Cloud services are a broad category that includes any infrastructure, platform or software made available to organizations on the internet via third party or IT service providers. Cloud services can be accessed by anyone with a computer and internet connectivity and help organizations utilize the flexibility and innovation of the cloud, while promoting the use of cloud native applications at scale.

Cloud computing is a style of computing in which scalable and elastic IT-enabled capabilities are delivered as a service using internet technologies. Simply put, cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics and intelligence—over the cloud to offer faster innovation, flexible resources and economies of scale. Most cloud computing services fall into four broad categories: infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), serverless and software as a service (SaaS).

A cloud-based service is a resource, application or IT as a service provided over the internet, or cloud, via third party and IT service providers. These services can be accessed across dedicated networks, public, private and hybrid clouds, often with payment based on usage. Cloud-based services range from full applications to virtual desktops and are designed to be consumed in an affordable and flexible manner, without the need for internal hardware or infrastructure.

Industry cloud refers to specialized vertical cloud solutions tailored to meet the unique requirements of a particular industry. Unlike general-purpose cloud services, industry cloud platforms are designed to address the specific needs, regulatory requirements and business processes unique to sectors such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing and retail.