Cloud computing is a model for increasing, utilizing, and delivering Internet-based services. It typically involves providing dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources via the Internet. The term “cloud” serves as a metaphor for both networks and the Internet itself.
Historically, the cloud symbol was used to represent telecommunications networks in diagrams. Over time, it has also come to represent the abstraction of the Internet and its underlying infrastructure. As a result, cloud computing enables users to access immense computing power—up to 10 trillion calculations per second. With such capabilities, it is possible to simulate nuclear explosions, forecast climate change, and predict market trends.
Users can access data centers through devices such as computers, laptops, and mobile phones, performing computations according to their specific needs.
There are many definitions of cloud computing—over 100 different explanations exist. The most widely accepted definition comes from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States. According to NIST, cloud computing is a pay-per-use model that offers available, convenient, and on-demand network access to a configurable pool of computing resources—including networks, servers, storage, application software, and services—that can be rapidly provisioned with minimal management effort or direct interaction with service providers.
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