Cloud Computing — On-Demand IT Resources

Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of IT resources — compute, storage, databases, networking, and more — over the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing.

The 5 characteristics of cloud (NIST definition):

1. On-demand self-service — provision resources without human intervention

2. Broad network access — accessible from anywhere via internet

3. Resource pooling — shared infrastructure serves multiple customers (multi-tenancy)

4. Rapid elasticity — scale up or down quickly

5. Measured service — pay only for what you use

Cloud deployment models:

Public cloud — AWS, Azure, GCP; infrastructure owned by cloud provider; shared

Private cloud — dedicated infrastructure; on-premises or hosted; for compliance/security needs

Hybrid cloud — combination of public and private; common in enterprise

Why move to cloud: Trade capital expense (CapEx) for operational expense (OpEx); stop guessing capacity; benefit from massive economies of scale; increase speed and agility; stop managing data centers.

Reference:

Wikipedia: Cloud Computing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing