The term private cloud computing may have multiple meanings to different people, but it is generally considered to be the opposite of public cloud computing. Private cloud typically means cloud computing behind a corporate firewall. This means that the same benefits of public cloud computing are present, but the model also has enhanced security because it is under the more watchful eye of the IT department or MSP who manages it.
Private cloud computing differs in one key aspect from public cloud and that is the ability to more closely and accurately audit the infrastructure supporting the private cloud. For example, public cloud vendors like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and others, cannot easily explain, much less prove, where customer resides, how many people have access to the data, or how the data is secured. Any privacy or security controls for such an environment would naturally be abstract, almost to the point of being useless for any type of compliance or assurance purposes.
While there may be different variations of cloud computing, private cloud usually has a connotation of being more secure and private compared to public cloud, not to mention offering more control over of the data, including but not limited to physical storage, access, audit controls, and redundancy.
