Cloud computing is a broad term that encompasses various technologies and services that allow users to access and utilize computing resources over the internet. It enables on-demand delivery of IT resources such as storage, computing power, and databases without the need for physical infrastructure. This model allows organizations to scale resources as needed and pay only for what they use, leading to cost savings and optimization of resources ⁵.

Initially, the term “cloud” referred to a layer of abstraction in architecture, where the complexities of the underlying infrastructure were managed by dedicated teams. Over time, service providers began to offer products that abstracted these complexities, allowing users to set up resources easily through simple Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) ².

Today, cloud computing includes various approaches such as managed services, scalable workload orchestration, container deployment, and serverless computing platforms. It is widely adopted across industries for diverse use cases, including data backup, disaster recovery, software development, and big data analytics ⁵.