 - What is a public cloud?
A public cloud is one based on the standard cloud computing model, in which a service provider makes resources, such as applications and storage, available to the general public over the Internet. Public cloud services may be free or offered on a pay-per-usage model.
The main benefits of using a public cloud service are:
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Easy and inexpensive set-up because hardware, application and bandwidth costs are covered by the provider.
- Scalability to meet needs.
- No wasted resources because you pay for what you use.
The term "public cloud" arose to differentiate between the standard model and the private cloud, which is a proprietary network or data center that uses cloud computing technologies, such as virtualization. A private cloud is managed by the organization it serves. A third model, the hybrid cloud, is maintained by both internal and external providers.
Examples of public clouds include Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), IBM's Blue Cloud, Sun Cloud, Google AppEngine and Windows Azure Services Platform.
Learn More About IT:
> Mike Maxey discusses public and private clouds.
> Christopher Hoff blogs about public and private clouds.
> Sam Johnston offers explanations of public clouds, private clouds and hybrid clouds.
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Learn more about Public cloud computing services |
| Getting started with Amazon EC2: With all the hype surrounding Amazon's EC2 and Web Services, it's hard to find independent advice on how to start out. Here is a primer on stepping into the cloud. |
| Cloud computing 101: Get a basic overview of the pressures shaping cloud computing in this podcast with Jeff Kaplan, managing director at THINKstrategies Inc. |
| Infrastructure as a Service: How to maintain control: IT departments eager to cut costs and speed up provisioning are turning to Infrastructure as a Service. But once IT is outsourced, keeping control of it can be a challenge. |
| What's in store for cloud computing in 2010?: According to industry insiders, Platform as a Service will grow, private clouds will gain traction and security will remain the number one cloud computing concern in 2010. |
| Understanding cloud computing pricing: This article explains the details of cloud pricing which is based on a multitude of factors, from storage space needed to clock cycles used to monthly traffic allotments. |
| Cloud computing concerns slowing widespread adoption: Concerns about losing control when moving data and services into the cloud continue to make organizations wary of cloud computing. |
| How one growing firm uses Amazon's EC2: An online investment community determined that working with Amazon EC2 would lessen up-front infrastructure costs and improve the efficiency of its real-time financial updates. |
| Infrastructure as a Service: How to maintain control: IT departments eager to cut costs and speed up provisioning are turning to Infrastructure as a Service. But once IT is outsourced, keeping control of it can be a challenge. |
| The top Amazon Web Services stories of 2009: Amazon's run-in with blacklist provider Spamhaus and the release of the company's Virtual Private Cloud topped the list of Amazon Web Services news stories in 2009. |
| LAST UPDATED: |
15 May 2009
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| Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary |
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