A public cloud is a third-party managed platform that uses the standard cloud computing model to make resources and services available to remote users around the world. Public cloud resources typically include conventional IT infrastructure elements such as virtual machines, applications, or storage.
Services can include an array of workloads including databases, firewalls, load balancers, management tools, and other platform-as-a-service (PaaS) or software-as-a-service (SaaS) elements. Users then assemble resources and services to build an infrastructure capable of deploying and operating enterprise workloads. Public cloud services can be free or offered through a variety of subscription or on-demand pricing schemes, including pay-per-usage or pay-as-you-go (PAYG) models.
