What Is Cloud Networking? Definition, Types & Benefits

Leeron is a New York-based writer with experience covering technology and politics. Her work has appeared in publications such as Quartz, the Village Voice, Gothamist, and Slate.

Leeron Hoory Contributor

Leeron is a New York-based writer with experience covering technology and politics. Her work has appeared in publications such as Quartz, the Village Voice, Gothamist, and Slate.

Written By Leeron Hoory Contributor

Leeron is a New York-based writer with experience covering technology and politics. Her work has appeared in publications such as Quartz, the Village Voice, Gothamist, and Slate.

Leeron Hoory Contributor

Leeron is a New York-based writer with experience covering technology and politics. Her work has appeared in publications such as Quartz, the Village Voice, Gothamist, and Slate.

Contributor Kiran Aditham Deputy Editor

With 20 years of experience, Kiran Aditham has navigated the field in editorial and writing, from working with major pubs like Adweek, AdAge and PSFK to now working at Forbes Advisor.

Kiran Aditham Deputy Editor

With 20 years of experience, Kiran Aditham has navigated the field in editorial and writing, from working with major pubs like Adweek, AdAge and PSFK to now working at Forbes Advisor.

Written By Kiran Aditham Deputy Editor

With 20 years of experience, Kiran Aditham has navigated the field in editorial and writing, from working with major pubs like Adweek, AdAge and PSFK to now working at Forbes Advisor.

Kiran Aditham Deputy Editor

With 20 years of experience, Kiran Aditham has navigated the field in editorial and writing, from working with major pubs like Adweek, AdAge and PSFK to now working at Forbes Advisor.

Deputy Editor

Matt Hoeper

Matt Hoeper

Matt Hoeper Business Expert

Matt is a proven leader in IT, combining a master’s degree in Management Information Systems and solid experience with a proven track record in IT, leading business initiatives to help organizations meet their goals. He has led the security practices.

Matt Hoeper

Matt Hoeper Business Expert

Matt is a proven leader in IT, combining a master’s degree in Management Information Systems and solid experience with a proven track record in IT, leading business initiatives to help organizations meet their goals. He has led the security practices.

Matt Hoeper

Matt Hoeper Business Expert

Matt is a proven leader in IT, combining a master’s degree in Management Information Systems and solid experience with a proven track record in IT, leading business initiatives to help organizations meet their goals. He has led the security practices.

Matt Hoeper

Matt Hoeper Business Expert

Matt is a proven leader in IT, combining a master’s degree in Management Information Systems and solid experience with a proven track record in IT, leading business initiatives to help organizations meet their goals. He has led the security practices.

Updated: Jun 3, 2024, 9:07pm

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

What Is Cloud Networking? Definition, Types & Benefits

Getty

Table of Contents

These days almost every business relies on the cloud to some capacity. Cloud networking is scalable and flexible. It allows organizations to increase their infrastructure according to changing demands. Cloud networking also saves costs, as companies only pay for the services they use as they go. This article covers the terms cloud networking and cloud computing, the various types and the benefits of this technology for small and medium businesses.

Cloud Networking Defined

Cloud networking is an element of cloud computing and refers to the way the networking infrastructure works within it.

Cloud computing has revolutionized the way companies run, making it easier, faster and cheaper to complete functions that previously required a company to have its own data center. Almost every type of business today uses cloud computing for a wide range of purposes, including data backup, email and customer-facing web applications.

Cloud computing refers to the on-demand delivery of IT products online, which enables businesses to access databases, power and storage through the cloud, instead of through a physical data center. Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are the two main cloud service providers.

Examples of cloud services include:

Cloud networking capabilities are provided by the cloud service providers.

Types of Cloud Networking

There are various types of cloud networking. Here are the main ones:

Public Cloud

A public cloud means that the servers are being shared by other people. You might think of a public cloud as similar to a public swimming pool. This type of cloud is adjustable to different capacities of a company’s IT department. Multiple users may be using a public cloud but will all be able to benefit from the service.

Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

While a public cloud is like sharing a pool, a virtual private cloud (VPC) is more like putting a rope around the pool and creating a private area. Companies can choose to build their own private cloud within a public cloud. Increased security is the main reason a company would choose a VPC.

Hybrid Cloud

Hybrid cloud refers to the combination of public clouds and VPCs. The term hybrid cloud network is also used to refer to the connection between a physical data center and a public cloud.

Multicloud

The term multicloud refers to using more than one cloud provider. For example, a company might choose to use services both from AWS and Microsoft Azure. While they both offer cloud computing, they do have differences. A company may find the differences between the two providers make it worth it to use both.

Who Uses Cloud Networking?

All sorts of businesses use cloud networking for a range of reasons. The capabilities are endless and the use of cloud networks is only expected to grow in the coming years. Essentially, the cloud gives companies capabilities, storage and infrastructure to build and develop in a way that was not previously possible.

