Cloud computing refers to the delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and more—over the internet (“the cloud”). Instead of owning their own computing infrastructure or data centers, individuals or organizations can rent access to everything they need from a cloud service provider.
In simple terms, cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the internet instead of your computer’s hard drive. It enables users to access files and use applications from any device with an internet connection.
An example of cloud computing is using web-based email services like Gmail or Yahoo Mail. Instead of running email on your computer’s local server, the email service is hosted remotely “in the cloud.”
There are generally four types of cloud computing services: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Function as a Service (FaaS). IaaS provides virtualized computing resources over the internet, PaaS offers a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications, SaaS delivers software applications over the internet on a subscription basis, and FaaS allows customers to develop, run, and manage application functionalities without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure typically associated with developing and launching an app