A private network is more or less a network that is owned specifically for use by a person or company. I guess you can use a law firm as an example. There are 5 offices and in each office there is a computer connected to each other through the company network. The sole purpose of that network is to search for clients, cases, and perform other work-related tasks. Now more specifically, this network will likely be a VPN or virtual private network. What makes this a virtual network? This is a VPN because attorneys who work at home or on their break on a laptop can access the private network securely through a separate internet connection.
The benefits of using a VPN for business needs is that it encrypts all incoming and outgoing data so that it is not easily retrieved by someone who shouldn’t have access to the information. It has been discovered, usually long after the incident occurred, that someone has hacked into a network and was able to recover all the incoming and outgoing data. This data can contain, and generally, personal and extremely confidential information. Therefore, it is advisable to go one step further to secure the information.
One downside to using a private network is that access levels must be granted to certain people. If a problem occurs, which does happen sometimes, you most likely will not be able to contact the secretary to reveal the necessary information because they are warned in advance not to do so, especially if it is a highly secure network. Another downside to using a privatized network is the bandwidth allowed, which is always regulated and you may not be able to do much during non-business hours. Additionally, all traffic is typically regulated, bandwidth limits are set, and it can be extremely costly to maintain compared to using a public network.
An example of a public network could be AT&T. Basically this could be considered more of a WAN than a “public network”. There is the centralized server and then there are the multi-location servers. Public networks are used in more demanding areas of communications, electrical networks, etc. This eliminates the need to have multiple private networks connected to another private network. When you use your cell phone, the network being used is actually public even though you receive a bill from an unspecified provider. An advantage of using public networks is that they serve more numerous needs than a simple private network. Whereas a private network can be assigned to a single building, a public network is assigned to a distance of functions and uses. The disadvantages of using a public network are that they are prone to natural disasters, human error, allowed bandwidth, and many other things.