Small and medium businesses from a wide range of industries are able to benefit from the use of cloud networking. Here are a few examples of how cloud networking can be used:

Cloud Networking vs. Cloud Computing

Cloud computing refers to delivering cloud services over the internet and the on-demand delivery of IT products online, which enables businesses to access databases, power and storage through the cloud. Cloud networking refers to the connection between the different devices required for cloud computing. Though these terms are distinct, they are often used interchangeably.

Benefits of Cloud Networking

There are countless benefits to using cloud technology. The main benefits of cloud networking include:

Getting Started With Cloud Networking

The first steps to creating a cloud network include familiarizing yourself with cloud networking concepts, developing a network architecture plan and choosing a cloud provider. Amazon Web Services and Azure are the two most popular providers. You’ll want to consult with the cloud provider for a full set of instructions on how to create a cloud network. Amazon Web Services has extensive online video tutorials that can help with the process.

Bottom Line

Cloud technology has revolutionized the way companies run. The cloud has opened up endless possibilities for small and medium businesses, making it faster and more affordable to fulfill tasks, scale, keep track of large sets of data and communicate and collaborate remotely. Almost every type of business uses cloud computing today, from working on shared documents that are stored on the cloud, to hosting customer-facing web applications. There are many benefits of cloud networking, including scalability, flexibility, mobility and reduced operating costs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why use cloud networking?

There are plenty of reasons to use cloud networking and these days almost every business relies on the cloud to some capacity. Cloud networking is scalable and flexible. It allows organizations to increase their infrastructure according to changing demands. Cloud networking also saves costs, as companies only pay for the services they use as they go. In addition, cloud networking also offers increased security for businesses that don’t have the capacity to run an entire cybersecurity team in-house.

What is an example of a cloud network?

The Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) of Amazon Web Services (AWS) is an example of a cloud network. AWS VPC enables users to create a private cloud within the AWS cloud, which increases the security.

How do I create a cloud network?

The first steps to creating a cloud network include familiarizing yourself with cloud networking concepts, developing a network architecture plan and choosing a cloud provider. Amazon Web Services and Azure are the two most popular providers. You’ll want to consult with the cloud provider for a full set of instructions on how to create a cloud network. Amazon Web Services has extensive online video tutorials that can help with the process.

Is cloud networking a good career choice?

Because almost every company today uses cloud computing, expertise in cloud technologies is in high demand. There are plenty of career paths to choose from in this field such as cloud architect, cloud engineer, cloud consultant and DevOps engineer. These jobs are intellectually challenging and offer high earning potential in a field with growing demand.

What are the four main types of cloud networking?

The four main types of cloud networking are public cloud, which means that the servers are being shared by other people, virtual private cloud (VPC), hybrid cloud (a combination of public clouds and VPCs) and, finally, multicloud—which refers to using more than one cloud provider.

Was this article helpful? Share your feedback Send feedback to the editorial team Thank You for your feedback! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Next Up In Business

More from

Google Ads Vs. Facebook Ads: Differences, Pros And Cons

Google Ads Vs. Facebook Ads: Differences, Pros And Cons

By Natalie Cusson

What Is A Drip Campaign? Definition And Examples

What Is A Drip Campaign? Definition And Examples

By Leeron Hoory

What Is 3PL? Third-Party Logistics Explained

What Is 3PL? Third-Party Logistics Explained

By Kimberlee Leonard

Resource Utilization: Definition, Formulas And Examples

Resource Utilization: Definition, Formulas And Examples

By Monique Danao

What Is Logistics? Definition And Best Practices

What Is Logistics? Definition And Best Practices

By Kimberlee Leonard

Construction Project Management Tips And Best Practices

Construction Project Management Tips And Best Practices

By Shweta

Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor do we recommend or advise individuals or to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.

Contributor

Leeron is a New York-based writer with experience covering technology and politics. Her work has appeared in publications such as Quartz, the Village Voice, Gothamist, and Slate.

Deputy Editor

With 20 years of experience, Kiran Aditham has navigated the field in editorial and writing, from working with major pubs like Adweek, AdAge and PSFK to now working at Forbes Advisor.

Matt Hoeper

Business Expert

Matt is a proven leader in IT, combining a master’s degree in Management Information Systems and solid experience with a proven track record in IT, leading business initiatives to help organizations meet their goals. He has led the security practices at 2 different MSPs, been a Health IT Director, a project manager, business analyst, system administrator, systems architect. if it has to do with IT, he's probably done it. He helped author the CMMC Certified Professional and CMMC Certified Assessor field guides and has spoken at conferences all over the country regarding CMMC, IT security, risk. Matt has worked with Fortune 500 companies and small businesses, in areas ranging from engineering to marketing and supply chain to health care.

© 2024 Forbes Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Are you sure you want to rest your choices?

The Forbes Advisor editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. This compensation comes from two main sources. First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market. Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles; these “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Advisor. While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Advisor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof. Here is a list of our partners who offer products that we have affiliate links for.