Cloud computing in simple terms

Sample Answer

Cloud computing, in simple terms, is the delivery of computing services—like servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet ("the cloud").

Instead of owning your own data centers and physical servers, you rent access to these resources from a provider (like Google, Amazon, or Microsoft) on a pay-as-you-go basis.

How It Works

Imagine you need electricity for your home 💡. You don't build your own power plant; you simply plug into the electrical grid and pay the utility company for the power you use.

Cloud computing works the same way for digital resources:

Shared Resources: A provider (the "utility company") maintains massive data centers full of hardware and software.

Internet Access: You access these resources using your device and an internet connection ("the grid").

n-Demand: You can instantly get as much or as little computing power, storage, or software as you need, and scale it up or down at any time.

Key Benefits

The popularity of cloud computing is driven by three main advantages:

Three Main Types of Cloud Services

Cloud services are generally broken down into three main categories:

SaaS (Software as a Service): Renting software over the internet.

Example: Gmail, Salesforce, Microsoft 365.

Analogy: Renting a finished apartment. You just move in and use the services.

PaaS (Platform as a Service): Renting tools and an environment for developing and running applications.

Example: Google App Engine, Heroku.

Analogy: Renting a fully equipped workshop. You bring your materials and build what you need.

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service): Renting basic computing infrastructure like virtual servers, storage, and networks.

Example: Amazon Web Services (AWS) EC2, Google Compute Engine (GCE).

Analogy: Renting the land and foundation. You get to decide what building materials and furniture to use.