cloud | A virtualized server environment that can host
a web service or application for multiple tenants.
For technical audiences, the term cloud
computing typically refers to a specialized,
virtual environment that houses applications, data, and/or
computing resources in a single location and provides access
to those resources over the Internet. For a general
audience, cloud computing refers to
applications and services that are accessed over the
Internet, rather than to applications that are installed on
a user’s local computer. | The cloud is an emerging concept for many of
our users, especially for the general audience and the
worldwide audience. Define the term or give it context on
first mention by using the definition that is appropriate
for your audience. Use
cloud as an adjective.
Cloud may be used sparingly as a noun
in content for a technical audience or in informal contexts.
Do not use cloud interchangeably with
Internet or
web. |
cloud platform | The cloud operating system that provides the
computing, storage, hosting, and management services for
hosting customer-developed applications and
services. | Use only in content for a technical audience.
In content for a general audience, it’s probably not
necessary to distinguish types of offerings, and referring
to cloud services is
preferred. |
cloud service | A service, IT solution, or application that is
delivered and consumed in real time over the Internet or an
intranet (“the cloud”). Services range from email to entire
IT platforms. | |
community cloud | A cloud infrastructure that is shared by a
group of organizations with shared goals or concerns, such
as civil agencies. It can be managed by the group or by a
third party, and it can be hosted on-premises or
off-premises. | To keep the topic straightforward for
customers, avoid using this term; most contexts can be
described without introducing yet another term. Because the
deployment models are not widely understood, when the term
must be used, define it on first mention. See
also hybrid cloud, private cloud, and
public cloud. |
elastic service capacity | The flexible allocation of computing resources
over the Internet as demand changes. | Not dynamic service
capacity. Define on first mention for audiences
that may not be familiar with the concept. |
hosted service | A service, IT solution, or application that is
hosted by a service provider and made available to a
customer over the Internet. | None |
hosting provider | A third-party service provider that offers
scalable infrastructure services to multiple
customers. | May also use cloud hosting
provider and web hosting
provider if necessary to establish the context or
distinguish cloud service providers from web hosts, such as
Go Daddy. Do not use
hoster. |
hybrid cloud | A cloud infrastructure that uses a combination
of public, community, and private clouds, with each discrete
entity connected to enable data and application portability
between them. A hybrid cloud addresses an
organization’s unique application and data storage needs and
privacy concerns. | Use with a technical audience that is comfortable with
cloud technology. For other users, it may be more useful to
talk about a hybrid model. Because the deployment models
are not widely understood, define on first mention. See also
community cloud, private cloud, and
public cloud. |
infrastructure as a service
(IaaS) | Flexible computing capacity, such as servers,
storage, and networking, that is managed by a cloud services
provider and made available to the customer over the
Internet. In the infrastructure as a service (IaaS) model,
hardware provisioning (such as for compute, storage, and
networking) is controlled by the provider, but the customer
maintains control of the operating system and
applications. | All right to use IaaS
after the full term has been spelled out on first mention.
Do not capitalize as
IAAS. |
IT as a service (ITaaS) | IT as a service describes all three layers
(IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) of IT services consumed by organizations
and businesses. Examples of ITaaS services include hardware
selection, configuration, and optimization, in addition to
software configuration and patching. | Use only in content for a technical or
business-decision-maker audience. In content for a general
audience, refer to the specific type of service being
provided (such as applying software updates) in a cloud computing model. All right
to use ITaaS after the full term has
been spelled out on first mention. Do not capitalize as
ITAAS. |
measured service | Service levels are contractually defined, and
usage is metered—often per user or per hour. Customers pay
only for what they use. | None |
on-premises, off- premises | Terms used to distinguish local computing—in
which computing resources are located within a customer’s
own facilities—from remote computing, in which computing
resources are provided partially or totally through
cloud computing. | Hyphenate in all positions. Note that
premises is plural. Do not use
on-premise, off-premise. Do not use
on-premises cloud or
off-premises cloud. |
platform as a service (PaaS) | An operating environment that is made available
to an organization over the Internet. Typically, a vendor
manages the operating environment itself (which may include
storage and servers), and the customer manages the end-user
applications that are delivered in the operating
environment. PaaS offerings provide a platform for the
development, testing, deployment, and ongoing maintenance of
applications without the cost of buying and maintaining the
underlying infrastructure and operating
environments. | All right to use PaaS
after the full term has been spelled out on first mention.
Do not capitalize as
PAAS. |
private cloud, hosted private cloud | A cloud infrastructure that is dedicated to an
organization (not shared with other organizations). A
private cloud can be managed by the organization or hosted
by a third-party service provider, in which case it is
referred to as a hosted private cloud.
A private cloud can be located on-premises or
off-premises. | Because the deployment models are not widely
understood, define on first mention. See also
community cloud, hybrid cloud, and
public cloud. |
public cloud | A cloud infrastructure typically owned and
managed by an organization that provisions cloud services to
the general public or a large group. | Because the deployment models are not widely
understood, define on first mention. See also
community cloud, hybrid cloud, and
private cloud. |
service-oriented architecture | A software architecture that uses policies,
practices, and frameworks to enable application
functionality to be provided and consumed as sets of
services. | Note the hyphen. All right to use the acronym
SOA after the full term has been
spelled out on first mention. |
software as a service (SaaS) | Software that is consumed over the Internet
rather than installed on-premises. Typically, a vendor
manages the cloud infrastructure, including hardware,
storage, operating system, and applications. | All right to use SaaS
after the full term has been spelled out on first mention.
Do not capitalize as
SAAS. |
tenant | An organization that consumes cloud computing resources from a service
provider but is ultimately responsible for the data stored
in or transferred by the cloud resources. In a multitenant
environment, the resources are shared by multiple
organizations. In a single-tenant environment, the cloud
resources are dedicated to a single tenant. | None |
