What are the types of cloud computing services?

There are four main types of cloud computing: private clouds, public clouds, hybrid clouds, and multiclouds.

There are also three main types of cloud computing services: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platforms-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

Choosing a cloud type or cloud service is a unique decision. No two clouds are the same (even if they’re the same type), and no two cloud services are used to solve the same problem. But by understanding the similarities, you can be more informed about how the caveats of each cloud computing type and cloud service might impact your business.

Every cloud abstracts, pools, and shares scalable computing resources across a network. Every cloud type also enables cloud computing, which is the act of running workloads within that system. And every cloud is created using a unique mix of technologies, which almost always includes an operating system, some kind of management platform, and application programming interfaces (APIs). Virtualization and automation software can also be added to every kind of cloud for additional capabilities or increased efficiencies.