The Public Cloud has become one of the most popular choices for cloud computing solutions due to its scalability, flexibility and availability. In this article, we look at the key benefits and limitations of the Public Cloud and see how it can help companies improve their infrastructure and business processes.
What is a Public Cloud?
The Public Cloud is a cloud computing provisioning model that allows users to rent virtual servers and store data and applications from cloud providers over the Internet.
The main advantages of the public cloud are scalability and flexibility. Users can rent only the resources they need at a given time and then scale their infrastructure as the project evolves. This helps companies to respond quickly to changing market needs and save on hardware costs and support.
In addition, the public cloud offers a high level of availability and reliability. Cloud providers use multiple servers and storage facilities located in different regions and countries. It allows them to provide continuous access to applications and data. At Serverspace, for example, you can order servers from 6 locations available worldwide: USA, Canada, Europe and CIS countries.
However, keep in mind that the public cloud is not always suitable for all types of data and applications. Some organizations may face security and regulatory compliance issues with the use of the public cloud. To address this issue, it is important that the provider has security certifications and that the data centers comply with the standards and legislation of the country where the hardware is located.
Public cloud and private cloud. Differences
There are different types of clouds, private and public, as well as hybrid clouds that combine abilities of the previous two.
In a recent post, we looked in detail at what a private cloud (VPC) is and in this article we will look at the differences between a private cloud and a public cloud.
Ownership and management
- The public cloud infrastructure is owned and operated by a third-party cloud provider. Users have no control over the physical resources.
- The private cloud infrastructure is owned and managed by the organization itself or by a third party. The organization can have its own servers, storage and network infrastructure, giving it greater control over data and security.
Security
- Public cloud providers offer a wide range of security measures, including data encryption and physical security of server centers. However, some organizations may consider that their data is more vulnerable because of the public cloud nature.
- In a private cloud, organizations have more control over security. They can set their own security policies, implement data encryption and configure their own security measures. This allows them precise control over data access and threat protection.
Flexibility and scalability
- Public cloud providers offer high flexibility and scalability. Users can easily scale their resources according to their needs, increase or decrease allocated resources and pay only for usage. For example, in Serverspace, you can easily increase CPU, RAM and SSD capacity in a few clicks. To apply the changes, you need to reboot the server.
- The flexibility and scalability of a private cloud can be limited by a company's own resources. However, the private cloud can be configured to provide certain levels of flexibility and scalability, depending on the needs of the project. For example, you can use resource virtualisation, architectural solutions such as clustering and orchestration can achieve more flexible resource usage and scalability as needed.
Costs
- In the public cloud, users only pay for the resources hey use, usually on a Pay-as-you-go model. That makes it more flexible and cost-effective for many companies. They can avoid the cost of buying and maintaining their own infrastructure, and pay only for the resources they actually need.
- Owning and operating a private cloud requires significant investment in building and maintaining infrastructure. An organization should buy and maintain servers, network hardware, software and provide the necessary resources to manage the cloud. This can lead to higher start-up and operational costs compared to a public cloud.
What types of companies use the public cloud
The public cloud is suitable for many companies and for a variety of tasks. Which organizations use the public cloud most often?
- Startups. The public cloud offers a cost-effective and flexible way to deploy and scale the products and services for startups, which may have little capital and limited IT resources. They can quickly build and develop their applications without having to delay purchasing and configuring their own infrastructure.
- Small and medium-sized enterprises. The public cloud provides access to technology and resources that may not be available to SMEs within their budget. They can use cloud services to deploy applications, cloud storage, backup and scale their operations.
- Testing and development. The public cloud provides a great platform for testing and developing applications. Developers can rent the right resources as needed and save time and money on installing and configuring on-premises infrastructure. They can also delete and create new resources at any time with a couple clicks.
- International organisations. The public cloud provides global availability and scalability. International organisations can use the public cloud to deploy their applications and services to different parts of the world to serve their customers more efficiently.
- Projects with variable workloads. If you have projects or applications with variable workloads, a public cloud can be an ideal solution. You can scale resources according to your current needs, paying only for the resources used.
How to deploy a public cloud
You can deploy a cloud using a cloud provider. At Serverspace, for example, you can use the control panel to create cloud servers and network them. How can you create a cloud? You need to go to the Serverspace control panel to the create server tab. To deploy a VPS select:
- operating system: Linux, FreeBSD or Windows Server;
- data center: the location where you wish to host your virtual server;
- number of CPU cores;
- amount of RAM and SSD;
- SSD capacity and number of volumes;
- bandwidth.
Serverspace offers several data centers worldwide. Choose the location that best suits your needs, based on the location of your users and performance requirements.