In simple terms, the cloud refers to the delivery of computing services, including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and analytics, over the internet, rather than using a local server or personal computer.

Using cloud computing services allows individuals, businesses, and organizations to access powerful computing resources and infrastructure on-demand, without the need for large upfront investments in hardware and IT staff. Instead, they can pay for the computing services they use, scaling up or down as their needs change over time.

Cloud computing services can be classified into three main categories:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): This provides customers with access to computing resources such as virtual machines, storage, and networking.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): This provides customers with a complete platform for building, testing, and deploying applications.

Software as a Service (SaaS): This provides customers with access to software applications that are hosted and managed by a third-party provider.

Some examples of popular cloud computing services include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.