Infographic titled "How does cloud computing work?" illustrates the flow from end-user devices to the cloud. End-user devices such as desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, network printers & scanners, smart TVs & streaming devices, game consoles, and IoT devices connect through the internet to "The cloud." The cloud offers various "Cloud computing services" including SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, and Serverless computing.

Cloud Computing FAQs

Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of computing services, such as servers, storage, databases, and software, over the internet. Instead of owning and maintaining physical infrastructure, businesses can rent these resources from a cloud provider.

Cloud is for every kind of business, big or small, across every industry. Whether it’s a tech startup, a global enterprise, or a small business, the cloud powers a wide range of operations. Common use cases include everything from data backup and recovery to virtual desktops, software development, and customer-facing applications.

Key benefits include cost-effectiveness, increased speed, and enhanced scalability. It allows businesses to pay only for the resources they use, deploy applications in minutes, and easily adjust capacity to meet demand.

The three main deployment models are public cloud, which is offered by third-party providers over the internet; private cloud, which is dedicated to a single organization; and hybrid cloud, which combines both public and private environments.

The three main cloud services are Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), which provides virtualized computing resources; Platform as a Service (PaaS), which offers a development environment; and Software as a Service (SaaS), which delivers software applications over the internet.

Cloud computing enhances business agility by allowing organizations to quickly access and provision resources without lengthy procurement cycles. This flexibility enables companies to innovate faster, adapt to market changes, and scale operations on demand.

Modern cloud providers have made huge strides making sure that your data stays safe, no matter where it’s stored or accessed. With advanced encryption, multi-factor authentication, and regular security updates, cloud platforms offer some of the highest levels of data protection available today.

But just like with any technology, security is a shared responsibility. While cloud providers handle physical security and infrastructure protections, it’s up to businesses to implement strong access controls, monitor data usage, and ensure compliance with industry regulations.