# Choosing a Cloud Platform Source: https://expedient.com/knowledgebase/blog/2017-03-13-choosingacloudplatform/ [](#) # Choosing a Cloud Platform March 13, 2017 3 min Read ## What’s Your Cloud Strategy? Once your organization has gone through the [three-step process of defining your cloud strategy](https://www.expedient.com/blog/the-importance-of-a-defined-cloud-strategy/) and determined that the cloud is the right option, then it is time for the next decision: Choosing a cloud service platform. This is another significant choice that requires thoughtful evaluation.  Is your business IT infrastructure best suited for a public cloud, a private cloud or a combination of the two, utilizing a hybrid cloud concept? #### First, you must understand the differences between each platform. In simple terms: The [Public Cloud](https://www.expedient.com/services/infrastructure-as-a-service/cloud/public-cloud-computing/) is a multi-tenant environment where you pay a service provider for the resources you use, i.e. applications, storage, etc. It is a shared environment that is available over the Internet. The Private Cloud is a single-tenant environment devoted solely to your company’s infrastructure. Private cloud users have full administrative access to their hypervisors, allowing for much more control over network operations and maintenance. The [Hybrid Cloud](https://www.expedient.com/services/infrastructure-as-a-service/cloud/hybrid-cloud-computing/) is generally defined as a combination of private and public cloud services. This can be an in-house private cloud with a public cloud via a third-party provider, or multiple private and/or public clouds hosted in a provider’s data center. With clarity on the differences between platforms, you can better evaluate your options using these rules of thumb as guidelines: #### Choose the public cloud if: - Business growth and/or resource usage fluctuates. - You would rather spend money on monthly operational expenses than capital expenses. - Staff is limited and you don’t want to commit internal IT resources to basic day-to-day tasks. #### Choose the private cloud if: - Security and compliance are your top priority or you are in a regulated industry, such as health care or banking. - Your business and networking demands are unpredictable. - You want to maintain total control over your environment. #### Choose the hybrid cloud if: - You have legacy applications or hardware that are not cloud-ready. - You plan to migrate to a complete cloud solution as existing hardware expires. - You have some highly sensitive data that you want to continue to host privately while utilizing benefits of a public cloud for less critical data. Still have questions? Reach out to a highly qualified cloud hosting provider, such as Expedient, to discuss in detail. #### #### #### #### [ ![Derek Hahn](https://res.cloudinary.com/dvlpy3tua/image/upload/fl_sanitize/uploads/derek-hahn.jpg) Derek HahnVice President of Sales ](/knowledgebase/blog/authors/derek-hahn) [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)