What is Cloud Computing?
Understand the basic definition and key concepts of cloud computing.
☁️ What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services — including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and more — over the internet (the cloud) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale.
Instead of buying and maintaining physical data centers or servers, users can rent computing power, storage, and other services on demand from a cloud provider like Microsoft Azure.
🧠 Key Concepts
- On-demand self-service: Resources are available when needed, without human interaction.
- Broad network access: Services are accessible over the internet from anywhere.
- Resource pooling: Computing resources are shared across multiple users.
- Rapid elasticity: Resources can be scaled up or down quickly.
- Measured service: You pay only for what you use (pay-as-you-go).
📦 Real-World Analogy
Think of cloud computing like electricity:
You don't build your own power plant — you just plug into the grid and pay for what you use. Similarly, the cloud provides computing power on demand.
✅ Use Case Example:
A startup wants to launch a web app without buying servers. With Azure, they can deploy instantly, scale globally, and pay only for what they use.
✍️ My Learning Reflection
Understanding cloud computing was the foundation of my AZ-900 preparation. Realizing how businesses reduce upfront costs and scale efficiently using cloud platforms helped me connect the technical with the practical. Documenting this made the concept click for me even more.