Definition of cloud computing.

Cloud computing is the distribution of hosting services that are provided to a client via the
Internet. Cloud computing can enable large-scale distributed systems service without
up-front investment. This paradigm emerged from the result of the evolution and merging of
many of its supporting models and technologies like distributed computing, Web 2.0, service
orientation, utility computing and virtualization.

The supporting technologies that made Cloud computing possible are the enormous
computer data-centres containing all the commodity hardware. Another important technology
that played a major role in the development of cloud computing is the virtualization of
computation, communication network and storage. This virtualization turned the hardware
and the actual network into software that can be managed and scaled as needed.

There is no single definition for cloud computing but one of the definition is the NIST
Definition of Cloud Computing.

“Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network

access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers,
storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with
minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model is composed of
five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models.”

Another definition is this slight revision of Gartner’s original definition from 2008.
“...a style of computing in which scalable and elastic IT-enabled capabilities are delivered as
a service to external customers using Internet technologies.”

This definition from NIST and the one from Gartner are two of many definitions out there that
share one element in common. And this element that is shared among all the different
definitions and views of cloud computing is that cloud systems enables dynamic provisioning
of IT services and use a utility-based cost model to price these services.