Definition of Public Cloud
Put simply, public cloud services are an extensive network of software, hardware or servers shared across multiple organizations. The data for each organization is firewalled against all other users, but the resources are pooled so that no one business bears the cost of upgrades or maintenance.
Public cloud access may include email and communication services, file storage, apps, OS platforms and DevOps environments. In practice, public cloud computing can take several forms. For example:
- SaaS: Software as a service
- Paas: Platform as a service
- IaaS: Infrastructure as a service
- DaaS: Desktop as a service
- ITaaS: IT as a service
- AIaaS: AI as a service
Because users access the public cloud tools over the internet, they share those resources among several organizations. Thus, services are pay-per-use and offer on-demand software, hardware and server access. Public cloud providers are owned by third-party service providers; they use professional run, large-scale, professional data centers that provide features and benefits outside of a normal company's operating budget. Data centers provide firewall protection, and the means to protect organizational data stored on servers with dedicated personnel to manage the physical aspects of the data center.