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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsGoing to the cloud means using software, storage, or computing power delivered over a network by a cloud service instead of relying only on resources installed and managed on your own devices or servers. It is a way of providing computing resources—not another name for the internet.
What cloud computing means
NIST defines cloud computing as a model for convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable resources—such as networks, servers, storage, applications, and services—that can be provisioned and released quickly with limited management effort or provider interaction. The definition appears in Peter Mell and Tim Grance’s NIST Special Publication 800-145 (2011).
In practical terms, a cloud provider operates computing resources and makes them available to customers over a network. The customer uses what is needed without having to own and operate every underlying server or storage system. The internet is a common way to reach public cloud services, but “cloud” refers to the delivery model, not to the internet itself.
Five characteristics of cloud computing
NIST identifies five characteristics that help distinguish cloud computing from other ways of delivering IT resources:
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- On-demand self-service: A customer can provision resources when needed without requiring a person at the provider to handle each request.
- Broad network access: Services are available over a network and can be reached through appropriate client devices.
- Resource pooling: The provider serves multiple customers using a shared pool of resources, allocating capacity as demand changes.
- Rapid elasticity: Resources can be scaled up or down as needed; to the customer, available capacity may appear flexible.
- Measured service: Use is monitored and measured, supporting control and reporting of resource consumption.
Service models: what the provider supplies
SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS describe different kinds of service. They answer the question, “What is the customer getting?” They are not deployment choices.
| Service model | What it provides | Typical customer focus |
|---|---|---|
| Software as a service (SaaS) | A provider makes an application available for use over a network. | Using the software rather than operating its underlying platform and infrastructure. |
| Platform as a service (PaaS) | A provider supplies a platform on which customers can develop or run applications. | Building or deploying applications without managing all the underlying infrastructure. |
| Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) | A provider supplies computing resources such as processing, storage, and networking. | Configuring and using infrastructure while the provider operates the underlying service environment. |
These are broad categories, not a ranking from worst to best. The division of responsibility depends on the particular service and its terms.
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Deployment models: how the infrastructure is organized or shared
Private, community, public, and hybrid cloud describe how cloud infrastructure is organized or shared. They answer a different question from SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS: “Who uses the infrastructure, and how is it arranged?” NIST presents these models alongside the service models as a baseline for comparing cloud services and deployment strategies.
- Private cloud: Infrastructure is provisioned for the exclusive use of one organization.
- Community cloud: Infrastructure is shared by organizations with common concerns or requirements.
- Public cloud: Infrastructure is made available for use by the public or a broad group of customers.
- Hybrid cloud: Two or more distinct cloud infrastructures are connected so they can support data or application portability.
A service can therefore be described using both axes—for example, by its service model and its deployment model. Neither axis alone determines whether it is the right fit.
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Why organizations go to the cloud—and what it does not guarantee
Cloud services can make computing capacity available on demand and reduce the need for some upfront hardware investment. AWS describes cloud computing as on-demand delivery of resources such as compute power, databases, storage, and applications over the internet, with pay-as-you-go pricing; customers can provision resources as needed rather than making large upfront hardware investments. That is AWS’s description of its cloud model, not a promise that every cloud workload will cost less. See AWS’s cloud computing overview.
Moving to the cloud is a decision with trade-offs, not an automatic upgrade. Costs depend on the resources used and how they are managed; moving workloads also does not by itself guarantee better security or eliminate management responsibilities. NIST’s Cloud Computing Synopsis and Recommendations (2012) discusses both potential benefits and open issues, and frames cloud adoption as something to evaluate for its opportunities and risks.
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