Cloud computing

Terms related to cloud computing, including definitions about on-demand, distributed computing and words and phrases about software-as-a-service, infrastructure-as-a-service and storage-as-a-service.

desktop as a service (DaaS) - Desktop as a service (DaaS) is a cloud computing offering in which a third party hosts the back end of a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) deployment.
DigitalOcean - DigitalOcean Inc.
Docker image - A Docker image is a file used to execute code in a Docker container.
Docker Swarm - Docker Swarm is a container orchestration tool for clustering and scheduling Docker containers.
end-user computing (EUC) - End-user computing (EUC) is a term that refers to the technologies that IT professionals use to deploy, manage and secure the devices, applications and data that workers require to perform their jobs.
Exchange Online - Exchange Online is the hosted version of Microsoft's Exchange Server messaging platform that organizations can obtain as a stand-alone service or via an Office 365 subscription.
Fujitsu Ltd. - Fujitsu Ltd.
G-Cloud (Government Cloud) - G-Cloud (Government Cloud) is a U.
Google App Engine - Google App Engine (GAE) is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) product that enables web app developers and enterprises to build, deploy and host scalable, high-performance applications in Google's fully managed cloud environment without having to worry about infrastructure provisioning or management.
Google BigQuery - Google BigQuery is a cloud-based big data analytics web service for processing very large read-only data sets.
Google ChromeOS - Google ChromeOS, formerly Chrome OS, is a lightweight operating system (OS) built on ChromiumOS, an open source OS that shares the same code base as ChromeOS.
Google Cloud Anthos - Google Cloud Anthos is a hybrid, cloud-agnostic container environment.
Google Cloud Composer - Cloud Composer is a managed workflow orchestration service that is built on Apache Airflow.
Google Cloud operations (formerly Stackdriver) - Google Stackdriver was a monitoring service that provided IT teams with performance data about applications and virtual machines (VMs) running on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Amazon Web Services public cloud.
Google Compute Engine - Google Compute Engine (GCE) is an infrastructure as a service (IaaS) offering that allows clients to run workloads on Google's physical hardware.
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) - Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is a managed Kubernetes service for containers and container clusters running on Google Cloud infrastructure.
green cloud - Green cloud refers to the potential environmental benefits that green IT services delivered over the internet can offer to individual companies and society as a whole.
grid computing - Grid computing is a system for connecting a large number of computer nodes into a distributed architecture that delivers the compute resources necessary to solve complex problems.
guest virtual machine (guest VM) - A guest virtual machine (VM) is the software component of a VM, an independent instance of an operating system (OS), called a guest OS, and its associated software and information.
Hadoop - Hadoop is an open source distributed processing framework that manages data processing and storage for big data applications in scalable clusters of computer servers.
headless system - A headless system is a computer that operates without a monitor, graphical user interface (GUI) or the typical peripherals used to control it, such as a keyboard and mouse.
homomorphic encryption - Homomorphic encryption is the conversion of data into ciphertext that can be analyzed and worked with as if it were still in its original form.
hosted virtual desktop (HVD) - A hosted virtual desktop (HVD) is a user interface that connects to applications and data that are stored on a cloud provider's servers rather than on the user's computer or the corporate network.
hybrid cloud architecture - Hybrid cloud architecture is a type of cloud computing architecture that combines public cloud, private cloud and on-premises resources.
hybrid cloud management - Hybrid cloud management characterizes the processes and tools for managing applications that span public and private cloud computing infrastructure.
hybrid cloud security - Hybrid cloud security is the combination of technologies and practices that protect a hybrid cloud user's sensitive data, infrastructure and applications.
hybrid cloud storage - Hybrid cloud storage is an approach to managing cloud storage that uses both local and off-site resources.
hybrid IT - Hybrid IT is an approach to enterprise computing in which an organization provides and manages some information technology (IT) resources in-house but uses cloud-based services for others.
IBM SoftLayer - IBM SoftLayer is a public cloud computing platform that offers a range of services for compute, networking, storage, security and application development.
iCloud - Apple's free iCloud service stores subscribers' photos, videos, documents, apps and more and updates everything across users' synced devices.
integration as a service (IaaS) - Integration as a service (IaaS) is a cloud-based delivery model that strives to connect on-premises data with data located in cloud-based applications.
internet of things (IoT) - The internet of things, or IoT, is a network of interrelated devices that connect and exchange data with other IoT devices and the cloud.
Kubernetes - Kubernetes, also referred to as K8s for the number of letters between K and S, is an open source platform used to manage containerized applications across private, public and hybrid cloud environments.
managed hosting - Managed hosting is an IT provisioning model in which a service provider leases dedicated servers and associated hardware to a single customer and manages those systems on the customer's behalf.
Microsoft Azure Data Lake - Microsoft Azure Data Lake is a highly scalable public cloud service that allows developers, scientists, business professionals and other Microsoft customers to gain insight from large, complex data sets.
Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute - Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute is a service that provides a private connection between an organization's on-premises infrastructure and Microsoft Azure data centers.
Microsoft Azure Functions - Azure Functions is a serverless computing service, hosted on the Microsoft Azure public cloud, that streamlines the development of systems and applications.
Microsoft Azure Marketplace - The Microsoft Azure Marketplace is an online store that offers applications and services either built on or designed to integrate with Microsoft's public cloud.
Microsoft Azure monitoring tools - Azure monitoring tools are software meant to assist in the different aspects of cloud infrastructure management and monitoring, centering around Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, Azure.
Microsoft Azure Security Center - Microsoft Azure Security Center is a set of tools and services for securing virtual machines that run on the Azure public cloud.
Microsoft Azure Stack - Microsoft Azure Stack is an integrated platform of hardware and software that delivers Microsoft Azure public cloud services in a local data center to enable organizations to construct hybrid clouds.
Microsoft Intune - Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based unified endpoint management (UEM) tool that aims to help organizations manage the mobile devices employees use to access corporate data and applications, such as email.
Microsoft Office 365 suite - Microsoft Office 365 suite is a hosted, online version of Microsoft Office software.
MuleSoft - MuleSoft is a Salesforce company that provides numerous tools to build automations and integrations for various enterprise use cases.
NoOps (no operations) - NoOps (no operations) is a concept that an IT environment can become so automated and abstracted from the underlying infrastructure that there's no need for a dedicated team to manage software in-house.
Nutanix - Nutanix is a private and hybrid cloud software provider.
on-demand computing (ODC) - On-demand computing (ODC) is a delivery model in which computing resources are made available to the user as needed.
Open Virtualization Format (OVF) - The Open Virtualization Format (OVF) is an open source standard for packaging and distributing software applications and services for virtual machines (VMs).
OpenStack - OpenStack is a collection of open source software modules and tools that provides organizations with a framework to create and manage both public cloud and private cloud infrastructure.
Oracle Cloud - Oracle Cloud is a subscription-based public cloud services offering from database company Oracle.
Oracle Customer Experience Cloud (Oracle CX Cloud) - Oracle Customer Experience Cloud (Oracle CX Cloud) is a suite of cloud-based tools for customer relationship management (CRM), sales, marketing, customer service, e-commerce and other tools, such as configure, price, quote (CPQ) tools.
PC as a service (PCaaS) - PC as a service (PCaaS) is a device lifecycle management model in which an organization pays a monthly subscription fee to lease endpoint hardware and management services from a vendor.
portable application - A portable application (portable app) is a software product designed to be easily moved from one computing environment to another.
private cloud storage (internal cloud storage) - Private cloud storage, also called internal cloud storage, is a service delivery model for storage within a large enterprise.
private platform as a service (private PaaS) - Private platform as a service (private PaaS) is software that facilitates development, deployment and operations for IT on a private infrastructure or behind a firewall.
provisioning - In the context of IT and computing, provisioning refers to the process of setting up IT infrastructure and providing access to authorized users to the various resources that are part of the infrastructure.
public cloud storage - Public cloud storage, also called online storage, is a service model that provides data storage on a pay-per-use basis.
SaaS ERP - SaaS ERP is a type of cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that runs on the vendor's or cloud provider's servers, is sold through subscription and delivered as a service over the internet.
Salesforce - Salesforce, Inc.
SAP Analytics Cloud - SAP Analytics Cloud (or SAP Cloud for Analytics) is a software as a service (SaaS) business intelligence (BI) platform designed by SAP.
SAP Cloud Platform - SAP Cloud Platform (SCP) is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) product that provides a development and runtime environment for cloud applications.
Security, Trust and Assurance Registry (STAR) - The Security, Trust and Assurance Registry (STAR) is an online registry of cloud provider security controls.
sharding - Sharding is a type of database partitioning that separates large databases into smaller, faster, more easily managed parts.
SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) - SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) is the concept that the convergence of four technologies is currently driving business innovation.
software-defined perimeter (SDP) - A software-defined perimeter, or SDP, is a security technique that controls access to resources based on identity and forms a virtual boundary around networked resources.
SPI model - The SPI model is an abbreviation of the most common cloud computing service models: software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
stateless app - A stateless app is an application program that does not save client data generated in one session for use in the next session with that client.
Testing as a Service (TaaS) - Testing as a service (TaaS) is an outsourcing model in which testing activities associated with some of an organization's business activities are performed by a service provider rather than in-house employees.
The Boomi Platform - The Boomi Platform, previously known as Boomi AtomSphere, is a low-code and cloud-native integrated Platform as a Service (iPaaS).
