The term “cloud computing,” often referred to as “the cloud,” indicates the use of computing resources that are located somewhere else and accessed in the “cloud” of remote networks via Internet connectivity. These computing resources include applications, data storage centers, and other IT resources, which are accessed via self-service, on-demand, 24 x 7.
The main features of cloud computing are:
“Cloud services” refers to a broad category of cloud-based IT resources that a service provider delivers to customers via the Internet. Several types of services are offered via the cloud.
Infrastructure as a service offers basic computing blocks (compute, block storage, and network resources) from the cloud provider. These services provide the hardware capabilities on-demand to users to run their own software and services.
Platform as a service provides services (load balancers, identity services, message queues, managed databases, billing services, etc.) that allow a third party to build and run applications without having to develop or maintain the software or invest in hardware.
Software as a service is basically any type of application (content, analytic, communication, or backup) which runs in the cloud. This allows the user to use a web application without installing and maintaining software or storing data on a local computer or other type of device.