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== Value proposition ==
{{Page numbers needed|section|date=January 2024}}
Cloud computing can enable shorter time to market by providing pre-configured tools, scalable resources, and managed services, allowing users to focus on their core business value instead of maintaining infrastructure. Cloud platforms can enable organizations and individuals to reduce upfront capital expenditures on physical infrastructure by shifting to an operational expenditure model, where costs scale with usage. Cloud platforms also offer managed services and tools, such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, and machine learning, which might otherwise require significant in-house expertise and infrastructure investment.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |title=Cloud Computing: Concepts, Technology & Architecture |isbn=978-0133387520 |last1=Erl |first1=Thomas |last2=Puttini |first2=Ricardo |last3=Mahmood |first3=Zaigham |date=2013 |publisher=Pearson Education }}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite book |title=Cloud Computing, revised and updated edition |isbn=978-0262546478 |last1=Ruparelia |first1=Nayan B. |date=August 2023 |publisher=MIT Press }}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite book |title=Cloud Computing |isbn=978-1284233971}}</ref>
While cloud computing can offer cost advantages through effective resource optimization, organizations often face challenges such as unused resources, inefficient configurations, and hidden costs without proper oversight and governance. Many cloud platforms provide cost management tools, such as AWS Cost Explorer and Azure Cost Management, and frameworks like FinOps have emerged to standardize financial operations in the cloud. Cloud computing also facilitates collaboration, remote work, and global service delivery by enabling secure access to data and applications from any ___location with an internet connection.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9" />
== Factors influencing the adoption and suitability of cloud computing ==
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The decision to adopt cloud computing or maintain on-premises infrastructure depends on factors such as scalability, cost structure, latency requirements, regulatory constraints, and infrastructure customization.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |title=Cloud Computing For Dummies |isbn=978-0470484708 |last1=Hurwitz |first1=Judith S. |last2=Bloor |first2=Robin |last3=Kaufman |first3=Marcia |last4=Halper |first4=Fern |date=16 November 2009 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |title=Hybrid Cloud for Architects: Build robust hybrid cloud solutions using AWS and OpenStack |isbn=9781788623513}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |title=Security Architecture for Hybrid Cloud: A Practical Method for Designing Security Using Zero Trust Principles |isbn=9781098157777}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite book |title=Architecting the Cloud: Design Decisions for Cloud Computing Service Models (SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS) |isbn=978-1118617618 |last1=Kavis |first1=Michael J. |date=28 January 2014 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons }}</ref>
Organizations with variable or unpredictable workloads, limited capital for upfront investments, or a focus on rapid scalability benefit from cloud adoption. Startups, SaaS companies, and e-commerce platforms often prefer the pay-as-you-go operational expenditure (OpEx) model of cloud infrastructure. Additionally, companies prioritizing global accessibility, remote workforce enablement, disaster recovery, and leveraging advanced services such as AI/ML and analytics are well-suited for the cloud. In recent years, some cloud providers have started offering specialized services for high-performance computing and low-latency applications, addressing some use cases previously exclusive to on-premises setups.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" />
===Public===
{{self-referencehatnote|For a comparison of cloud-computing software and providers, see [[Cloud-computing comparison]]}}
Cloud services are considered "public" when they are delivered over the public Internet, and they may be offered as a paid subscription, or free of charge.<ref>{{cite web|first=Margaret|last=Rouse|title=What is public cloud?|access-date=12 October 2014|url=http://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/definition/public-cloud|publisher=Definition from Whatis.com|archive-date=16 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016022343/http://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/definition/public-cloud|url-status=live}}</ref> Architecturally, there are few differences between public- and private-cloud services, but security concerns increase substantially when services (applications, storage, and other resources) are shared by multiple customers. Most public-cloud providers offer direct-connection services that allow customers to securely link their legacy data centers to their cloud-resident applications.<ref name="idc">{{cite web |date=2008-09-23 |title=Defining 'Cloud Services' and "Cloud Computing" |url=http://blogs.idc.com/ie/?p=190 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722074526/http://blogs.idc.com/ie/?p=190 |archive-date=2010-07-22 |access-date=2010-08-22 |publisher=IDC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cloud.oracle.com/en_US/fastconnect|title=FastConnect {{!}} Oracle Cloud Infrastructure|website=cloud.oracle.com|access-date=2017-11-15|archive-date=2017-11-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115232022/https://cloud.oracle.com/en_US/fastconnect|url-status=live}}</ref>
Alternative cloud providers are often part of multi-cloud strategies, where organizations use multiple cloud services—both from hyperscalers and specialized providers—to optimize performance, compliance, and cost efficiency. However, they do not necessarily serve as direct replacements for hyperscalers, as their offerings are typically more specialized.<ref name=":10" />
=== Alternative Cloud Providers ===
Several alternative cloud providers offer specialized services that differentiate them from hyperscalers.