TOSCA (Topology and Orchestration Specification for Cloud Applications) - The Topology and Orchestration Specification for Cloud Applications (TOSCA) is an open source language used to describe the relationships and dependencies between services and applications that reside on a cloud computing platform.
unified computing system (UCS) - A unified computing system (UCS) is a converged data center architecture that integrates computing, networking and storage resources to increase efficiency and enable centralized management.
utility storage - Utility storage is a service model in which a provider makes storage capacity available to an individual, organization or business unit on a pay-per-use basis.
vendor lock-in - Vendor lock-in is a situation in which a customer using a product or service cannot easily transition to a competitor's product or service.
vertical cloud - A vertical cloud, also known as an industry cloud platform, is a set of cloud computing services optimized for use in a particular industry or for a specific business model.
virtual firewall - A virtual firewall is a firewall device or service that provides network traffic filtering and monitoring for virtual machines (VMs) in a virtualized environment.
virtual private cloud (VPC) - A virtual private cloud (VPC) is the logical division of a service provider's public cloud multi-tenant architecture to support private cloud computing.
wake word - A wake word is a phrase spoken to the Amazon Echo hands-free speaker and virtual assistant that causes the device to "wake up" and process a user's request.
WAN optimization (WAN acceleration) - WAN optimization -- also known as WAN acceleration -- is a collection of technologies and techniques used to improve the efficiency of data transfer across a wide area network (WAN) between organizations' centralized data centers and their remote locations.
What are availability zones? - Availability zones (AZs) are isolated or separated data centers located within specific regions in which public cloud services originate and operate.
What are data silos and what problems do they cause? - A data silo is a repository of data that's controlled by one department or business unit and isolated from the rest of an organization, much like grass and grain in a farm silo are closed off from outside elements.
What are metered services and how do they work? - Metered services (also called pay-per-use and consumption-based pricing) are any type of payment structure in which a customer has access to potentially unlimited resources but only pays for what they use.
What is 3PL (third-party logistics)? - A 3PL (third-party logistics) provider offers outsourced logistics services, which encompass anything that involves management of one or more facets of procurement and fulfillment activities.
What is a cloud access security broker (CASB)? - A cloud access security broker (CASB) is a software tool or service that sits between an organization's on-premises infrastructure and a cloud provider's infrastructure.
What is a cloud architect and how do you become one? - A cloud architect is an IT professional who is responsible for overseeing a company's cloud computing strategy.
What is a cloud database? An in-depth cloud DBMS guide - A cloud database is an organized and managed collection of data in an IT system that resides on a public, private or hybrid cloud computing platform.
What is a cloud engineer? Key skills and how to become one - A cloud engineer is an IT professional responsible for any technological duties associated with cloud computing, including design, planning, management, maintenance and support.
What is a cloud IDE? - A cloud IDE is a web-based integrated development platform.
What is a cloud server? - A cloud server is a virtual server that operates in a cloud computing environment and makes its resources accessible to users remotely over a network.
What is a cloud service provider? - A cloud service provider, or CSP, is a company that offers components of cloud computing -- typically in an as-a-service model like infrastructure as a service (IaaS), software as a service (SaaS) or platform as a service (PaaS).
What is a cloud-native application? - A cloud-native application is a program that is designed for a cloud computing architecture.
What is a data lake? - A data lake is a storage repository that holds a vast amount of raw data in its native format until it is needed for analytics applications.
What is a private cloud? Definition and examples - Private cloud is a type of cloud computing that delivers advantages similar to public cloud, including scalability and self-service, but through a proprietary architecture.
What is a software-defined data center (SDDC)? - A software-defined data center (SDDC) is a server management concept in which all infrastructure elements -- networking, storage and compute -- are virtualized and delivered as a service.
What is Amazon Elastic Container Registry (Amazon ECR)? - Amazon Elastic Container Registry (Amazon ECR) is an Amazon Web Service (AWS) product that stores, manages and deploys Docker images, which are managed clusters of Amazon EC2 instances.
What is an Amazon EC2 Instance? Types, features and pricing - An Amazon EC2 instance is a virtual server in Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) scalable compute platform for running applications on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud.
What is artificial intelligence as a service (AIaaS)? - Artificial intelligence as a service (AIaaS) is a cloud-based service that enables organizations to access artificial intelligence (AI) through a third-party offering.
What is AWS Lambda? - AWS Lambda is an event-driven cloud computing service from Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allows developers to run code without having to provision, administer, or manage compute resources.
What is AWS? Ultimate guide to Amazon Web Services - AWS (Amazon Web Services) is a comprehensive, evolving cloud computing platform provided by Amazon.
What is cloud application performance management (cloud APM)? - Cloud application performance management (cloud APM) is the process of monitoring resources that support software application performance in public cloud, private cloud and hybrid cloud environments.
What is cloud architecture? Design and implementation - Cloud architecture is how infrastructure components are connected and configured to create a suitable cloud computing environment for the performance, reliability and scalability needed to host user workloads and data.