Explaining Cloud to My Kids Helped Me Explain It to Everyone Else
Hamilton Yu
Chief Executive Officer
Cloud should be simple. It powers the tools, platforms, and digital experiences we rely on every day—yet the basics, especially the difference between public and private cloud, still trip people up. Not because it’s too technical, but because the landscape keeps shifting. New pressures, new priorities, and fast-moving technologies have made cloud decisions more layered than ever.
The other night, I was talking with my kids—who, by now, have overheard more than a few of my work calls. One of them looked up and asked, “What even is the cloud?” Fair question. And honestly, not far from the kind of questions we still hear in boardrooms.
So, I tried to break it down.
“Public cloud is like playing at the neighborhood park,” I said. “It’s open to everyone and usually works fine, until it gets crowded or someone hogs the swings. Private cloud? That’s like having a playground in our backyard. It’s always open, you don’t have to wait your turn, and the slide is never broken.”
They nodded. Then came the pizza.
“Public cloud is like ordering delivery pizza—we might wait a long time, get the wrong toppings, or end up with a cold pie. Private cloud? That’s like making it at home. We choose the ingredients; it’s hot when we’re ready, and it shows up on your plate just the way you like it.
It’s not a perfect analogy, but they got it. Because when cloud is simple, it’s a lot easier to make the right decisions.
The Real Cloud Conversation Businesses Are Having
That same simple distinction holds up when we talk about cloud strategy. Why are 83 percent of CIOs planning to move some public cloud workloads back to private or on-premises infrastructure?¹ Because, like the rest of us, they want clarity and control over what they’re getting. They’re choosing long-term strategy over one-size-fits-all convenience.
In conversations with business leaders, I hear the same core questions again and again: Where should workloads live? How much control do we actually have? The appeal of public cloud is real: speed, flexibility, global access. But it also comes with trade-offs: unpredictable costs, limited visibility, and less control over where data lives or how it’s managed.
That’s why private cloud is back in focus. It’s not about walking away from cloud. It’s about using it on your own terms. For many, that means balancing the benefits of scalability with the need for governance, cost predictability, and infrastructure that fits the business.
Why More Companies Are Rethinking Public Cloud
Managing cloud infrastructure has become more complex. Businesses face rising costs, unpredictable usage patterns, and growing pressure to meet strict compliance and security demands. Artificial intelligence (AI) workloads only intensify that strain, requiring levels of performance and infrastructure many public cloud environments weren’t built to handle.
For many organizations, the challenges aren’t hypothetical—they’re measurable:2
- 82 percent of IT leaders have experienced performance issues with AI workloads over the past year
- 42 percent have pulled those workloads back from public cloud due to privacy and security concerns
At the same time, IT teams are still expected to deliver the speed and scalability of public cloud while maintaining control over data location, access, and cost.
That’s why more organizations are bringing cloud capabilities closer to home. Internal private clouds are now being implemented by 79 percent of cloud decision-makers.³ And this isn’t a passing trend. The private cloud services market is projected to reach $125 billion in 2024 and grow at more than 30 percent annually through 2031.⁴
It’s no longer about whether to use cloud—it’s about how to use it strategically. Smarter governance, tighter cost control, and infrastructure that fits your needs are what drive long-term value. The right private cloud approach gives you the freedom to modernize at your pace, with a partner who’s built to grow with you.
Balancing Agility with Control
The renewed interest in private cloud isn’t surprising. Many organizations we work with are looking for the same core outcome: the scalability of public cloud, combined with greater control, stability, and predictability. In response, we’ve developed private cloud offerings designed to meet evolving requirements around flexibility, compliance, and operational continuity.
NexusTek Private Cloud supports modernization efforts with enterprise-grade infrastructure that balances agility and governance. It’s available in two deployment models to match varying needs:
- Virtual Private Cloud – A multitenant environment leveraging shared physical infrastructure while maintaining full isolation and dedicated virtual resources
- Dedicated Private Cloud – A single-tenant environment built exclusively for one organization, ideal for sensitive, secure, or highly regulated workloads
Of course, infrastructure alone doesn’t solve today’s challenges. Effective cloud strategy depends on people as much as platforms. As businesses adopt AI, modernize applications, and adjust to growing compliance pressures, they also need support that aligns with their pace and priorities.
That’s why we take a hands-on approach, working directly with teams to align infrastructure strategy with operational and long-term business goals. The right private cloud foundation gives organizations the flexibility to move fast, stay secure, and scale with confidence.
Bringing Cloud Back Down to Earth
(and a Pizza to Your Plate)
We started with a simple explanation, because that’s often what’s missing in cloud conversations. NexusTek Private Cloud focuses on what most organizations actually need: control, reliability, and predictability.
The numbers speak for themselves: a 100 percent success rate for cloud migrations and a 99.9 percent uptime SLA help keep applications and data accessible when it matters most. Our Tier 4 and Tier 5 data centers provide enterprise-grade fault tolerance and stability. And with transparent, fixed-cost billing, there are no surprises—just consistency you can plan around.
Whether you’re integrating with existing systems, supporting AI workloads with GPU-ready infrastructure, or navigating complex compliance requirements, we’re built to meet you where you are and help you move forward with clarity and control.
Want to talk cloud strategy? Let’s do it over a slice. First meeting comes with free pizza. Seriously.
Reference
1. Barclays, CIO Survey Report, 2024.
2. Flexential, 2024 State of AI Infrastructure Report, July 2024.
3. Forrester, Private Cloud Market Insight, November 2024,
4. Cognitive Market Research, Private Cloud Services Market Report, January 2025.
About the Author
Hamilton Yu
Hamilton Yu is the CEO of NexusTek, bringing over 28 years of executive IT experience to the role. Prior to joining NexusTek, he served as CEO of Taos (an IBM company), where he led transformative initiatives, and also held key executive roles at Nuance Communications and Accenture, driving innovative solutions and cloud capabilities across the tech industry.