🤷🏽‍♂️What is Cloud Computing??☁️

Created2025-05-12Updated2025-05-16

Imagine a world where all your photos, files, and software do not need to live on a single device. Instead, they float in a space called the cloud, accessible from any internet-connected device.
Sounds futuristic? What if I told you it is the world we are presently living in — the world of cloud computing!

📌 What Exactly is Cloud Computing?

In simple words, cloud computing is the delivery of computing/IT resources over the internet.

While there are several ways to define cloud computing, it all comes down to these five key aspects:

  • Networking
  • Data Management
  • Storage
  • Services
  • Devices

At its core, cloud computing is the delivery of the above and more over the internet.
Instead of owning and managing physical servers, companies rent flexible resources from cloud providers like:

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

⚙️ Cloud Computing Models

The dynamic effects of cloud adoption are already playing out and are most evident in the three wide-ranging and common cloud computing models:

1. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

  • Benefits the end user.

2. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

  • Assists developers and service integration.

3. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

  • Aids system administrators.

📐 Imagine a three-tiered pyramid:

  • IaaS sits at the base,
  • PaaS in the middle,
  • and SaaS at the top.

☁️ Types of Cloud Deployment

Cloud deployment comes in different forms:

  • Public Cloud (main concern)
  • Private Cloud (traditional)
  • Hybrid Cloud (mix of public and private cloud)

Hybrid cloud introduces a unique blend of both public and private cloud environments.

🌍 The Future of the Cloud

The International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that as of 2024, at least half of IT spending is cloud-based, and this is only expected to grow.

Virtually all enterprises worldwide will eventually consume some form of cloud services, meaning:

  • Most applications and enterprise information flows will be cloud-based.
  • Cloud will become central to shaping business IT strategy.

☁️ Fun Fact

The term “cloud computing” originated from early network diagrams where the internet was often represented by a fluffy cloud shape.
This abstract shape symbolized the complex infrastructure hidden behind the scenes — giving rise to the modern metaphor of “the cloud.”

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