public cloud
compound.compound. a type of online storage and computing service that many different people and companies share. You access it over the internet, and a provider like Google or Amazon manages the hardware.
compound. a computing model where services and infrastructure are hosted by a third-party provider and shared across multiple organisations via the public internet. It contrasts with private clouds, which are dedicated to a single user or entity.
Our company stores its website files on a public cloud.
Small startups often prefer the public cloud because it allows them to scale their computing power without buying expensive servers.
While the public cloud offers significant cost advantages and flexibility, highly regulated industries must carefully evaluate the security implications of storing sensitive data on shared infrastructure.
A compound of the adjective public, from the Latin publicus, and cloud, a metaphor for the internet derived from the standard symbol used to represent external networks in telecommunications diagrams.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated July 22, 2026