Despite all talk of airspace and no-fly zones, owning pieces of the sky is easier said than done. Fortunately, acquiring your own personal piece of computing cloud is far easier than a piece of real cloud (those little scoundrels never seem to stay in one spot). Granted, you might not need or want your own cloud, but it’s always good to know you have options. And, to use one of those grossly overrated clichés, sharing is caring. Nothing wrong with a little public cloud. Just the same, it’s always good to know the difference.
Public Cloud
Public cloud is the standard cloud model for which users pay according to consumption (sometimes free, like Google Drive). The user accesses the provider’s applications or storage space through the Internet, and because the provider typically has large numbers of servers and networks necessary to build a public cloud, those application and storage options are versatile and reliable. The public cloud is available to the public, as the name implies, so its infrastructure is available to multiple clients. That makes storing sensitive information in public cloud a bad idea, but it works well for collaboration and storage for large volumes of data (just not the stuff you’d keep triple passwords on).
Private Cloud
Private cloud is usually built and maintained within an organization, and it’s much better for the deeply private things. Like your list of passwords and usernames (actually, those probably shouldn’t go in the cloud at all, but the point is made). Only one specified client or organization uses that private cloud, so it is often controlled by the same. Essentially, it is the same as the public cloud except that it is generally accessed and controlled by the same entity, which can make it less flexible because there are fewer resources available.
Which one to use, you ask? That depends on the needs of the organization. Most users tend to prefer hybrid cloud, which is a little bit of both.
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