What differentiates a public cloud from a private cloud?

The distinction between a public cloud and a private cloud is primarily rooted in their accessibility and ownership. Public clouds are services provided over the internet by third-party vendors, available to anyone who wants to purchase them, allowing for a multi-tenant environment where multiple organizations share the same infrastructure. This means that resources such as servers, storage, and networking are all shared among various users, which can lead to cost efficiencies and scalability.

In contrast, private clouds are tailored for a single organization, providing dedicated resources that are not shared with any other users. This exclusivity allows organizations to maintain greater control over their cloud environment, customize configurations to meet specific needs, and achieve higher levels of security that come from isolation from other tenants.

The other options, while they touch on aspects of cloud computing, do not accurately capture the core difference between public and private clouds, as they focus on costs, access, and security features without addressing the fundamental distinction of ownership and accessibility.