The term "cloud computing" also refers to the technology that powers the

cloud. This involves a form of virtualized computing infrastructure—servers,

operating system software, networks, and other infrastructure—that is isolated
by dedicated software so that it can be combined and shared regardless of
physical hardware limitations. For example, a single hardware server can be
split into multiple virtual servers. virtualization enables cloud service providers
to make the most of their data center resources. Not surprisingly, many
organizations have adopted the cloud delivery model for their on-premises
infrastructure to maximize utilization and lower costs compared to on-
premises infrastructure. traditional IT infrastructure and offer end users the
same flexibility and self-service. If you use a computer or mobile device at
home or at work, you almost certainly use some form of cloud computing on a
daily basis, be it a cloud application like Gmail or Google Salesforce, media
streaming like Netflix, or cloud file storage like z as DropBox. Industry analyst
Gartner recently forecast that global end-user spending on public clouds will
reach nearly $600 billion by 2023 (link external to ibm.com).