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Properties of Cloud Computing

March 9, 2025 5 min read Ibm IBM-FSSD Cloud-Properties On-Demand-Service Resource-Pooling

Overview of cloud computing essential characteristics including on-demand self-service broad network access resource pooling and comparisons with traditional computing models

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Cloud computing allows easy, on-demand access to a shared pool of computing resources like networks, servers, storage, applications, and services. These resources can be quickly provided and released with minimal management effort or interaction with the service provider.

Cloud Computing vs. Traditional Hosting

Cloud computing offers more flexibility and scalability compared to hosting on a local server. It uses technologies like virtualization and adapts to the latest trends. If more bandwidth is needed, a Cloud-based service can quickly provide it, avoiding complex and costly IT infrastructure updates. Users can customize their applications using Cloud services from anywhere with an Internet connection. Additionally, Cloud computing allows efficient marketing of applications without worrying about maintenance and costs.

Definition of Cloud Computing

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines Cloud computing as a model that enables easy, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources. These resources can be quickly provided and released with minimal management effort or interaction with the service provider. Examples include networks, servers, storage, applications, and services.

Essential Characteristics of Cloud Computing

On-Demand Self-Service

You can access Cloud resources whenever needed, similar to using an ATM or a vending machine. Services are always available, except during outages or security breaches.

Broad Network Access

Cloud computing resources can be accessed over the network. Public Cloud services are generally accessible from anywhere and on any device with Internet connectivity and browser capabilities. Devices include desktops, laptops, tablets, iPads, smartphones, e-readers, and smart wearables. Internet access is required for public Cloud services, while an Intranet is sufficient for on-premises private Cloud services.

Resource Pooling

Consumers save costs by using a shared model, which provides Cloud providers with economies of scale that they pass on to customers. Computing resources serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, dynamically assigned and reassigned according to demand without customers needing to worry about the physical location of these resources.

Rapid Elasticity

Resources can be increased or decreased as needed. The elastic property of the Cloud allows for vertical scaling (scaling up or down) and horizontal scaling (scaling out). For example, adding resources during a holiday sale due to increased demand and reducing them after the sales period.

Measured Service

You only pay for what you use or reserve as you go. Measured services do not apply to certain Cloud services like general email services (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo), social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp), and Cloud service evaluations on a trial basis (AWS, Azure, GCP) provided for free by service providers. Measured service is also known as a utility model of billing, similar to monthly electric charges.

Conclusion

Cloud computing has revolutionized the way businesses operate by providing scalable, flexible, and cost-effective solutions. It allows organizations to focus on their core activities without worrying about the underlying IT infrastructure. As technology continues to evolve, the adoption of Cloud computing is expected to grow, offering even more innovative solutions to meet the demands of the future.

FAQ

Cloud computing concepts date back to the 1950s when large-scale mainframes with high-volume processing power became available. The practice of time sharing (or resource pooling) evolved to make efficient use of the computing power of mainframes.

In the 1970s, the Virtual Machine (VM) operating system made it possible for mainframes to have multiple virtual systems, or virtual machines, on a single physical node. This allowed multiple distinct computing environments to exist on the same physical hardware.

Virtualization became a technological driver and massive catalyst for significant evolutions in communications and computing. With expensive physical hardware, servers were virtualized into shared hosting environments, virtual private servers, and virtual dedicated servers, making hardware costs more viable.

A hypervisor is a small software layer that enables multiple operating systems to run alongside each other, sharing the same physical computing resources. It separates Virtual Machines logically, assigning each slice of the underlying computing power, memory, and storage, preventing virtual machines from interfering with each other.

The pay-as-you-go or utility computing model became one of the key drivers behind cloud computing’s launch. It allowed companies and developers to pay for computing resources as and when they used them, just like units of electricity, switching from a CapEx model to a more cash-flow friendly OpEx model.

Cloud computing allowed companies to rent resources from cloud providers instead of buying physical servers, storage, and networking equipment. This eliminated the need to maintain and manage these resources, allowing companies to focus on their core business while paying on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Modern-day cloud computing is a model that enables easy, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources. These resources can be quickly provided and released with minimal management effort or interaction with the service provider.

Some of the leading cloud providers in the market today include Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, and Alibaba Cloud.

Cloud computing allowed companies to scale their workloads during usage peaks and scale down when usage subsided. Instead of making substantial capital expenditures in hardware, they could pay for compute resources as and when needed.

Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services (servers, databases, networking, software, etc.) over the internet (the cloud) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale through a global network of data centers.
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