The cloud is now apart of our daily lives. We stream from it, buy on it, and send messages over it. Cloud computing is also a driving force behind the growth of businesses. According to MacAfee, 87% of companies are better able to grow because of the benefits of the cloud.
However, the cloud isn’t one thing. While there are many distinctions between different products, the biggest differences occur between the public vs private cloud.
Are you ready to learn more? Keep reading for a quick introduction to public vs private vs hybrid clouds.
What’s a Cloud Anyway?
The cloud is a simple premise with a wide range of solutions.
For individuals and organizations, the cloud is the only way to properly backup your information to avoid losing it due to hardware or software malfunction. You probably store information on the cloud whether you know it or not. For example, most late-model phones automatically store your photos to the cloud.
However, the cloud goes beyond storing data. It also allows cloud computing, which is the delivery of services over the internet. Cloud computing allows you to use software, databases, servers, and storage online, so you never need to download information or buy huge amounts of hardware.
The biggest cloud application vendors today were the biggest software vendors of yesterday. They include Microsoft, Salesforce, SAP, and Oracle.
Businesses use cloud applications to save money, scale quickly, and collaborate. The same applications trickled down to the average consumer: you can now use Microsoft 365 on the cloud without ever downloading Microsoft Office to your computer.
What’s the Difference Between Public vs Private Cloud?
Within cloud computing, you have three options: public, private, and hybrid clouds.
A public cloud is the most common form of cloud computing. Public clouds are owned and operated by a vendor. You subscribe to their services, and then you get access via your browser and internet connection.
When you use a public cloud, you share services with the other users, but they can’t see into your account. Web-based email, like Microsoft Azure and Exchange, is a common form of public cloud use.
A private cloud is a technology deployed by one organization or even an individual if you have the resources. When you have a private cloud, you control the entire infrastructure, including the hardware and software. You might build a private cloud if you need far more control over your environment than the average person. Often, private clouds are seen as being both highly secure and highly scalable.
So what’s the third type of cloud? Hybrid clouds are a combination of private and public systems. For example, you might use a web-based email on the public cloud, but you might create a small scale private cloud for highly-sensitive work, such as financial reporting or credential storage.
How Will the Cloud Transform Your Life?
Working on the cloud gives both individuals and organizations more freedom. Whether you use the cloud to send an email or build a whole new product, it offers freedom and flexibility that wasn’t available with the old methods of software delivery.
The difference between the public vs private cloud is in owners. A public cloud is owned by a third party that allows users to subscribe and share resources. Private clouds are wholly owned by individual organizations, and they don’t share access.
Do you want to learn more about cloud applications? Visit the Technology archive for even more great content.