What distinguishes public cloud storage from private cloud storage?

Public cloud storage is distinguished from private cloud storage primarily by the location of data storage. In public cloud storage, data resides outside of the enterprise's data center. This means that the cloud service provider hosts the infrastructure and storage resources, making them available to multiple users and organizations over the internet. Public cloud services are typically offered on a pay-as-you-go pricing model, which can make them highly accessible and cost-effective for many businesses.

In contrast, private cloud storage is dedicated to a single organization, meaning that all data and resources are hosted within that enterprise's data center. This separation allows for higher levels of customization, control, and security specific to the organization's needs but comes at a higher cost and management overhead.