# Private vs. Public Cloud: What’s the Difference? Source: https://expedient.com/knowledgebase/blog/2014-06-05-private-vs-public-cloud-whats-difference/ [](#) # Private vs. Public Cloud: What’s the Difference? June 05, 2014 3 min Read If you’ve been researching cloud computing, you’re probably well aware of the private vs. public cloud debate. Before you decide which end of the debate you side with, it’s important to know the difference between the two. ## Private Cloud [A private cloud hosting solution](https://www.expedient.com/services/infrastructure-as-a-service/cloud/private-cloud/ "Private"), also known as an internal or enterprise cloud, resides on company’s intranet or hosted data center where all of your data is protected behind a firewall. This can be a great option for companies who already have expensive data centers because they can use their current infrastructure. However, the main drawback people see with a private cloud is that all management, maintenance and updating of data centers is the responsibility of the company. Over time, it’s expected that your servers will need to be replaced, which can get very expensive. On the other hand, private clouds offer an increased level of security and they share very few, if any, resources with other organizations. See how food additive manufacturer [TIC Gums](https://www.ticgums.com/) realized the best of both worlds with Expedient’s [On-Site Private Cloud with DRaaS](https://www.expedient.com/services/managed-services/disaster-recovery/#onsite) Solution: https://www.youtube.com/embed/31fSZpY2Nlg ## Public Cloud The main differentiator between public and private clouds is that you aren’t responsible for any of the management of a [public cloud hosting solution](https://www.expedient.com/services/infrastructure-as-a-service/cloud/public-cloud/ "Public"). Your data is stored in the provider’s data center and the provider is responsible for the management and maintenance of the data center. This type of cloud environment is appealing to many companies because it reduces lead times in testing and deploying new products. However, the drawback is that many companies feel security could be lacking with a public cloud. Even though you don’t control the [security of a public cloud,](https://www.expedient.com/blog/five-strategies-to-mitigate-cloud-risk/ "Three Security Criteria to Consider When Selecting Your Cloud Hosting Provider") all of your data remains separate from others and security breaches of public clouds are rare. So which is right for you? Ultimately, it all boils down to control. A large company may choose a private cloud, while a smaller business might choose a public cloud. **Think ‘Public Cloud’ just means AWS or Azure? Think again. ** In a recent third-party performance analysis, [Expedient’s Enterprise Cloud](https://www.expedient.com/services/infrastructure-as-a-service/cloud/) outperformed comparable offerings from AWS, Azure and Rackspace in nearly every category tested. [Download the report from Cloud Spectator to learn more.](https://www.expedient.com/2019-cloud-spectator-report/) Follow him on\_ [_Twitter_](https://x.com/ajkuftic)_._ #### #### #### #### [ ![AJ Kuftic](https://res.cloudinary.com/dvlpy3tua/image/upload/fl_sanitize/uploads/kuftic-aj.jpg) AJ KufticPrincipal Product Strategist•Product Strategy ](/knowledgebase/blog/authors/aj-kuftic) [Cloud Computing](/knowledgebase/blog/tag/cloud%20computing) ### Related Posts [ #### The VMware Wait Tax: Why Every Quarter of Delay... Inaction on a VMware migration is widely treated as a neutral position, a de... Learn More ](/knowledgebase/blog/2026-08-04-the-vmware-wait-tax-why-every-quarter-of-delay-has-a-price-tag/)[ #### The Great Inversion What was easy is now hard. What was hard is now easy. {% include blog-key-... Learn More ](/knowledgebase/blog/2026-07-29-the-great-inversion/)[ #### Your New Cloud Strategy: Rebalancing for Cost a... {% include blog-key-takeaways.html items=page.key\_takeaways %} A few years a... Learn More ](/knowledgebase/blog/2026-07-15-your-new-cloud-strategy-rebalancing-for-cost-and-performance/) ## Subscribe to Our Blog VMware September 29th, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET ## It’s Time to Decide Your VMware Path [Join us →](https://go.expedient.com/VMWarePath) ### VMware September 29th, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET ## It’s Time to Decide Your VMware Path [Join us →](https://go.expedient.com/VMWarePath)