1.11: Key Terms

Key Terms and Definitions

• Cloud Computing — On-demand delivery of computing resources over the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing.
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) — A cloud service model providing virtualized computing resources (servers, storage, networks) on demand.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS) — A cloud model providing a managed platform and runtime environment for developing and deploying applications.
• Software as a Service (SaaS) — A cloud model delivering complete application software over the internet on a subscription basis.
• Function as a Service (FaaS) — A cloud model enabling developers to deploy individual functions that execute on demand without managing servers.
• Shared Responsibility Model — A framework dividing security duties between the cloud provider and the customer.
• Capital Expenditure (CapEx) — Upfront investment in physical assets such as servers, data centers, and hardware.
• Operational Expenditure (OpEx) — Ongoing recurring costs for services consumed, such as monthly cloud fees.
• Elasticity — The ability of a cloud system to automatically scale resources up or down based on demand.
• Multi-tenancy — An architecture where a single software instance serves multiple customers with isolated data.
• Cloud Governance — Policies, procedures, and controls for managing cloud environments aligned with business objectives.
• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) — The comprehensive cost assessment including purchase, operation, and maintenance of IT systems.
• Hyperscaler — A major cloud provider operating at massive global scale (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).
• Hybrid Cloud — A strategy combining on-premises infrastructure with public cloud services.
• Everything as a Service (XaaS) — The broad concept of delivering any IT function as a cloud-based, subscription service.