根據NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technolog)在2011年的操作定義,雲端運算(Cloud Computing)定義了五項必要的特徵(essential characterisitcs):
- On-demand self-service, 按照需求自行配置
- Broad network access, 用網路來存取
- Resource pooling, 統整運算資源到統合的資源池
- Rapid elasticity or expansion, 快速且彈性的拓展資源
- Measured service, 量化與監控服務消耗的資源