PUBLIC CLOUD: What Is It & How Does It Work?

There are three types of cloud computing. These are public clouds, private clouds, and hybrid clouds. Whichever one an organization decides to go for depends on that organization’s specific needs. Each of these three has unique features that make them stand out or distinguish them. In recent times, the public cloud has played a vital role in the ways that digital operations have been addressed. This guide aims to explore what the public cloud is, its uses, how it works, top providers, and other relevant information you need to know.

What Is Public Cloud?

The term “public cloud” refers to a computing model where third-party providers deliver IT services and resources, such as storage, processing power, and applications, over the Internet. These services are available to the general public, businesses, or organizations, while the cloud service provider owns, operates, and maintains the infrastructure. Generally, the providers use it to distribute shared resources, like apps, servers, and storage, to the broader public. We can simply say it’s a shared infrastructure model where multiple tenants share the same computing resources. These community assets are covered by a “pay as you go” pricing model.

How Public Cloud Works

Generally, public cloud service providers possess distinct areas of expertise and provide a diverse range of services and price structures. A public cloud uses a virtualized environment to facilitate the expansion of a company’s IT infrastructure. When this happens, the company can easily host specific components of its infrastructure and services on virtual servers. In most cases, these are located offsite, or rather, under the ownership of a third party.

Why do People Use the Public Cloud?

People use the public cloud because it offers cost-effective, scalable, and flexible computing resources. It’s also a managed service with good security, easy accessibility, and support for innovation. These advantages make the public cloud an attractive solution for several applications and industries.

Is the Public Cloud a Server?

No, it’s not. The public cloud, rather than being a server, is a model for offering computing services over the Internet. A network of servers, storage, networking, and other infrastructure components supports the public cloud and its wide range of services.

How is the Public Cloud Helpful?

The public cloud is useful in the following ways:

Lower costs: It doesn’t require users to purchase any software or hardware to be functional. It’s a pay-as-you-go service, which means you only pay for the time you spend using the service.
No maintenance: Because the service provider is in charge of maintenance, you don’t have to worry about it.
Near-unlimited scalability: You may get the help you need for your company whenever you need it.
High reliability: There’s a vast network of servers that ensures against failure.

What is a Public vs. Private Cloud?

Private clouds use an organization’s infrastructure, whereas public clouds use shared infrastructure. Private clouds, often known as data centers, are hosted on a company’s infrastructure and are typically firewall-protected and physically safe.

Is Gmail a Public Cloud?

Yes, Gmail is a public cloud. Other examples include Amazon Web Services, Google Drive, and Hotmail.

What are 3 Examples of a Public Cloud?

The following are good examples of public clouds:

Amazon Web Services (AWS): AWS is one of the largest and most widely used public cloud platforms globally. It offers a comprehensive suite of computing power, storage, databases, machine learning, analytics, and other services. AWS is known for its scalability, flexibility, and diverse offerings.
Microsoft Azure: Azure is Microsoft’s public cloud computing platform that provides various services, including virtual computing, storage, databases, networking, and AI. Azure is well-integrated with Microsoft’s other products, making it a popular choice for organizations using Microsoft technologies.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP): GCP is Google’s public cloud offering, providing services for computing, storage, machine learning, data analytics, and more. Google Cloud is known for its data analytics and machine learning capabilities, as well as its global network infrastructure.

What is the Difference Between a Cloud and Public Cloud?

Cloud computing is the overarching concept of delivering computing services over the internet, while “public cloud” specifically refers to the model where these services are provided by third-party vendors to a broad audience.

Public Cloud Providers

When it comes to public cloud providers, several brands offer public cloud services; however, three major brands hold the market share. Aside from these three, there’s another leading provider in China and the Asia Pacific. According to Gartner’s 2022 market share research, these four have a 76.7% market share. The following are these top four providers, as well as other top public cloud providers:

#1. AmazonWeb Services (AWS)

Amazon Web Services (AWS) was launched in 2006 and has grown to become a leading cloud service provider over the years. It holds over 30% of the market share, with millions of users across the globe, making it the top of every public cloud provider list.

As of the time of this write-up, AWS spans 32 regions and 102 availability zones and provides service to 245 nations and territories. One of the critical success factors is their constant innovation and improved features. With over two hundred services available with complete functionality, customers all over the globe may rest easy knowing that AWS has met their compliance needs thanks to its extensive list of 140 security standards and certifications.

