This document provides an overview of cloud computing, including:
1. Definitions of cloud computing, its essential characteristics of on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and pay-per-use pricing.
2. The three service models of cloud computing: Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service.
3. The four deployment models of cloud computing: private cloud, community cloud, public cloud, and hybrid cloud.
4. Benefits of cloud computing include increasing speed and flexibility while reducing costs through improved server utilization, shorter payback periods, and variable rather than fixed pricing.