The Differences Between Public, Private & Hybrid Cloud

Written by Mohit Rajora, In Comparison, Published On

May 13, 2023

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Last modified on May 16th, 2023

Cloud computing makes it possible for companies to scale resources as needed, reduce their reliance on legacy systems and better manage IT costs.

When it comes to the cloud, however, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, clouds are divided into three broad types — public, private and hybrid — that come with benefits and challenges. Here’s a look at each.
Not sure which cloud model is right for your business? Explore our infographic to help you find your best cloud fit.

Public Clouds

In a public cloud model, infrastructure and resources are owned and operated by third-party cloud providers. Services are delivered via the Internet and resources are shared by multiple organizations.

Public clouds are often used for Internet-facing applications that require resource scalability, or as software testing environments that allow companies to explore application impacts without putting local servers at risk.

Benefits include high scalability and cost-effectiveness, while common drawbacks include limited ability to control and customize cloud environments, along with potentially reduced visibility.

Private Clouds

Private clouds offer computing resources that are dedicated to a single organization. These resources are maintained on a private network with restricted access — this network may be hosted on-site or off-premises, but in both cases, there is no sharing of computing, storage, security or other systems.

This cloud model is used for applications that use or store sensitive data, making private clouds a popular choice for highly regulated industries such as finance or government operations.

Advantages of private clouds include complete control over the IT environment, along with the ability to customize cloud services as needed. Drawbacks may include limited scalability and a significant cost increase when compared to public clouds.

Hybrid Clouds

Hybrid clouds combine public and private models; some resources are delivered via the public cloud, while others are kept on private cloud servers.

Use cases for hybrid models include organizations that have a mix of highly sensitive and public data. For example, a company might use public cloud resources to manage the key functions of their customer-facing mobile application and use private clouds to handle data storage and analytics for this application.

Hybrid clouds offer benefits including improved cost control and resource optimization — companies can spend on private clouds to secure key data and save on public clouds where computing throughput is the priority. Disadvantages of hybrid clouds include added complexity and increased management requirements, as IT teams take on the responsibility of ensuring the right data is used by the right clouds at the right time.