Cloud Computing – Definition

The delivery of computing services including servers, storage, databases, networking, and software over the internet.

Cloud computing provides on-demand resources with scalability, flexibility, and cost efficiency. It enables businesses to avoid upfront infrastructure investments and pay only for what they use. Cloud services are commonly categorized into three layers: infrastructure as a service (raw compute and storage), platform as a service (a managed environment for running applications), and software as a service (complete applications delivered over the internet) — Salesforce Commerce Cloud and most specialized CMS platforms operate at the SaaS layer. One of cloud computing's most practical benefits for e-commerce is elastic scaling during demand spikes: a retailer's infrastructure needs might be ten times higher on Black Friday than on an average Tuesday, and cloud platforms can allocate additional capacity automatically for that period rather than requiring the retailer to permanently maintain peak-level infrastructure year-round. This elasticity is one of the clearest arguments for choosing cloud-native platforms over self-hosted alternatives for any retailer with seasonal traffic patterns.