What is the difference between a private cloud and a public cloud?

Cloud-based solutions are the foundation of many companies’ IT infrastructure. Public, private and hybrid cloud are becoming key elements in building an IT strategy. Understanding the differences between these models allows you to better match the technology to your organization’s current needs, security requirements and budget. See the differences between public and private cloud.

Did you know that.

There are three basic types of clouds:

• Public cloud – is an environment in which resources are shared between multiple users. Its biggest advantages are high scalability and relatively low cost of use. It is ideal for test projects, handling global operations or in case of a surge in computing power demand.

• Private cloud – runs on a dedicated infrastructure and provides full control over the working environment and stored data. It is a recommended solution when working with demanding applications, software requiring non-standard configurations and programs that must meet strict regulatory standards.

• Hybrid cloud – as the name suggests, is a combination of the two solutions mentioned above. It offers the flexibility and security of a private cloud and access to scalable public resources. It is not just a simple juxtaposition of two separate environments, but an integrated platform that allows data to move freely between them.

In this article, we will discuss each of them and point out the most important differences.

How does a private cloud work?

A private cloud is a virtual environment that operates fully independent of other users and is dedicated exclusively to a single organization. Unlike a traditional data center, the construction and maintenance of which are the responsibility of the company, you can rent a private cloud from a cloud service provider, thus gaining access to a private infrastructure and without investing in hardware and technical resources.

Private cloud is a solution aimed primarily at large enterprises that have extensive IT environments and expect a very high level of data security. Like other cloud models, private cloud is based on virtualization technology, which allows computing resources to be pooled into unified pools, automatically allocated according to the current needs of the company. In the case of private cloud, the entire infrastructure is available only to a single organization, which means that only its employees can access the resources – usually through an internal network or via a secure VPN connection.

What are the types of private clouds?

A private cloud can be implemented into an organization in several ways – depending on the business needs of a particular company and the preferred management model:

• Virtual Private Cloud– operates in a separate part of the cloud infrastructure, but still operates outside the local environment of the company.

• Hosted Private Cloud– located in a dedicated environment, usually in its own data center, with exclusive customer access to the server.

• Managed Private Cloud– the provider is responsible for the full operation of the environment: management, deployment of services, upgrades and ongoing monitoring.

Advantages of private cloud

The benefits of implementing a private cloud are hard to overestimate. By opting for such a solution, a company gains full control over its IT infrastructure while optimizing costs.

What can you look forward to in working with ITH?

• Access to the cloud “off-the-shelf” – you don’t have to go through time-consuming hardware configuration, because cloud computing is available off-the-shelf.

• Technical support – we provide monitoring, technical support, equipment service, as well as upgrades on demand.

• Long-term savings – the private cloud operates on a subscription model, without the need for a high initial outlay for hardware purchases.

• Security and stability – all equipment is assigned to only one client, which increases efficiency and provides more effective data security.

Private cloud is therefore an excellent solution for companies that need a place to store accounting systems, CRM programs and other important resources of the organization.

How does the public cloud work?

Public cloud is a model in which IT resources – such as computing power or disk space – are shared among multiple customers through a common infrastructure. Using the public cloud allows you to quickly scale your IT environment without having to expand your own technology base. The cloud provider’s software is responsible for the precise separation of user environments with all security rules and maintaining the operational independence of each.

Advantages of the public cloud

Implementing a public cloud is an effective way to reduce corporate expenses. It’s not just about saving on hardware purchases, but also a flexible billing model where you pay only for the resources used. What’s more, the responsibility for management, updates and system security lies with the provider, allowing internal IT departments to focus on other tasks. Recently, the multicloud model, which involves using the services of many different public cloud providers at the same time, has become very popular. With a public cloud, there is a greater risk of downtime due to server failures and other unexpected events, so this practice keeps such situations to a minimum.

When is it a good idea to opt for the public cloud?

The public cloud model is used wherever flexibility and quick availability of resources are needed. In what situations is this solution worth considering?

• Temporary increase in computing power – the public cloud provides the opportunity to use flexible and scalable computing resources.

• Create test and development environments – the ease of allocating and releasing cloud resources gives room for experimentation and deployment of new solutions.

• Virtual workstations (Desktop as a Service) – eliminates the need to maintain in-house VDI solutions and simplifies management of the user environment.

• Long-term data archiving – in the public cloud you can store data for many years (cheaply and securely).

• Mobile application support – the wide availability of the public cloud via the Internet favors the launch of SaaS-based solutions.

• Store and analyze unstructured data – content from social media, forums or blogs that can be collected and analyzed using cloud tools.

The public cloud model is most often used by small companies and startups that do not have their own IT infrastructure. For larger organizations, it is more common to partially move resources to the cloud while keeping key systems in a local or private environment. If you don’t know which solution is better – private cloud or public cloud – perhaps hybrid cloud will be the ideal solution. It’s a compromise solution that allows you to reconcile the flexibility of the cloud with full control over critical data and applications.

Private or public cloud – a comparison

Feature	Private cloud	Public cloud
Access	For one organization only	Available for multiple users simultaneously (with separated environments)
IT infrastructure	Dedicated – private cloud resources are available to a single customer	Shared – resources belong to the provider and are shared
Management	By a company or supplier in a managed model	Entirely managed by the service provider
Initial costs	Usually higher (if local environment) or medium (in lease model)	Low – no investment in infrastructure
Settlement model	Often a subscription model or a fee for dedicated resources	Payment for resources used (pay-as-you-go)
Scalability	Limited to dedicated infrastructure, but predictable	High – dynamic adaptation to demand
Data security	Very high – full control over the environment	High, but vendor-dependent; appropriate certifications and encryption required
Performance	Fixed – no sharing of resources	May change depending on the load of other users
Flexibility and innovation	Smaller – changes require more time and resources	Bigger – access to the latest cloud services and tools
Applications	Companies with legal, financial requirements, or the need for full control	Startups, app testing companies, global companies
Integration	Easier with the local environment	May require additional tools when integrating with local resources

Learn the advantages of cloud computing and choose your own service model!

The most important difference between private and public cloud comes down to the model of access and management of IT infrastructure. A private cloud offers dedicated resources and full control for a single organization, while often carrying a higher upfront cost. The public cloud, on the other hand, relies on shared infrastructure, providing high resource scalability and a flexible billing model. Choosing between these two models, as well as a hybrid option that combines their advantages, is very important for the future of your business, so before you make a final decision, consult with ITH specialists and outline your needs.