A type of software delivery model[1] that is deployed and managed on a vendor’s cloud computing[2] infrastructure[3] and accessed by users over the Internet as and when required.
The approach taken to “deliver” enterprise software. It is usually used when referring to a software application. There are three primary delivery models for enterprise software: (1) licensed on-premise model in which a customer purchases software and owns it; (2) SaaS or “Software as a Service” model in which the customer “rents” the software, and the supplier runs and updates the software, providing the software as a service offering rather than as a product; and, (3) hosted model in which a customer purchases or leases the software, and a third party runs the software for that customer. Many customers use a “hybrid” approach, a combination of on-premise solutions and cloud or SaaS.
The use of various services, such as software development platforms, servers, storage, and software, over the Internet, often referred to as the "cloud." Cloud computing enables companies to consume a computer resource, such as a virtual machine (VM), storage or an application, as a utility (just like electricity) rather than having to build and maintain computing infrastructures in house.
The generic term to include all application software, operating systems, network communications and database management systems with an organization.
