A private network is more or less a network owned specifically for use by one 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 used to search for clients, cases, and to perform other work-related tasks. Now, more specifically, this network will most likely be a VPN or Virtual Private Network. What makes this a virtual network? This is a VPN because lawyers who work at home or on their break on a laptop can safely access the private network 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 someone who shouldn’t have access to the information can’t easily retrieve it. It has been discovered, usually long after the incident has occurred, that someone has hacked into a network and was able to retrieve all of the incoming and outgoing data. This data can, and usually does, contain personal and extremely sensitive information. Therefore, it is advisable to take an extra step to secure the information.
One disadvantage of using a private network is that certain people must be granted access levels. If a problem occurs, which it sometimes does, you will most likely not be able to reach 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 disadvantage of 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. Also, all traffic is usually throttled, bandwidth caps are set, and can be extremely expensive during maintenance compared to using a public network.
An example of a public network might be AT&T. More or less, 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 numerous private networks connected to another private network. When you use your cell phone, the network used is actually public even though you are billed by an unspecified provider. An advantage of using public networks is that they serve more needs than a simple private network. While a private network can be assigned to a single building, a public network is assigned to a distance of functions and uses. The downsides of using a public network are that they are prone to natural disasters, human error, allowed bandwidth, and many other things.