Public cloud infrastructure
(also public cloud)
Public cloud infrastructure definition
Public cloud infrastructure is a type of cloud computing that third-party providers use to deliver products, services and tools to end users over the internet. These products are shared across multiple companies and individuals in the same public cloud.
Additionally, they are delivered to each user on demand, which means the user will always have the resources they need on hand.
Essentially, public cloud infrastructure providers deliver the network users need to host their assignments in the cloud, which means that users will not have to maintain their own onsite infrastructure. This further reduces their costs because there will be no need to hire IT experts to manage the infrastructure or buy hardware components.
In addition, public cloud infrastructure providers often provide tools and services that help users manage their apps quickly and efficiently, including data backups, security features, monitoring tools and reporting services.
See also: cloud operating system, monitoring software
The three most common public cloud infrastructure types
- IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), where the provider hosts and deploys infrastructure resources to end users, including storage, networking, virtualization, and servers.
- PaaS (Platform as a Service), where providers deliver an entire cloud environment to end users in which they can create, run, and manage applications. It includes resources like servers, operating systems, tools, and more.
- SaaS (Software as a Service), where the provider hosts apps on the cloud and makes them available for end users to use over the Internet.