Cloud

A company that offers individuals or enterprises access over a network, most typically the Internet in the case of cloud or SaaS software, to applications and related services that would otherwise have to be located in their own personal or enterprise computers.

The use of various services, such as software development platforms, servers, storage, and software, over the Internet, often referred to as the "cloud." Cloud computing enables companies to consume a computer resource, such as a virtual machine (VM), storage or an application, as a utility (just like electricity) rather than having to build and maintain computing infrastructures in house.

The approach taken to “deliver” enterprise software. It is usually used when referring to a software application. There are three primary delivery models for enterprise software: (1) licensed on-premise model in which a customer purchases software and owns it; (2) SaaS or “Software as a Service” model in which the customer “rents” the software, and the supplier runs and updates the software, providing the software as a service offering rather than as a product; and, (3) hosted model in which a customer purchases or leases the software, and a third party runs the software for that customer. Many customers use a “hybrid” approach, a combination of on-premise solutions and cloud or SaaS.

A client/server standard used to transfer files between computers over the Internet using control and data channels. More modern and secure methods of transferring data are SFTP (using a secure channel between computer systems); HTTPS (adds an added layer of encryption); AS2 (generates an envelope for the data with digital certifications and encryption); MFT (providing extensive security that meets security policies for HIPAA, PCI (Payment Card Industry), etc.). Additionally, cloud storage rooms like Dropbox and Virtual Data Rooms may also be used to share data.