Glossary of terms

Public Cloud

A public cloud is a cloud computing deployment model where computing resources, such as servers and storage, are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service provider. These resources are made available to the general public or a large industry group over the internet.

Public cloud services are typically offered on a pay-as-you-go or subscription basis, allowing organizations and individuals to access and use computing resources without the need for significant upfront investments in infrastructure. Public clouds offer advantages such as scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness.While public clouds provide accessibility and convenience, they may raise concerns about data security and compliance, making them more suitable for certain types of workloads and applications.

Public cloud makes computing resources available to anyone for purchase. Multiple users typically share the use of a public cloud. In contrast, private cloud involves cloud-based services that are hosted within an organization’s own private servers.

Public clouds can be categorized into different types based on the services they provide or the nature of their infrastructure.

IaaS

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a type of public cloud that offers virtualized computing resources over the internet. Users can rent virtual machines, storage, and networking infrastructure, providing a scalable and flexible foundation for various applications.

PaaS

Platform as a Service (PaaS) is another type, where the cloud provider offers a platform that includes development tools, databases, and middleware to facilitate application development and deployment.

SaaS

Software as a Service (SaaS) represents a higher-level service where users access software applications over the internet, eliminating the need for local installations and maintenance. Public clouds may also be differentiated based on their specialization, such as those designed for specific industries, like healthcare or finance.

The diversity of public cloud types allows organizations to choose services that align with their specific needs, enabling them to leverage the benefits of a shared, external infrastructure for increased efficiency and innovation.

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