The public cloud is a pivotal model in the cloud computing revolution, where resources such as virtual machines, applications, and storage are offered as a service by a third-party provider, rather than being hosted in an enterprise’s own data center. This model provides key advantages, including the ability to consume resources on an on-demand basis without the need for provisioning, deploying, and maintaining the associated on-premises hardware and software.
Public cloud services are typically offered through subscription or on a pay-per-usage basis. This pricing model enables organizations to shift computing costs from capital expense (CapEx) budgets to operating expense (OpEx) budgets, providing financial flexibility. Additionally, public cloud infrastructure helps organizations avoid underutilized on-premises investments and service issues that can arise from insufficient on-premises capacity.
One of the most valuable features of the public cloud is its ability to scale capacity up and down quickly and cost-effectively in response to demand changes. This scalability is especially beneficial for organizations experiencing rapid growth, seasonally variable demand, or frequently changing service needs.
The infrastructure and services of a public cloud are owned and operated by a cloud service provider (CSP), such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), IBM Cloud, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), or Alibaba. These services can be accessed by users and organizations from any location via the internet or a dedicated network.
Public cloud offerings typically include a range of services, such as on-demand computing and self-service provisioning; resource pooling; scalability and rapid elasticity; pay-per-use pricing; measured service; resiliency and availability; security; and broad network access. By leveraging these services, organizations can achieve greater agility, efficiency, and cost savings, making the public cloud an essential component of modern IT strategies.