A public cloud is a standard platform that uses the cloud computing model to make resources, such as virtual machines (VMs), applications, or storage, available to clients remotely. A public cloud is defined as computing services offered by third-party providers over a public Internet, making them available to any user who wants to purchase or use them.
What is Public Cloud
A public cloud is a kind of computing in which the service provider makes resources available to the public through the Internet. Resources vary by the provider but may include storage capabilities, applications, or virtual machines. The services may be free or sold on-demand, allowing the customers to pay only per usage for the bandwidth, CPU cycles, storage, or consumption.
Unlike private clouds, public clouds can save the companies from the expensive costs of purchases, manage and maintain the on-premises hardware and application infrastructure.
The cloud service providers are held responsible for all the management and maintenance of a system.
The public clouds can also be deployed faster than the on-premises infrastructures with almost infinitely scalable platforms. You can also migrate from one cloud to another or on-premises to the cloud. You can find more in the cloud migration article.
Some public cloud providers offer the resources for free, while users pay for other resources by subscription or a pay-per-usage model.
Cloud services are available to individual users who subscribe to the, as well, and prices scale depending on the user’s resource requirements. Companies with vast data need to develop a cloud migration strategy before choosing a cloud vendor.
In 2006, Amazon launched the Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), its infrastructure as a service (IaaS) platform, for public use. Under its cloud division, Amazon Web Services (AWS), enterprises could “rent” the virtual computers but use their systems and apps.
After Google Cloud Platform released the Google App Engine, a platform as a service (PaaS) service for app development, and Microsoft came out with Azure, also the PaaS offering.
Over time, all three built IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS offerings. Even legacy hardware vendors like Oracle and IBM have entered the market.
Public cloud Vs. Private cloud Vs. Hybrid cloud
A private cloud is either supplied by a service provider or constructed on-site at an organization’s data center. In either case, the private cloud tends to offer more security because the resources are earmarked for specific users only. Therefore, the private cloud is also called the Corporate cloud.
A hybrid cloud environment extends the secure private cloud to a public cloud when resource demand rises. This model allows organizations to maintain compliance while taking advantage of public resources concurrently.
Businesses that utilize a hybrid cloud can maximize their internal resources without jeopardizing an overload if resource needs spike suddenly.
Public cloud architecture
The public cloud enables users to share resources while keeping the privacy of each user’s data. In addition, public cloud architecture is wholly virtualized, providing the environment where shared resources are leveraged as needed.
The main advantage of public cloud architecture is accessing a service or application on any internet-connected device. Because the device itself delivers little to no computation, individuals can use highly complex applications almost anywhere.
The public cloud is typically designed with inbuilt redundancies to prevent data loss. The service provider may store replicated files across several data centers to assure that disaster recovery is smooth and fast.
Data stored on the public cloud platform is generally safe from most hazards.
The service model can further categorize public cloud architecture.
Standard service models include the following services.
Software as a service (SaaS)
In SaaS, a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over the Internet. Software as a service is the cloud model in which the provider distributes software hosted in the cloud.
Platform as a service (PaaS)
In PaaS, a third-party provider delivers hardware and software tools: usually those needed for application development, to its users as a service. Platform as a service is the computing model that enables an institution to develop software without needing to maintain the underlying infrastructure.
Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
In IaaS, a third-party provider offers virtualized computing resources, such as VMs and storage, over the Internet or through dedicated connections.
Infrastructure as a service is how an organization outsources its entire data center to a cloud service provider.
A public cloud is a fully virtualized environment. Also, providers have a multi-tenant architecture that enables users or tenants to share computing resources.
Public Cloud Advantages
Public cloud solutions allow companies to scale at a near infinite rate, which would not be possible with an on-premises data center.
As your business grows, it doesn’t need to acquire additional hardware or maintain the growing network.
In terms of finance, a public cloud strategy offers companies a way to grow at scale without accumulating substantial costs. The leading Cloud Providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform provide per-per-usage deals that allow companies to pay only for the resources they use. Some enterprises also see the pay-per-usage pricing structure of most public cloud providers as attractive.
Controlled access. Most data breaches are a result of human error. Cloud skeptics think that keeping their data in-house enables them to control it better, but the opposite is true. Data stored in a public cloud is less likely to fall into the wrong hands because of the employee’s mistake. As human control of your information decreases, so does your risk of data breaches.
Operating in the cloud is a standard shift for organizations, but in addition to the primary benefits listed above, it leads to greater agility, efficiency, and security. As a result, if you are ahead of your competition in those areas, you will likely be ahead of them in market share.
Public Cloud Security
Public cloud security is an ongoing concern for some enterprises. Public cloud providers offer security services and technologies, such as encryption and identity and access management tools(IAM User policy).
It is the enterprise’s responsibility to implement such offerings and use best practices to protect their data. A shared-responsibility model helps identify which components are the responsibility of the cloud vendor and which should be secured by the user.
Conclusion
The public cloud services market is expected to grow its revenue in 2021 by reaching $302 billion.
The public cloud is the range of computing services that are offered by platforms such as AWS, Azure, and GCP and making them available over the Internet. As a result, they are readily accessible to all that want to use and purchase them.
