What Is Cloud Computing?

We begin our first interlude by considering the security implications of cloud computing. Cloud computing is not a new technology. Rather, it is a new way of providing services by using technology. The U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology has proposed defining cloud computing as a model “for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources” [MEL11]. Thus, the cloud consists of networks, servers, storage, applications, and services that are connected in a loose and easily reconfigurable way. If you want to use the cloud, you contract with a cloud service provider, specify the configuration you want, et voilà! It is provided to you with very little exercise of your gray cells!

The cloud has five defining characteristics: