Public Cloud
Many businesses utilize public cloud services to add another layer of security to their data. Since every public cloud provider is responsible for security, it often adds another layer of protection to business data. Public clouds typically operate out of multiple data centers in different geographic locations.
Applications like DropBox utilize a public cloud. Although your personal log in is secure and you have own secure storage within DropBox’s cloud, the company is utilizing a public cloud to allow multiple users to securely store their files.
Many businesses utilize public cloud services to add another layer of security to their data. Since every public cloud provider is responsible for security, it often adds another layer of protection to business data. Public clouds typically operate out of multiple data centers in different geographic locations.
Private cloud
Essentially a private cloud operates the same as a public cloud but in a different environment. Private clouds come with all the same technologies as a public cloud. However, a private cloud is created in a customer’s own data center. The customer is the only one with access to the cloud.
An example of a private cloud can be found with Amazon Web Services. AWS is scaled so that any user can access the cloud. They offer a variety of public cloud options. However, there is a feature call “Amazon Virtual Private Cloud” that allows an organization to purchase their own private section of Amazon’s cloud.
As with a public cloud, internal customers can create their own virtual resources in order to build, test, and run applications. They will also be able to track consumption to appropriately charge departments for their usage within the private cloud. VMware’s Software Defined Data Center stack is the most popular commercial private cloud software, while OpenStack is the open source leader.
Hybrid cloud
A hybrid cloud uses a private cloud with a public cloud. The hybrid cloud involves creating parallel environments where applications can move easily between private and public clouds. Databases may stay in the customer data center and integrate with public cloud applications—or virtualized data center workloads may be replicated to the cloud during times of peak demand.
Often a hybrid cloud is used within finance. The private cloud is used for trade orders, while the public cloud is used for trade analytics. By setting up the system in this way, firms are able to significantly reduce their space requirements. The hybrid model is also often used within healthcare. In that case, a chief IT concern is transferring patient data between healthcare facilities and insurance providers, which requires HIPAA-compliant hosting.
