When we talk about cloud computing, it’s common to make jokes and analogies with the clouds in our sky — instead of carrying water, they carry data. We can use transportation analogies to talk about the different cloud service models you can choose from. In our business, we transport data, but the logic works much the same way as transporting people.
To start, you should know there are three main types of cloud, and each is designed for a specific purpose. Choosing the wrong cloud model means either overpaying for capacity you don’t use, or locking sensitive data behind infrastructure that can’t scale.
Migrating to the cloud is a challenge, especially in Latin America. In this article, we’ll walk through public cloud vs private cloud vs hybrid cloud so you can find the best cloud deployment for your project.
The Types and Key Differences Between Cloud Computing Models
Based on the deployment model, there are three types of cloud: public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud. Learn about the key differences that make each cloud computing model distinct, and which one fits your business operations.
| Aspect | 公有云 | 私有云 | Hybrid Cloud |
|---|
| Infrastructure ownership | Owned and managed by a third-party provider (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) | 由单一组织拥有或管理，可部署于本地或专用的第三方硬件上 | 私有和公有基础设施的组合 |
| 资源共享 | 共享的多租户环境（在共享物理基础设施上隔离的账户） | 为单一组织提供的专用、独享资源 | 混合模式——部分工作负载共享，部分工作负载专用 |
| 成本 | 较低的按需付费定价 | 更高的前期投入（硬件、软件、人员） | 可分摊部分基础设施成本，同时保留其他地方的专用容量 |
| 控制和定制化 | 受限于提供商允许的设置 | 对基础设施和安全策略拥有完全控制 | 对私有部分拥有完全控制；对公有部分控制较少 |
| 最适用于 | 按需访问、可扩展性、无需自持硬件的通用工作负载 | 受监管/敏感数据，严格的合规需求 | 既想保护敏感数据私密性，又需要公有云灵活性的组织 |
| 可扩展性 | 快速、可靠，分布于多个数据中心 | 若缺乏持续维护，可能过时 | 当本地部署增长受限时，可扩展至云端 |
| 业务连续性 | 分布式基础设施确保可靠性 | 取决于贵方自身的配置 | 支持环境间的故障转移，实现灾难恢复 |
| 文章中的比喻示例 | 公共交通（巴士/火车） | 自备车辆 | Uber（临时独家使用） |
| 典型用户 | 需要灵活共享资源的个人和企业（例如，Gmail, Google Drive） | 拥有受监管数据的企业 | 政府机构，需要平衡隐私和灵活性的企业 |
每种模型都会改变基础设施的管理者、您支付计算服务的方式以及您对IT资源的控制程度。部分模型提供共享容量的按需访问；其他模型则提供由您自行管理的专用、隔离的基础设施。
1) 公有云
总结：
- 由第三方提供商（AWS, Azure, GCP）拥有和管理的基础设施
- 多个组织共享物理硬件，但账户/数据保持隔离
- 通过互联网访问—无需硬件所有权
- 成本更低，按需付费定价
- 快速扩展，分布于多个数据中心
- Avoids vendor lock-in since capacity can be resized or migrated easily
- Examples: Gmail, Outlook, Google Drive
As the name suggests, public cloud is a shared system where a cloud service provider owns the physical infrastructure, and any internet user can access it over the public internet.
Inside a public cloud provider’s infrastructure, the data storage of all users sits on the same physical infrastructure, but each account is kept in an isolated environment. Multiple organizations share the available computing resources, while operating systems and data stay separated between accounts.
Access to public cloud services is usually through the internet, so any person or company can reach shared resources with nothing more than an internet connection. Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform are widely known public cloud providers that work this way. Closer to everyday use, Gmail and Outlook are public cloud services too — your inbox lives on shared servers, but only you can open it.
Google Drive is another public cloud service, used for data storage of documents, spreadsheets, and other files online. Public cloud computing resources like these are attractive because multiple users get on-demand access without owning any physical hardware, since the underlying infrastructure is entirely managed by the provider.
Public cloud doesn’t mean unprotected. Even though you share computing resources with other public cloud users, the space you use to store your customer’s data is secured, and no other user has access to it. Organizations can also customize privacy settings within the parameters the cloud provider manages.
Public cloud infrastructure is typically spread across multiple data centers, which is part of why public cloud environments tend to be reliable and fast to scale. Public cloud deployments also avoid the vendor lock-in risk some teams worry about with a single dedicated cloud vendor, since capacity can often be resized or migrated on demand.
Think of public cloud as public transportation, where you pay a lower price and share the vehicle with other users — a bus or train, instead of a private car or taxi. You can see EdgeUno’s public cloud services 提供一个完整的云平台示例，具有透明的按需付费和无合同约束。
2) 私有云
总结：
- 专用于单个组织，提供专用基础设施。
- 可部署在本地，或由第三方在非共享硬件上托管。
- 对定制化、安全性和合规性拥有完全控制权。
- 前期成本较高，需配备硬件、软件和专业人员。
- 需要持续维护，否则可能过时。
- 最适合处理敏感数据或具有严格监管要求。
与公有云不同，私有云是一种专属服务，通常成本更高。通过私有云部署，您不再与其他用户共享计算资源——专用基础设施和专用资源仅为您保留。
单一组织运营私有云，可提供企业级的计算服务和增强的安全保障，实现更灵活的云部署。私有云环境让您完全控制定制化，这在处理敏感数据或满足严格合规要求时尤为重要。
Private cloud infrastructure can be built on-premises in your own data center or hosted by a third-party service provider on dedicated physical hardware that isn’t shared with anyone else. Either way, you — not a public cloud provider — manage infrastructure, from operating systems to security policy.