* [[CoreWeave]] – Specializes in high-performance computing and GPU-accelerated workloads, often used for AI, graphics rendering, and scientific simulations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CoreWeave looks to raise up to $2.7bn in IPO |url=https://www.ft.com/content/fcd64fbf-6397-4768-87f4-21f1e191b46b |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=www.ft.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bort |first=Julie |date=2025-03-10 |title=In another chess move with Microsoft, OpenAI is pouring $12B into CoreWeave |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/10/in-another-chess-move-with-microsoft-openai-is-pouring-12b-into-coreweave/ |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tan |first=Eli |last2=Metz |first2=Cade |date=2025-03-18 |title=How CoreWeave Went From Crypto Mining to Wall Street’s A.I. Bellwether |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/18/technology/coreweave-wall-street-ai-ipo.html |access-date=2025-03-20 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[Scaleway]] - '''–''' A French cloud provider offering infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) solutions, with a focus on GDPR compliance and regional data sovereignty.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Comment |first=Niva Yadav |date=2024-05-23 |title=Scaleway expands to 52 countries, buys 1,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs |url=https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/scaleway-expands-to-52-countries-buys-1000-nvidia-h100-gpus/ |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=www.datacenterdynamics.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=French cloud Scaleway starts renting Alibaba's RISC-V SoC |url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/04/scaleway_risc_v_server_alibaba/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250120191737/https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/04/scaleway_risc_v_server_alibaba/ |archive-date=2025-01-20 |access-date=2025-03-20 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[MongoDB Inc.|MongoDB]] Atlas is a fully managed database-as-a-service (DBaaS) that allows users to deploy and operate [[MongoDB]] databases on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carter |first=Luce |title=Beginning MongoDB Atlas With . NET: Flexible and Scalable Document Data Storage for . NET Developers |date=2024 |publisher=Apress L. P |isbn=978-1-4842-9550-2 |___location=Berkeley, CA}}</ref>
* OVHcloud – A France-based cloud provider known for its emphasis on data sovereignty, offering private cloud, dedicated servers, and European-hosted cloud solutions'''.''' <ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-21 |title=OVHcloud positioned as a 'Major Player' in the new IDC MarketScape report |url=https://www.techerati.com/press-release/ovhcloud-positioned-as-a-major-player-in-the-new-idc-marketscape-report/ |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=Techerati |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=Aug 2024 |title=IDC MarketScape: European Public Cloud IaaS 2024 Vendor Assessment |url=https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=EUR151035423 |journal=IDC MarketScape |volume=EUR151035423}}</ref>
* Lambda Labs – Provides GPU cloud computing tailored for AI research, deep learning, and machine learning development.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-19 |title=AI cloud startup Lambda raises $480 million in new round; Nvidia among investors: Reuters |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/19/ai-cloud-startup-lambda-raises-480-million-in-new-round-nvidia-among-investors.html |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Comment |first=Sebastian Moss |date=2024-10-10 |title=True believers: Lambda Labs’ AI cloud dreams |url=https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/analysis/true-believers-lambda-labs-ai-cloud-dreams/ |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=www.datacenterdynamics.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-19 |title=AI infrastructure startup Lambda closes $480M investment |url=https://siliconangle.com/2025/02/19/ai-infrastructure-startup-lambda-closes-480m-investment/ |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=SiliconANGLE |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Young-sil |first=Yoon |date=2025-03-04 |title=Shinhan Backs AI Cloud Innovator Lambda Labs with $9.3 Million Investment |url=https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=236658 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250313123102/https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=236658 |archive-date=2025-03-13 |access-date=2025-04-07 |work=Businesskorea |language=ko}}</ref>
* Paperspace – Specializes in cloud computing solutions for AI and machine learning, with a focus on scalable GPU access. <ref>{{Cite web |last=MSV |first=Janakiram |title=DigitalOcean Adds AI Capabilities With Acquisition Of Paperspace |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/janakirammsv/2023/07/10/digitalocean-adds-ai-capabilities-with-acquisition-of-paperspace/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=DigitalOcean Holdings Inc. (NYSE:DOCN): Accelerating AI and ML Growth with Paperspace Acquisition |url=https://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/digitalocean-holdings-inc-nysedocn-accelerating-ai-and-ml-growth-with-paperspace-acquisition-1419163/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=Insider Monkey |language=en-US}}</ref>
* RunPod – Offers cloud computing infrastructure optimized for AI applications and model deployment. <ref>{{Cite news |title=How AI Expansion Helps Companies Like RunPod Find New Niches to Make Money |url=https://www.inc.com/kit-eaton/how-ai-expansion-helps-companies-like-runpod-find-new-niches-to-make-money.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240601234540/https://www.inc.com/kit-eaton/how-ai-expansion-helps-companies-like-runpod-find-new-niches-to-make-money.html |archive-date=2024-06-01 |access-date=2025-04-08 |work=Inc.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=RunPod Partners with vLLM to Accelerate AI Inference |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241007574931/en/RunPod-Partners-with-vLLM-to-Accelerate-AI-Inference |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241207151019/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241007574931/en/RunPod-Partners-with-vLLM-to-Accelerate-AI-Inference/ |archive-date=2024-12-07 |access-date=2025-04-08 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomason |first=James |date=2024-05-08 |title=Intel and Dell’s $20M bet on RunPod suggests the cloud giants are ill-equipped for the AI revolution |url=https://venturebeat.com/ai/exclusive-runpod-secures-20m-from-dell-and-intel-as-demand-soars-for-ai-clouds/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Similar concepts==
* [[Edge computing]]
* [[Edge device]]
* [[Exchange-traded fund]]
* [[File system]]
** [[Clustered file system]]
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