An explanation of private cloud

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In this video, TechTarget editor Kate Murray talks about the benefits and uses of private clouds and how they differ from public clouds.

Private or public? Well, that depends on what you need.

A private cloud, also called an internal or corporate cloud, is a type of cloud computing dedicated to a single organization. The organization -- or tenant -- using a private cloud doesn't share its computing environment, infrastructure, or storage with any other user.

The private cloud is one of three general models of cloud deployment, along with public and hybrid cloud. We'll touch on how private compares to public cloud.

Private cloud has similar advantages to the public cloud, like scalability and self-service. However, a private cloud uses proprietary architecture, whereas a public cloud uses a third-party provider like AWS or Microsoft Azure that owns and maintains computing resources that are shared across multiple tenants.

Private clouds are typically used when public clouds won't meet the needs of the business, such as the following:

  • If a public cloud won't provide the availability or uptime needed.
  • If a public cloud isn't secure enough for mission-critical workloads.
  • Or if a public cloud raises security or regulatory compliance concerns.

Private clouds offer these advantages over public clouds:

  • Control and ownership of resources.
  • Increased security of an isolated network.
  • Optimized performance.
  • And customization, such as specialized services or applications.

But reaping those benefits comes with some challenges, including the following:

  • More complex for IT teams to build and manage.
  • Require additional IT staff.
  • And more expensive, as the organization bears all deployment, support, and maintenance costs.

Major private cloud vendors include HPE, VMware, IBM and RedHat, Dell EMC and Microsoft, among many others.

What private cloud vendor do you use? Have you experienced any other private cloud benefits -- or challenges? Share your thoughts in the comments below and remember to like and subscribe.

Sabrina Polin is a managing editor of video content for the Learning Content team. She plans and develops video content for TechTarget's editorial YouTube channel, Eye on Tech. Previously, Sabrina was a reporter for the Products Content team.