What Is Cloud Computing? The Definitive Beginner Guide [2026]
By Citadel Cloud Management ·
What Is Cloud Computing? Everything You Need to Know
Cloud computing is renting computing resources — servers, storage, databases, networking — from companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google instead of buying and maintaining your own hardware.
The 3 Service Models
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IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) — rent virtual servers. You manage the OS and apps. Example: AWS EC2, Azure VMs
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PaaS (Platform as a Service) — deploy code without managing servers. Example: Heroku, Google App Engine
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SaaS (Software as a Service) — use software through a browser. Example: Gmail, Salesforce, Slack
The 3 Major Providers
| Provider | Market Share | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| AWS | 31% | Broadest service catalog, startups |
| Azure | 25% | Enterprise, Microsoft integration |
| GCP | 11% | Data/AI, Kubernetes |
Why Companies Use Cloud
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No upfront hardware costs
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Scale up or down instantly
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Pay only for what you use
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Global reach in minutes
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Built-in security and compliance
Getting Started
Create a free AWS, Azure, or GCP account. All offer free tiers with $200-$300 in credits.
Start with our free Cloud Fundamentals course — 18 hours from zero to understanding cloud. Code CLOUDPATH for 20% off cloud tools.