What is a Public Cloud?

In the early days of cloud computing, many web administrators and online businesses were wary of using this technology. Most of their concerns include the security measures of a remote cloud server, limited storage and bandwidth concerns.

Nowadays, however, many small businesses are slowly making the shift from physical to cloud servers. Here’s why.

Cloud computing primarily refers to the use of a web-based cloud server which serves as a central hub for storing, accessing, and processing information. Aside from data storage,

With cloud computing, end users don’t need to be tied down to a single physical computer server to work on their business—you only need a stable internet connection to access your files anytime, anywhere, using any device. Cloud servers, in essence, turn any business to a virtual office on-the-go.

There are currently three major types of cloud servers you can choose from for your business operations: public, private, and hybrid. However, for small businesses, private or hybrid cloud servers are not really optimal, since these kinds of cloud servers still require a physical installation to host the private cloud server.

The public cloud for business

Public cloud servers are those which are readily accessible and open to all end-users who have internet access. This kind of cloud servers is comprised of multiple shared servers that are connected to a public network connection.

Public cloud services mostly include file storage and software use, while another type of public cloud structure offers cloud-based web development services.

To use a public cloud, end users are usually required to sign up for a free account which comes with free storage space and cloud-based applications for business use. Other public cloud servers offer bigger storage and additional features in exchange for a small monthly or annual premium membership fee.

Examples: Google Drive offers free cloud storage for all your files, accessible across all device platforms, while Google Cloud Platform offers web hosting, cloud applications, and infrastructure-based cloud services. Other examples include Dropbox, Skydrive, and Rackspace.

Advantages of public cloud

    Public cloud offers relatively secure storage and information processing since your account is password-protected.

• It’s also easily scalable depending on your needs—the resources of public cloud servers are vast and readily available in the internet.

• Basic public cloud services are offered free of charge, which will save businesses thousands of dollars in start-up costs. Instead of hiring an entire team of IT experts to create a physical server, you only need to sign up and port your entire business to the cloud environment.

• Public cloud environments are more user-friendly than the highly-technical physical server. You don’t need IT-know-how in order to use and manage cloud-based applications.

• You can keep your business as lean and cost-efficient as possible. Everything you need is available virtually, so you don’t even need a physical office to complete your work.

Disadvantages

    Since public cloud servers are open to everyone, you can expect some occasional lags in data retrieval and processing. As more and more businesses utilize these services, some public cloud servers may experience overload in the future, unless they will also expand their servers to accommodate additional users.

     You will need a stable and quick internet connection especially if you will be transferring and processing large files.

     You might want to upgrade your free account to a premiere one to avail of additional features (including enhanced security) for your business.