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Cloud computing provides on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable resources—such as servers, storage, networks, applications, and services—that can be provisioned and released with minimal management effort. It can make computing capacity more flexible and easier to access, but savings, security, and other benefits depend on how a service is implemented and used.
What is cloud computing?
NIST defines cloud computing as “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.” The definition comes from Peter Mell and Timothy Grance’s The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing, NIST SP 800-145 (2011). Read the NIST publication.
In practical terms, cloud computing is a way of delivering computing resources over a network, often with capacity drawn from a provider’s shared pool. It is a model, not one product or company. A service’s “cloud” label alone does not establish that it meets the model’s characteristics; the specific capabilities and arrangement matter.
How does cloud computing work?
NIST describes five essential characteristics that help identify the model. Together, they explain how cloud resources are accessed, assigned, scaled, and tracked. NIST SP 800-145 sets out these characteristics.
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- On-demand self-service: A user can provision capabilities such as server time or network storage without contacting the provider for every request.
- Broad network access: Services are available over a network through standard access mechanisms and can be reached using different client types.
- Resource pooling: Provider resources serve multiple consumers and are assigned or reassigned as demand changes.
- Rapid elasticity: Resources can be scaled outward or inward in response to demand.
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These are characteristics of a service model, not guarantees about every product marketed as cloud computing. In particular, elasticity can make capacity easier to adjust, while metering can make usage more visible; neither by itself ensures lower costs or better operations.
What are the service and deployment models?
NIST groups cloud computing into three service models and four deployment models. They answer different questions: a service model describes what kind of capability is supplied, while a deployment model describes how the cloud environment is arranged. See NIST’s model definitions.
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Service models: what the provider supplies
- Software as a Service (SaaS): Software is supplied as a cloud service.
- Platform as a Service (PaaS): A platform is supplied for developing or running applications.
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Computing infrastructure, such as servers, storage, or networking, is supplied as a service.
Deployment models: how the cloud is arranged
- Public cloud: A public deployment model.
- Private cloud: A private deployment model.
- Community cloud: A cloud model organized for a community of consumers.
- Hybrid cloud: A hybrid deployment model.
These labels provide a framework for comparing services, but they do not by themselves establish a service’s price, security, or suitability for a particular workload.
What are the potential benefits of cloud computing?
NIST named cost savings, energy savings, rapid deployment, and customer empowerment as potential benefits organizations may seek from cloud computing in its 2011 announcement. These are benefit categories, not measured guarantees that every organization will save money or energy. Read NIST’s 2011 announcement.
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- More flexible capacity: Self-service and rapid elasticity can make it easier to provision resources when needed and release them when demand falls.
- Greater visibility into usage: Measured service can make resource consumption easier to monitor and report.
- Faster provisioning: The model is designed for resources to be provisioned and released rapidly, potentially reducing the effort or delay involved in obtaining capacity.
- Potential cost or energy savings: NIST identifies these as possible benefits, but the definition and announcement do not provide a universal savings rate. Actual outcomes depend on implementation and use.
- Customer empowerment: On-demand access can give users more direct control over provisioning, rather than requiring a separate provider interaction for each request.
These outcomes are related to the model’s characteristics, but they are not automatic. For example, easy provisioning may help a team respond to changing demand; it does not alone show that a particular workload costs less than an alternative.
Does cloud computing automatically make a system secure?
No. NIST says matching an implementation to the cloud definition can help evaluate its security properties; that is a way to assess an implementation, not a claim that adopting cloud computing makes it secure. NIST’s announcement quotes NIST computer scientist Peter Mell saying the definition gives agencies and companies a tool to determine how far an implementation meets the cloud characteristics and models.
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Use the definition as a comparison framework, then evaluate the actual service and workload. The cloud category alone does not establish security, a detailed allocation of security responsibilities, or whether a particular workload belongs in that environment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should you evaluate whether a cloud service fits?
Start by comparing the service’s actual capabilities with the characteristics and models in NIST SP 800-145. Those categories can structure an initial evaluation, but they do not replace a workload-specific assessment.
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- Identify the service model. Determine whether the offering is SaaS, PaaS, or IaaS; this describes the kind of service supplied.
- Identify the deployment model. Determine whether it is public, private, community, or hybrid; this describes the deployment arrangement.
- Check the cloud characteristics. Look for on-demand self-service, broad network access, pooled resources, rapid elasticity, and measured service.
- Assess the use case and tradeoffs. Consider whether the service’s actual capabilities meet the workload’s needs. The NIST categories do not provide current vendor rankings, pricing comparisons, a workload-specific total-cost analysis, or a detailed security responsibility matrix.
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