Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and analytics—over the Internet ('the cloud') with pay-as-you-go pricing. Instead of owning and maintaining physical data centres, organisations rent access to computing resources from a cloud provider such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud.
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| On-demand self-service | Users provision resources automatically without human intervention from the provider. |
| Broad network access | Services are available over the network and accessed through standard devices. |
| Resource pooling | Provider resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers (multi-tenancy). |
| Rapid elasticity | Resources can be scaled up or down automatically in response to demand. |
| Measured service | Usage is monitored and billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. |
Provides raw computing infrastructure: virtual machines, storage, and networking. The user manages the OS and applications.
Provides a managed platform and development environment so developers can build, test, and deploy applications without managing the underlying infrastructure.
Delivers ready-to-use applications over the web via a browser. No installation is required on local machines.
| Model | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Public Cloud | Resources shared among multiple organisations; managed by a third-party provider. | AWS, Azure |
| Private Cloud | Dedicated infrastructure for a single organisation; higher security and control. | A bank's internal cloud |
| Hybrid Cloud | Combination of public and private clouds; sensitive data stays on-premise. | Bank keeps financial data private, hosts web servers on public cloud |
| Community Cloud | Shared by organisations with common goals (e.g., government agencies). | Federal government ministries sharing a cloud |
Cloud computing converts CapEx into OpEx, reducing upfront investment and allowing organisations to scale costs with actual usage.
Cloud security is governed by the CIA Triad:
| Threat | Impact |
|---|---|
| DDoS Attack | Overwhelms cloud resources, violating Availability |
| Data Breach | Unauthorised access to sensitive data, violating Confidentiality |
| Insider Threat | Malicious actions by authorised users, violating Integrity |
| Misconfiguration | Improperly set permissions exposing data publicly |
Cloud services improve accessibility by:
| Sector | Application |
|---|---|
| Education | Virtual classrooms, LMS platforms (e.g., Google Classroom) for rural schools |
| Healthcare | Cloud-based Electronic Health Records (EHR) accessible across hospitals |
| Government (e-Governance) | NADRA, FBR, and SECP using cloud for citizen data management |
| Agriculture | Cloud platforms aggregating IoT sensor data for precision farming |
| Disaster Management | Real-time data sharing between NDMA and provincial authorities |
| Banking & Finance | Core banking systems hosted on private/hybrid clouds for security |