Mell, P.
and Grance, T.
(2011),
The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing, Special Publication (NIST SP), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-145, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=909616 (Accessed May 20, 2026)
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The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing
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Abstract
Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models.Citation
Special Publication (NIST SP) - 800-145
Report Number
800-145
NIST Pub Series
Pub Type
NIST Pubs
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Keywords
Cloud Computing, SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, On-demand Self Service, Reserve Pooling, Rapid Elasticity, Measured Service, Software as a Service, Platform as a Service, Infrastructure as a Service
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Created September 28, 2011, Updated May 7, 2026