#2. Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure is the second-most common public cloud provider in the United States, with a 20% market share. Azure is a great option for people who use Microsoft products and services, like Office 365 or Dynamics 365, because it allows you to link them with your cloud applications. However, it is more intertwined with Microsoft’s other products and services, so it isn’t suitable for everyone.

Its worldwide scope, extensive service offerings, and dedication to security and compliance are similar to AWS’s. Azure places a greater emphasis on AI, ML, and hybrid cloud capabilities when compared with AWS. When considering a platform to manage your on-premises and cloud-based apps and workloads, Azure is a great pick.

#3. Google Cloud Platform

If you already use Google products, the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) can be ideal for you due to its seamless integration with other products. Google Cloud Platform ranks third among the top three public cloud providers, with about 10% of the market. It is accessible in 115 global zones and over 200 nations and territories. GCP provides a diverse array of machine learning services for constructing ML models without the need for coding expertise, as well as serverless and edge computing capabilities. This has in great ways made it a popular choice for both personal and professional purposes, and a large number of users are already acquainted with its solutions.

Google Cloud Platform’s influence can be traced to its collaboration with numerous organizations and substantial investments in innovation, research, and development to ensure that you remain at the forefront of progress. Additionally, GCP offers a container service that simplifies the deployment and management of containers.

#4. Alibaba Cloud

Alibaba is emerging as a prominent public cloud provider, rapidly gaining popularity among its competitors. While the top three market shares are spread globally, Alibaba mostly controls the markets in China and Asia. It holds a dominant 42.4% portion of the Chinese market and a 19.6% portion of the Asia-Pacific market.

Like the top three public cloud providers, Alibaba offers a range of computing services, which include virtual machines, containers, and serverless computing. They also provide storage and networking services, including virtual private networks, load balancing, and content delivery networks.

#5. IBM Cloud

If you’re looking for a provider that integrates platform as a service (PaaS) with infrastructure or you want to operate your applications both on-premises and in the cloud, trust IBM. IBM provides an extensive array of services, such as computing, storage, networking, databases, analytics, and machine learning. IBM Cloud provides industry-specific services tailored for sectors including healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing.

#6. Tencent Cloud

This is the second-largest public cloud platform in China and is experiencing significant growth in other markets. Tencent Cloud, similar to other public cloud providers, offers a wide range of services, such as cloud computing, data analytics, and artificial intelligence. Additionally, it is renowned for its gaming services, which encompass several functionalities tailored for game creators, such as multi-player voice chat, voice messaging, and more

#7. UpCloud

UpCloud is an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) that provides excellent performance with minimal latency. Its headquarters are in Finland, and it provides a cloud-native product portfolio compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). One of the amazing things about Upcloud is that it offers the “fastest cloud servers in the world” with a 100% uptime service level agreement (SLA) from several data centers across Asia, Europe, and the US, according to UpCloud. Their services include virtual machines, storage, and networking.

#8. DigitalOcean

This is a cloud service provider headquartered in New York City that offers straightforward and cost-effective cloud solutions with a pricing model based on usage.

DigitalOcean is an optimal option for developers and small-to-medium-sized organizations seeking a dependable, cost-effective, and user-friendly cloud platform. You can customize your hosting package and choose between hourly or monthly billing. It provides a diverse range of options at a low monthly cost.

#9. Akamai (Linode)

Akamai Connected Cloud is a comprehensive edge cloud platform developed for cloud computing, security, and content delivery. It provides essential cloud services such as computing, storage, networking, and database management that organizations need to create, deploy, and protect online applications. It’s previously known as Linode and also has a widespread network of data centers across the globe, enabling the hosting of your applications close to your users. The company provides regional assistance through its data centers located in 14 locations across the globe, including Europe.

#10. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is an unpopular public cloud provider launched in 2016. Although it’s considered one of the more recent cloud platforms, its key features make it stand out among the top brands. If you decide to work with them, they guarantee a 99.95% uptime Service Level Agreement (SLA), provide scalability, incorporate many security elements, use high-performance CPUs and SSDs, offer affordable pricing, operate across a global network of data centers, and provide flexibility.

This cloud platform is dependable, easily expandable, highly protected, and cost-effective. It provides a diverse array of functionalities and services to cater to the requirements of enterprises of any magnitude. OCI Cloud not only provides these essential characteristics but also encompasses a variety of additional attributes and offerings that the big brands offer. This includes managed Kubernetes, serverless computing, machine learning, and IoT.