A public cloud sits at a third-party location, away from the company site. A private cloud, in turn, runs on infrastructure at the company’s own site. A hybrid setup combines both, so it carries the advantages and disadvantages of each. Public and private sites both have real pros and cons. More businesses are seeing the value of public clouds, but private clouds still make up the majority today.
Key considerations
A public cloud needs no capital investment from the business. Instead, the business buys server space from an outside party. Third-party servers usually share that space with other tenants.
A private cloud costs more to launch. The in-house IT staff needs strong technical expertise, or the company needs budget for outside consultants. Only one tenant owns and runs the servers.
Here are the major factors that separate private and public clouds:
Security and cost
- Security. With a private cloud, you control security directly. Your own team handles it in-house, or you outsource it to a provider. A public cloud shares storage with other tenants, which can expose your data to breaches from those other tenants. There is a real trade-off here, though. In-house IT teams often struggle to keep up with the newest malware and security attacks. An outside company manages the public cloud instead. It usually brings deeper expertise in current cyber threats and the techniques that stop them. Third-party providers can also add DDoS protection, secure transmission methods, and other network and security safeguards.
- Cost. A private cloud carries daily operating and maintenance costs on top of the initial capital expense. Unless the IT department already knows cloud technology well, training, operation, and maintenance can cost far more than leasing a public cloud.
Scalability and access
- Scalability. A public cloud makes it easy to scale IT needs, so the business pays only for what it actually uses. As the company grows, it can expand the public cloud with little friction. A private cloud is harder and more expensive to expand.
- Access. A private cloud usually delivers faster access, because the data does not have to travel far, but only when the user works from the company site. A public cloud tends to offer quicker access from around the globe, since providers built it for distributed users.
Continuity and compliance
- Continuity. If a cyberattack hits a public cloud, the provider can usually restore service fast. Public cloud providers prepare for these emergencies as routine business. They back up systems on a regular schedule, so they can install a backup quickly after a disaster, protect customers from loss, and preserve the data. A private cloud’s recovery speed depends entirely on the skill and preparation of its own IT department.
- Compliance. Some industries, such as healthcare and finance, follow strict compliance laws that forbid sharing certain data. HIPAA, for example, prohibits sharing electronic patient records. For these sectors, a private cloud is often the safer option, since nobody else shares the servers. Companies can also lease servers from a third-party data center under a single-tenant agreement. This gets them public cloud economics without sharing the hardware.
Talk to a professional cloud service provider to learn the best options for your company
The right choice, private or public, depends on your business type and how many locations you run. It also depends on which customers need access, and several other factors. If you handle employee information or data under government compliance rules, a private cloud usually fits better. A public cloud suits businesses that serve customers nationwide or worldwide. It also suits those that need broad database access or don’t need to stay local.
A Volico Cloud Computing professional is ready and able to assist you in choosing the right cloud for your company.
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