What is cloud computing?

In simple words, cloud computing is a new technology that enables information storage, organization, and execution on the internet and not within a local computer or server. Through the internet, a person can access and use data and applications from any corner of the world. Flexibility, scalability, and cost saving make it so popular. All organizational and consumer usage requires cloud computing as it offers access to shared pools of configurable computing resources such as networks, servers, storage, applications, and bandwidth over the Internet and on premises from providers.

Some of the widely accepted cloud models are:

1. Infrastructure as a Service: This model delivers virtualized computing over an infrastructure; therefore, the organizations will build and manage the applications.
2. Platform as a Service: This provides a development platform and tools with which one can build, test, and deploy applications but does not manage the underlying infrastructure.
3. Software as a Service: A complete package of software application over the Internet, accessed through a web browser, so you use it like email or productivity software.

The benefits of cloud computing are myriad. With it, you do not have to invest on any material level as far as hardware is concerned, therefore saving on IT maintenance, and this also goes with telecommuting where resources can be needed from anywhere. It also works with the principle of resource scalability, through its ability to vary the amount of resources allocated based on how resource-intensive an application is. It supports collaboration, data backup, and disaster recovery; thus, it is great for dynamic environments.

Development in cloud technology fuels the innovation of how such advanced applications of AI, big data analytics, and IoT are applied. The flexibility and efficiency with which cloud computing delivers have been reinforced to end up as fundamental in changing the way organizations operate and continues to deliver improved agility, security, and cost-effectiveness in today's digital landscape.