# "The Cloud" Defined

According to the official <span class="caps">NIST</span> definition, “cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”

- [http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html#800-145](http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html#800-145)

<span class="caps">NIST</span> has several reference documents in its **Cloud Computing** subject area—

- **<span class="caps">NIST</span> Cloud Computing Program**, [http://www.nist.gov/itl/cloud/](http://www.nist.gov/itl/cloud/)
- **[<span class="caps">NIST</span> Cloud Computing Standards Roadmap](http://www.nist.gov/manuscript-publication-search.cfm?pub_id=909024 "SP 500-291")**
- [Cloud Computing, *Security Reference Architecture* **<span class="caps">RFC</span>**](http://collaborate.nist.gov/twiki-cloud-computing/pub/CloudComputing/CloudSecurity/NIST_Security_Reference_Architecture_2013.05.15_v1.0.pdf "SP 500-299")

Another perspective relating possible confusion with virtualization—

- **What IS the difference between Virt and Cloud?**, [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/17/hybrid\_cloud\_definitions\_analysis/](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/17/hybrid_cloud_definitions_analysis/)