Cloud computing refers to the delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet (“the cloud”) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale. Instead of owning and maintaining physical data centers and servers, individuals and organizations can access technology services on an as-needed basis from a cloud provider.
Key aspects of cloud computing include:
- On-demand self-service: Users can provision computing capabilities as needed without requiring human interaction with the service provider.
- Broad network access: Services are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms.
- Resource pooling: The provider’s computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model.
- Rapid elasticity: Capabilities can be elastically provisioned and released to scale rapidly outward and inward with demand.
- Measured service: Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability.
Cloud computing offers numerous benefits, including cost savings, increased productivity, speed and efficiency, performance, and security. It has revolutionized how businesses and individuals access and use computing resources.
