible for infrastructure management.
Affordability. Flexible pricing options based on different SLA offerings
Cost agility. The cost agility allows organizations to follow lean growth strategies and focus their investments on innovation projects
Drawbacks of public cloud
The public cloud does come with limitations:
Lack of cost control. The total cost of ownership (TCO) can rise exponentially for large-scale usage, specifically for midsize to large enterprises.
Lack of security. Public cloud is the least secure, by nature, so it isn’t best for sensitive mission-critical IT workloads.
Minimal technical control. Low visibility and control into the infrastructure may not meet your compliance needs.
What is the private cloud?
The private cloud refers to any cloud solution dedicated for use by a single organization. In the private cloud, you’re not sharing cloud computing resources with any other organization.
The data center resources may be located on-premise or operated by a third-party vendor off-site. The computing resources are isolated and delivered via a secure private network, and not shared with other customers.
Private cloud is customizable to meet the unique business and security needs of the organization. With greater visibility and control into the infrastructure, organizations can operate compliance-sensitive IT workloads without compromising on the security and performance previously only achieved with dedicated on-premise data centers.
When to use the private cloud
The private cloud is best suited for:
Highly regulated industries and government agencies
Sensitive data
Companies that require strong control and security over their IT workloads and the underlying infrastructure
Large enterprises that require advanced data center technologies to operate efficiently and cost-effectively
Organizations that can afford to invest in high performance and availability technologies
Advantages of private cloud
The most popular benefits of private cloud include:
Exclusive environments. Dedicated and secure environments that cannot be accessed by other organizations.
Custom security. Compliance to stringent regulations as organizations can run protocols, configurations, and measures to customize security based on unique workload requirements
Scalability without tradeoffs. High scalability and efficiency to meet unpredictable demands without compromising on security and performance
Efficient performance. The private cloud is reliable for high SLA performance and efficiency.
Flexibility. The private cloud is flexible as you transform the infrastructure based on ever-changing business and IT needs of the organization.
Drawbacks of private cloud
The private cloud has drawbacks that might limit use cases:
Price. The private cloud is an expensive solution with a relatively high TCO compared to public cloud alternatives, especially for short-term use cases.
Mobile difficulty. Mobile users may have limited access to the private cloud considering the high security measures in place.
Scalability depends. The infrastructure may not offer high scalability to meet unpredictable demands if the cloud data center is limited to on-premise computing resources
