What is virtual private cloud?

Introduction:

You might have heard about private cloud if so, it’s not difficult to define the virtual private cloud. Like other cloud services, the virtual private cloud is a private cloud type which is an on-demand requirement of shared computing resources. It is allocated within the public cloud environment which creates an isolated space between various organizations. The vpc virtual private cloud customers can perform various functions with the help of this cloud which includes data storage, hosting websites, sensitive information, etc.

It is just like any other private cloud which is hosted inside a public cloud, however, it is accessed by the virtual private cloud owner. The virtual private cloud service model benefits an organization or enterprise with more granular control over virtual networks along with an isolated structural environment for sensitive workloads. The organization or an enterprise will still have the advantage to take benefit of the public cloud. 

1. Virtual private cloud vs Private cloud
2. Benefits of Virtual private cloud
3. Design of VPC
4. VPN
5. Examples of VPC

1. Virtual private cloud vs Private cloud

Often these terminologies, like private cloud and virtual private cloud are misconnected as the same thing or considered as synonyms, however, there is a huge difference between these two. The difference between private cloud and virtual private cloud is that on private cloud model an organization’s internal department can act as service provider however individual business acts as a tenant while with Virtual private cloud, the provider will act as a service provider with cloud’s subscribers as tenants.

In simple words, a private cloud is considered as a single-tenant which is confined often to a single organization, however, a virtual private cloud is a private cloud within a public cloud to which no one has access to apart from an enterprise and organization who owns it. 

People also have some misconceptions with cloud server vs virtual private server. We come across different hosting server models which include dedicated servers, cloud servers and of course VPS. These are some which are provided for business and personal uses, according to the user’s requirement and needs as to which one to choose. T

he cloud servers are often confused or misconnected with a virtual private server. The reason is as both of these are based on virtualization along with similar advantages. The virtual private cloud hosting also commonly known as cloud virtual private server is a physical server which is partitioned virtually into various individual virtual servers however the cloud server uses various servers rather than a single physical server. Cloud servers are on many servers worldwide which deliver advanced performance levels while VPS is a great option for a dedicated server. 

As compared to Cloud hosting, VPS is considered as a priority which provides superior options for customization. It is an amazing user-friendly experience as compared to cloud hosting. Also, the cloud server is costlier than the virtual private cloud service. If you are looking for anything within budget and security you can always opt for VPC. 

2. Benefits of Virtual private cloud

We have learnt about the virtual private cloud definition. Here, we will look into how the virtual private cloud benefits us in various aspects – 

• The VPC benefits the customer with security, any information which goes through the VPS is within the control of the customer. No information is passed through the internet to breach security standards. It also helps a great deal in keeping things smooth and secure. It obtains a high level of reliability and security standards for customers. 
• Even if the virtual private cloud sits within the public cloud, the customer benefits in performing economical functions without compromising on the security standards. 
• It provides easy integration with other VPC’s and on-premise infrastructure. 
• The virtual private cloud service provides an upgrade from time to time to everyone with no downtime, making the workload more secure and quicker. 
• It is quite eco-friendly. The VPC lies inside a public cloud which leaves much less carbon footprint as compared to dedicated hardware which is favourable for the environment. 

Despite various benefits of virtual private cloud services, there are some challenges which come in between. These can be facing some complexity issues while configuring, managing and monitoring the virtual private network. It offers an isolated environment which has certain limitations due to strict compliance on some kind of applications along with data which occurs in VPC.  

3. Design of VPC

The virtual private cloud architecture is based on the following structure:

• There are four availability zones which are dedicated to high availability and disaster recovery. These are distributed within the regions spaced for disaster recovery. It is always recommended to maximises the usage of availability zone to make enough space for data center outage.  
• There are separate subnets for routing requirements. Public subnets used for external-facing resources and private ones for internal resources. Each availability zone is configured with a private and public subnet. 
• A separate layer of security is provided. A secured or protected subnet is provided in each availability zone to provide extra security service. It is based on individual controls. 
• Routing tables are configured for each private subnet which controls the flow of traffic. They share a single routing table as they use the same internet gateway for communication. 
• Highly available gateways which benefit with deployment, availability and maintenance service. 
• Extra space provided for additional subnets which adapt changes according to the environment 

4. VPN

The virtual private cloud network is built to create a private network over the public network. It passes through various platforms which include routers, switches, etc. however, the traffic is not visible to anyone. A virtual private cloud has a dedicated subnet and VLAN which is accessed by the user which in turn secures data and keeps confidential. 

Now what is a subnet, it is a range of various IP addresses which is reserved to a single location and not visible or distributed to anyone. It is mostly for private use with no access to the public internet. 

VLAN is a local area network. It is a group of computing networks which are interconnected within the network. It is a virtual local area network, in which partition takes place at different networks. 

5. Examples of VPC

There are various virtual private cloud examples, considered as great options for the virtual private cloud which includes amazon virtual private cloud, Cloudflare, IBM virtual cloud, google cloud, etc. The virtual private cloud network makes it quite easy to use any cloud service which provides performance control along with security and reliability. It also provides secure socket layer protection for layer 3 traffic.

These are some of the popular and major providers across. While making a selection we should always go for the virtual private server which provides more personal space and more managed virtual private cloud. You can choose different virtual clouds depending upon the kind of service and functions provided by the hosting company. 

If you are looking for an extensive course in Cloud Computing, then the 5.5-month online Postgraduate Certificate Program In Cloud Computing offered by Jigsaw Academy can be of help. This program helps interested learners become complete Cloud professionals. 

Also Read

• Hybrid Cloud & How Does It Work: A Detailed 6 Step Guide