Cloud computing Definitions

This glossary explains the meaning of key words and phrases that information technology (IT) and business professionals use when discussing cloud computing and related software products. You can find additional definitions by visiting WhatIs.com or using the search box below.

Search Definitions
  • S

    Security, Trust and Assurance Registry (STAR)

    The Security, Trust and Assurance Registry (STAR) is an online registry of cloud provider security controls.

  • shadow IT

    Shadow IT is hardware or software within an enterprise that is not supported by the organization's central IT department.

  • single-tenancy

    Single-tenancy is an architecture in which a single instance of a software application and supporting infrastructure serves one customer.

  • software-defined perimeter (SDP)

    A software-defined perimeter, or SDP, is a security technique that controls access to resources based on identity and forms a virtual boundary around networked resources.

  • SPI model

    The SPI model is an abbreviation of the most common cloud computing service models: software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).

  • subscription-based pricing model

    A subscription-based pricing model is a payment structure that allows a customer or organization to purchase or subscribe to a vendor's IT services for a specific period of time for a set price.

  • What is SaaS (software as a service)?

    Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which a cloud provider hosts applications and makes them available to end users over the internet.

  • What is shared responsibility model?

    A shared responsibility model is a cloud security framework that dictates the security obligations of a cloud computing provider and its users to ensure accountability.

  • T

    Testing as a Service (TaaS)

    Testing as a service (TaaS) is an outsourcing model in which testing activities associated with some of an organization's business activities are performed by a service provider rather than in-house employees.

  • TOSCA (Topology and Orchestration Specification for Cloud Applications)

    The Topology and Orchestration Specification for Cloud Applications (TOSCA) is an open source language used to describe the relationships and dependencies between services and applications that reside on a cloud computing platform.

  • U

    usage-based pricing

    Usage-based pricing is a consumption-based pricing model in which customers are charged only when they use a product or service.

  • V

    vertical cloud

    A vertical cloud, also known as an industry cloud platform, is a set of cloud computing services optimized for use in a particular industry or for a specific business model.

  • virtual private cloud (VPC)

    A virtual private cloud (VPC) is the logical division of a service provider's public cloud multi-tenant architecture to support private cloud computing.

  • W

    web application development

    Web application development is the creation of application programs that reside on remote servers and are delivered to the user's device over the internet.

  • X

    XaaS (anything as a service)

    XaaS is a collective term that refers to the delivery of anything as a service.