Cloud computing

Cloud computing is when computing services are provided by a company or place outside of where they are being used. It is like the way in which electricity is sent to users: they simply use the electricity that is sent to them and do not need to worry where the electricity is from or how it is made and brought to them. Every month, they pay only for what they use and nothing more. The idea behind cloud computing is similar: The user can simply use storage, computing power, or development environments, without having to worry how they work behind the scenes.

The cloud is a metaphor for the Internet based on how it is described in computer network diagrams. Just as how in the real world, clouds hide parts of the sky from sight, the cloud in computing hides the complex infrastructure that makes the Internet work.^[1] It is a type of computing in which IT-related actions are provided “as a service”,^[2] allowing users to access these services through the Internet ("in the cloud").^[3] They do not have to know or control the technologies behind them, preventing them from running into ethical and legal problems.^[4]

According to the IEEE, cloud computing is a concept where information is placed on servers and sent over the Internet to other devices, such as computers, laptops, handhelds, and sensors.^[5] It includes the idea of having software as a service (SaaS), such as Web 2.0, that depend on the Internet to meet the needs of their users. For example, Google has made several office suite apps which are accessed from a web browser. Unlike other software that does the same tasks, including Microsoft Office, the software and data are stored on Google's servers, not on the machine in which they are used.

1. ↑ "The Internet Cloud". Archived from the original on 2010-02-11. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
2. ↑ "Gartner Says Cloud Computing Will Be As Influential As E-business". Archived from the original on 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
3. ↑ "What's the difference Between Cloud Computing and SaaS?". Archived from the original on 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
4. ↑ "Distinguishing Cloud Computing from Utility Computing". Archived from the original on 2017-11-10. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
5. ↑ ORGs for Scalable, Robust, Privacy-Friendly Client Cloud Computing