The foundation of cloud computing is the concept of “as a service” solutions. This includes "Infrastructure-as-a-Service" (IaaS), "Platform-as-a-Service" (PaaS) and "Software-as-a-Service" (SaaS). The cloud is a web application, software and resource hosting service that works as follows:
On demand
Cloud solutions are available almost instantaneously, often through an API or graphical interface. They are automatically activated. This way, the "on-demand" approach ensures great responsiveness in terms of implementation and use.
Granular billing
This is one of the other benefits of cloud computing. Only resources or services consumed are invoiced, often with hourly or gigabyte granularity. With this pay-as-you-go model, there is no need to provision or invest in dormant resources.
Hardware abstraction
The concept of the cloud is based around freeing user from their dependency on physical hardware. Cloud computing makes a clear distinction between the equipment used and the service delivered. Hardware is no longer as great a concern for end users as it may have been in the past.