That control comes at a cost. Private cloud deployments require a bigger upfront investment in physical infrastructure, software, and skilled engineering staff, and private cloud infrastructure can become outdated over time without ongoing maintenance from your own team or a third-party provider.
Private cloud services suit businesses and private cloud users that need an isolated environment for regulated data, rather than the shared, multi-tenant setting of public cloud. In a private cloud setting, some teams manage everything in-house; others lean on third-party providers to run the hardware while keeping the environment dedicated.
Continuing the transportation analogy, private cloud is like owning your car — every seat and every component is there for you alone, and nobody else touches it.
3) Hybrid Cloud
In Summary
- Combines private and public cloud to balance control and flexibility
- Sensitive data can stay private while other workloads use public cloud
- Helps cut costs by sharing some infrastructure where it makes sense
- Useful when on-premises growth hits a limit — can extend into the cloud
- Supports business continuity/disaster recovery through failover between environments
- Requires more security planning since data moves between environments
- Common among government organizations balancing privacy and public access
Organizations use hybrid cloud to describe a service that mixes the capabilities of private and public cloud, building a stronger solution by combining the best of both.
In other words, with a hybrid cloud environment, you can keep certain services in a private cloud while letting a public cloud handle other data, or interact more easily with customers and other organizations. This way, you get the benefits of both cloud models and can share some infrastructure costs with other clients where it makes sense, adding up to real cost savings.
So when it’s impossible to grow locally within your own data center, you can extend into the cloud instead. Many organizations choose a hybrid cloud approach specifically to keep sensitive data private while gaining public cloud flexibility elsewhere.
Different hybrid cloud models exist depending on how much you split between environments. Hybrid cloud security needs more planning than a single model alone, since data and traffic move between a private cloud and a public cloud provider’s network.
Done well, a hybrid cloud strategy also helps maintain business continuity: if one environment has an outage, workloads can often fail over to the other, supporting disaster recovery goals. Government organizations are common examples of hybrid cloud users — they tend to use private cloud to store sensitive data, and public cloud to share information with the public.
In our analogy, hybrid cloud is the equivalent of an Uber — you don’t own the car, but for the length of the ride, it’s yours alone.
If your hybrid cloud strategy depends on fast, reliable links between environments, EdgeUno’s Cloud Connect is built for exactly that kind of connectivity.
常见问题解答
What is the difference between public, private, and hybrid cloud?
Public cloud uses infrastructure shared across multiple organizations and managed by a provider like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. Private cloud uses dedicated infrastructure reserved for a single organization, either on-premises or hosted by a third party. Hybrid cloud combines both, keeping some data or workloads private while using public cloud for the rest.
Which cloud model is the most cost-effective?
Public cloud is generally the most cost-effective, since it runs on pay-as-you-go pricing without requiring hardware ownership. Private cloud costs more due to dedicated infrastructure and staffing. Hybrid cloud can lower costs by sharing some infrastructure publicly while keeping only what’s necessary private.
Is public cloud secure enough for business use?
Yes, most of the time. Even though public cloud shares physical infrastructure across users, each organization’s data is kept in an isolated environment that other users cannot access, with privacy settings that can be customized within the provider’s framework.
When should a business use private cloud instead of public cloud?
Businesses with sensitive data or strict compliance requirements should use private cloud, since it offers dedicated infrastructure and full control over security policy — something public cloud’s shared, multi-tenant model doesn’t provide.
Why do organizations choose hybrid cloud?
Organizations choose hybrid cloud to keep sensitive data private while gaining the flexibility, scalability, and cost savings of public cloud for other workloads, often improving disaster recovery through failover between environments.
Choosing the Right Cloud Deployment for Your Business
Every company is different and has different business operations and needs. Before implementing any cloud solution, you need to understand your organization’s current status and what you expect from the services you’re offering — to your users, or internally within your company.
By 2024, Gartner projected that 75% of the world’s population would have its personal data covered under modern privacy regulations. That’s one more reason to weigh where sensitive data lives before choosing between a public cloud provider and a private cloud model.
The key benefits of each cloud model come down to a tradeoff: public cloud tends to win on cost efficiency and speed, while private cloud wins on control and compliance. Hybrid cloud exists precisely to let you capture cost savings on one side without giving up dedicated infrastructure on the other.
EdgeUno offers cloud by design as a service. Through guidance and advice, we help you develop the best cloud deployment for each project, based on your unique needs and business goals. Whether that means public cloud services, a private cloud setup, or a hybrid cloud approach, our team works alongside you to architect the right-sized solution — with more than 50 Tier III and Tier IV data centers across Latin America, the USA, and Europe, and delivery times under 15ms.
If you want to know more about the types of cloud and the most cost-effective solution for your project, talk to an expert — we’ll be happy to help. Or get started with EdgeUno Cloud directly from our self-service portal.
