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What is Cloud Computing?

Published on November 30, 2020
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By Erin Glass

Senior Manager, DevEd

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is the delivery of computing resources as services, meaning that the resources are owned and managed by the cloud provider rather than the end user. Cloud computing is enabled through the abstraction of computing resources from the underlying hardware, allowing users access to resources that they do not physically maintain or own.

Cloud services can be used to develop and distribute web applications, host computing infrastructure for businesses and organizations, store digital media, provide browser-based software, and process data workloads.

These services often give businesses and developers greater capacity to rapidly scale computing resources and optimize computing costs in comparison to on-premise hardware and software. However, given the abstracted nature of cloud services, many of their technical details are hidden away from user oversight and control.

For more educational resources related to cloud computing, please visit:

A complete list of our resources on cloud computing can be found on our Cloud Computing page.

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About the authors
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Senior Manager, DevEd

Open source advocate and lover of education, culture, and community.

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