A comprehensive guide to public cloud computing

One of the most recognisable forms of cloud computing, public cloud solutions are an efficient and economical way to pool tech resources and infrastructure within a virtualised environment – and are becoming increasingly important in today’s digital world.  

Today, people and companies use public clouds for everything from online software applications to hosting, storage, and cloud-based development. In fact, it’s reported that, globally, companies are spending billions on public cloud services – which is set to grow with the recent explosion of remote work.

Whether you’re already a seasoned public cloud customer or are looking to migrate, we’ve got you covered. Explore our comprehensive guide to public clouds, including what they are, the benefits of public cloud, and the various public cloud solutions to consider. 

What is public cloud?

A public cloud is a virtualised IT model where computing resources are owned and operated by a third-party provider, delivering on-demand computing services and infrastructure to multiple organisations and users using the public internet. For example, providers include Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, and Amazon Web Services (AWS.) 

For more information about choosing a public cloud provider, explore our public cloud connectivity article that covers securing access to AWS and Azure.

How does public cloud work?

Public cloud providers offer cloud-based services on an as-needed basis and typically charge a pay-per-use fee, eliminating the need for customers to host these services on their own servers or data centres. Providers use groups of virtual machines and servers at data centres to offer services to multiple customers. 

Customers can rent the use of the services on the virtual machines as a whole, or they can pay for each service individually, such as software apps, app development tools, or storage. Companies and enterprises often use public clouds for less-sensitive applications that handle unpredictable usage spikes or store infrequently accessed data. 

Contrast this with a private cloud hosted on a company’s private servers, often on-premise on their own data centre. In the case of private cloud, users must be on the corporate network or cloud to access their private cloud. 

Why use public clouds?

Many companies look to public clouds as a way of scaling their existing IT resources. They can do it on-demand without committing to an expensive investment in new physical IT infrastructure. 

For example, it’s easier to buy more cloud storage space if you need it, without having to buy more servers and deploy them into your network – as you would if you were operating within a private cloud

Public cloud benefits

Many companies are moving portions of their infrastructure to the public cloud because:

1. They’re flexible and scalable, adjusting as needed to their variable workload demands through logically separated cloud locations. 
2. They offer greater efficiency, and fewer wasted IT resources since they pay only for what they use. 
3. They reduce spending on hardware and on-premises infrastructures by passing the cost of purchasing and maintaining IT equipment to the cloud service provider.
4. They free in-house IT staff from overhead maintenance tasks and leave them available to work on higher-value tasks such as developing new products or refining business processes.  
5. They give early and instant access to new technologies, such as machine learning and AI, which many customers can’t afford on their own.
6. They let companies try out a service before committing to a fully paid contract or licence agreement. 
7. They’re highly reliable and resilient because of the geographically dispersed data centres with redundant configurations and features. 
8. They give companies more visibility into the data they store and the resources they use through built-in data analytics. Most companies don’t know what they have and how they use it, and public cloud services can perform analytics on high volumes and different data types to generate business insights. 

So, as you can see, there are many benefits to consider, and numerous opportunities for your business to capitalise on public cloud architecture.

Is public cloud computing secure?

One of your main considerations if planning on migrating to a public cloud will likely be security. After all, you need to know your data is safe!

While previous public cloud versions were a bit of the wild west, and security breaches weren’t uncommon, today, however, public cloud security is the highest it’s ever been and often outstrips on-premise security solutions. 

In fact, a study by McAfee found that 52% of companies today experience better security in the cloud than in on-premise environments. 

Cloud security is at such a high level because big players like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft Azure have had to become experts if they wanted to stay in business. Hackers worldwide have been attacking them for years, so they had to invest heavily in security.

So, in short, public clouds are very safe today, as providers have robust security protocols and processes created, maintained, and enforced by experts in cybersecurity. Of course, while there’s always going to be a shared responsibility, if companies follow safety best practice (strong passwords, data encryption, etc), they can rest assured that their data is safe both in the cloud and as it moves to and from it. 

Disadvantages of public cloud architecture

While these are great public cloud benefits, some drawbacks may still give IT managers pause. For example:

• Exponentially increasing costs: It’s reported that companies today use an average of 805 distinct cloud apps per month in a combination of free, freemium, and paid services. Cloud apps are typically cheaper than on-premise, but complex cloud costs and pricing models could make it difficult to track spending.
• Control challenges within the tech stack: Each cloud provider has different configuration options and control features, making it challenging for IT staff to integrate them all into the tech stack. Add in the data separation issues for remote users, and adherence to industry- and country- specific guidelines and overall control can become relatively tricky. 
• Vendor lock-in: Many companies are restricted to apps and services from vendors they already have a relationship with. You may be forced to purchase inferior services that don’t quite meet your requirements or, on the other hand, use one that is overkill for your needs. And all because of a prior relationship or licensing agreement. 

Your public cloud options

Here’s a quick list of the public cloud services you might want to consider. 

• Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

The category most people are familiar with, SaaS delivers cloud-hosted software apps to users. Instead of installing them on a local computer or device, these apps reside in the cloud and are accessed through a web browser or an API.

• Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

This category offers on-demand computing, networking, and storage resources over the internet or through dedicated API connections. Access can be achieved directly through the underlying hardware, also known as bare metal, or, more commonly, through virtualised services. 

• Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

PaaS offers application developers a complete platform to build, run, and manage applications. It includes all the necessary hardware, software, and infrastructure and the entire platform is managed by the cloud provider. 

• Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS)

This category securely delivers virtual apps and desktops from the cloud to any device through a web browser or secure app downloaded to the device. It’s typically used to provision secure SaaS and legacy apps for employees.

• Disaster recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS)

This category reliably and cost effectively replicates your critical systems for disaster recovery purposes. It supports your continuity plans to mitigate risk while maintaining up time for your company if disaster strikes. 

There are different types of public cloud services within each category, such as computing, storage, serverless products, containers, and more. Each one offers features and benefits that make them a good choice for your company. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the various cloud services, explore our guide comparing IaaS vs SaaS vs PaaS. 

The difference between public, private, and hybrid clouds

Finally, we thought it wise to discuss the difference between public and private cloud, as well as explore the possibility of hybrid cloud, to help you identify which is best for your business. 

Public cloud

• Runs on multi-tenant, shared infrastructure.
• Hardware and other IT infrastructure are owned by the provider, not the customer.
• Accessible via the internet.
• Bandwidth and connectivity performance depends on the public internet.
• Pay-as-you-go model that offers easy scalability and flexibility.

This model is ideal for companies:

• With predictable computing needs.
• That may need additional resources occasionally to address spikes in demand. 
• That use general apps and services to perform IT and business operations.

Private cloud

• Runs on single-tenant architecture.
• The underlying hardware and IT infrastructure can be owned by the customer or a cloud service provider for exclusive use by the customer. 
• Only accessible by employees of that company and only on the company network. 
• Consistent bandwidth and connectivity as there are only limited people accessing it.
• Can be a cost-effective solution if companies use a managed private cloud hosted by a cloud service provider as the provider is responsible for investing in infrastructure and maintenance. 
• Depending on the private cloud topography, it can be difficult to scale up or down as the flexibility relies on the infrastructure at hand. 

This model is ideal for companies:

• In highly regulated industries.
• That deal with sensitive data and information.
• That require robust control and security over their IT infrastructure.
• That can afford to invest in high performance and highly-available technologies. 

Hybrid cloud

• Combination of private and public clouds.
• Companies can decide which model to use for their specific needs. E.g., store sensitive data on a private cloud and use a public one for non-sensitive business services. 
• Highly flexible as companies can move workloads between the two cloud types as needed for optimal performance and cost-effectiveness. 
• Offers the right blend of security and compliance for companies working within industry- or country- specific guidelines.
• Apps and data workloads can share resources between the public and private cloud based on organisational business and technical policies around security, performance,  scalability, and cost-efficiency.

This model is ideal for companies:

• Facing different IT security, regulatory, and performance requirements.
• Wanting to increase their security posture on existing cloud solutions.
• Looking to optimise their cloud investments without compromising on the value that public and private clouds deliver.
• Seeking to strategically approach their cloud investments to ensure they’re always using the best cloud service model available in the market.

Final thoughts

Public cloud architecture delivers both operational and business-critical apps and services, and provide infrastructure to companies in an efficient, cost-effective, and secure way – often even better than private clouds (and without the added time, effort, and cost of other solutions).

Redcentric has the experience, skills, and technology to deliver the right public cloud solution to our customers. We’ll help you migrate to a public cloud and set you up with the right mix of IaaS, storage, PaaS, and backup systems that’ll transform the way your company works.

If you’re interested in learning more about our cloud consultancy solutions, contact us today to discover your unique cloud roadmap.