Are you ready for a Virtual Private Cloud?

NetworkWorld.com reported that “Virtual private clouds (VPC) are secure computing clouds, generally hosted and isolated by a large public cloud provider. They can be accessed via VPNs, physical direct connections, public IPs that are often secured with firewalls, service endpoints, cloud consoles, or transit gateways.”  The June 24, 2025 article entitled “Virtual private cloud defined: Inside the cloud within the cloud” (https://www.networkworld.com/article/4009266/virtual-private-cloud-defined-inside-the-cloud-within-the-cloud.html) included “6 Virtual private cloud (VPC) FAQ”

1.           What is a virtual Private Cloud:

 A virtual private cloud is a logically isolated virtual network within a public cloud environment. Imagine it as your own private, secure section within a massive, shared public cloud, where you control your network configurations, IP addresses, subnets, and security settings.

2.           Who typically provides VPCs?

VPCs are primarily offered by hyperscale public cloud providers like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, and Oracle Cloud. They are a fundamental building block of their infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) offerings.

3.           Is a VPC the same as a private cloud?

Not exactly. A private cloud is an entire cloud infrastructure dedicated solely to one organization, which can be hosted on-premises or by a third-party. A VPC is a private segment within a public cloud.

4.           Why would an organization use a VPC?

Security and isolation: To keep their data and applications separate from other users on the public cloud. Customization: To define their own IP address ranges, subnets, route tables, and network gateways. Scalability: To easily expand or shrink their network and resources as needed, leveraging the public cloud’s elasticity. Compliance: To meet regulatory requirements by controlling traffic flow and access at a granular level.

5.           Are VPCs secure if they share underlying infrastructure?

VPCs are considered highly secure. The “virtual” in virtual private cloud refers to the strong logical isolation provided by the cloud provider’s network virtualization technologies. This isolation, combined with the comprehensive security features you can configure makes VPCs suitable for even highly sensitive workloads.

6.           What are some challenges or drawbacks of using a VPC?

Challenges include complexity, misconfigurations, cost management, and vendor lock-in.

Are you ready?