Cloud Computing signifies the provision of computing resources as needed—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and analytics—over the internet.

It fundamentally transforms IT from a fixed capital expense to a flexible, utility-based operational cost. For modern industry and research, the cloud provides crucial scalability and agility, enabling massive data processing (Big Data) and AI workloads without the need for vast local infrastructure investment. In the context of Industry 4.0, cloud platforms are essential for securely consolidating IoT data from remote locations and facilitating real-time collaboration and decentralized decision-making.