Cloud (service): Difference between revisions

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In consumer technology, a '''cloud service''' typically refers to a data processing service provided by a service provider (often product manufacturer), often for a periodic fee. Typical examples of such services include data storage, off-device data processing, easy access to an internet-connected device from anywhere with an internet connection and synchronization between devices.

In consumer technology, a '''cloud service''' typically refers to a data processing service provided by a service provider (often product manufacturer), often for a periodic fee, without control over or even information about what infrastructure provides that service. Typical examples of such services include data storage, off-device data processing, easy access to an internet-connected device from anywhere with an internet connection and synchronization between devices.

A defining feature of a cloud service is absence of management of the infrastructure that processes the data — presented in marketing as a plus for the sake of convenience, but restricting choices consumers may want to make themselves.

==Origin of the term==

The term "cloud services" borrows from a term [[wikipedia:Cloud_computing|cloud computing]], which is vague to the point that FSF recommends avoiding it,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-17 |title=Words to Avoid (or Use with Care) Because They Are Loaded or Confusing § “Cloud Computing” |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#CloudComputing |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250310165359/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid#CloudComputing |archive-date=2025-03-10 |access-date=2026-03-24 |website=GNU Project - Free Software Foundation}}</ref> and in context of consumer technology the term inherits its vagueness. A ~~typical~~ defining feature of a cloud service is ~~lack~~ of ~~information about~~ the infrastructure that processes the data. It's true in cloud computing as well, but referring to the perspective of a service provider and a party that supplies them with computing infrastructure.

The term "cloud services" borrows from a term [[wikipedia:Cloud_computing|cloud computing]], which is vague to the point that FSF recommends avoiding it,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-17 |title=Words to Avoid (or Use with Care) Because They Are Loaded or Confusing § “Cloud Computing” |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#CloudComputing |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250310165359/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid#CloudComputing |archive-date=2025-03-10 |access-date=2026-03-24 |website=GNU Project - Free Software Foundation}}</ref> and in context of consumer technology the term inherits its vagueness. A defining feature of a cloud service is absence of management of the infrastructure that processes the data. It's true in cloud computing as well, but referring to the perspective of a service provider and a party that supplies them with computing infrastructure, e. g. servers, disk drives and network hardware.

An important distinction is that "cloud service" in consumer marketing may refer to a data processing service provided by the manufacturer that is ''not'' based on cloud computing from the service provider's perspective. ~~A service provider might be in complete physical possession of the infrastructure, hence it not being "cloud" for ''them''~~, ~~but they might still advertise the service as "cloud service" to consumers because they're never informed how~~ and ~~through what the service is provided. This lack of information is what typically defines a service as "cloud"~~.

~~In marketing the term~~ "cloud" ~~is meant~~ to ~~carry~~ a ~~positive association with convenience~~ of not ~~having~~ to ~~decide how a service is provided~~.

Notably, a "cloud service" in consumer marketing may refer to a data processing service provided by the manufacturer that is ''not'' itself based on cloud computing from the service provider's perspective. A service provider might be in complete physical possession of the infrastructure involved in a service, hence it not being "cloud" for the provider, but manufacturer might still advertise the service as "cloud service" to consumers if the provider manages it for them without offering alternatives or prominently disclosing its existence.

==How it works==

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===Loss of control===

Service company can deprive you of your data/services. For example if you lose login credentials, as might happen when a person dies, or your account is stolen, or the service provider terminates the account. (see for example, [[Microsoft account]], [[Google account]]).

===(Often) Lack of competition===

Cloud services bundled with products often don't come with the ability to change providers for those services. This puts the product into a direct dependency from the service providers chosen by the manufacturer (often themselves), which:

*artificially prevents demand for the same service from other providers, preventing the emergence of competitive markets in respective market niches, giving financial advantage to chosen providers for non-competitive reasons, as well as preventing users from switching from providers they don't trust, e. g. after security incidents

*threatens [[Right to own|ownership over the product]], as terms of service can be altered unilaterally through technical means, and prevention of this through legal means is difficult or impossible

*limits the use of the product in unusual environments which manufacturer-chosen providers have no willingness or capacity to support, since they provide service for ''all'' users of the product, and therefore prioritize features that benefit wider circles of users, effectively reducing product capabilities. A particularly frequent example of this is functioning of a product with no internet access, which, in addition to being desirable to some users running private networks where access to the internet is restricted or unavailable, is a safeguard against accidents on service provider's side, such as when internet-enabled bed accessories by [[Eight Sleep]] were rendered non-adjustable due to an outage at Amazon Web Services<ref>{{Cite web |last=Castro-Sloboda |first=Giselle |date=2025-10-22 |title=Owners of Luxury Smart Beds Literally Lost Sleep Due to AWS Outage |url=https://www.cnet.com/health/sleep/owners-of-luxury-smart-beds-literally-lost-sleep-due-to-aws-outage/ |url-status=live |website=CNET}}</ref> (also showcasing [[Cloud (service)#Service concentration within cloud computing companies|the problem of service concentration]])

==Alternatives==

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*AI compute (inference) servers which power AI chatbots and agents. (for example, [[Google Gemini]], [[ChatGPT]], [[Microsoft Copilot]]).

==~~Further reading~~==

==See also==

*[[~~Self-hosting~~]]

*[[wikipedia:Content_delivery_network|Content delivery network]] ([[CDN]])

*[[Internet of things]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-In consumer technology, a '''cloud service''' typically refers to a data processing service provided by a service provider (often product manufacturer), often for a periodic fee. Typical examples of such services include data storage, off-device data processing, easy access to an internet-connected device from anywhere with an internet connection and synchronization between devices.
+In consumer technology, a '''cloud service''' typically refers to a data processing service provided by a service provider (often product manufacturer), often for a periodic fee, without control over or even information about what infrastructure provides that service. Typical examples of such services include data storage, off-device data processing, easy access to an internet-connected device from anywhere with an internet connection and synchronization between devices.
+A defining feature of a cloud service is absence of management of the infrastructure that processes the data — presented in marketing as a plus for the sake of convenience, but restricting choices consumers may want to make themselves.
 ==Origin of the term==
-The term "cloud services" borrows from a term [[wikipedia:Cloud_computing|cloud computing]], which is vague to the point that FSF recommends avoiding it,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-17 |title=Words to Avoid (or Use with Care) Because They Are Loaded or Confusing § “Cloud Computing” |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#CloudComputing |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250310165359/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid#CloudComputing |archive-date=2025-03-10 |access-date=2026-03-24 |website=GNU Project - Free Software Foundation}}</ref> and in context of consumer technology the term inherits its vagueness. A typical defining feature of a cloud service is lack of information about the infrastructure that processes the data. It's true in cloud computing as well, but referring to the perspective of a service provider and a party that supplies them with computing infrastructure.
+The term "cloud services" borrows from a term [[wikipedia:Cloud_computing|cloud computing]], which is vague to the point that FSF recommends avoiding it,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-17 |title=Words to Avoid (or Use with Care) Because They Are Loaded or Confusing § “Cloud Computing” |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#CloudComputing |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250310165359/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid#CloudComputing |archive-date=2025-03-10 |access-date=2026-03-24 |website=GNU Project - Free Software Foundation}}</ref> and in context of consumer technology the term inherits its vagueness. A defining feature of a cloud service is absence of management of the infrastructure that processes the data. It's true in cloud computing as well, but referring to the perspective of a service provider and a party that supplies them with computing infrastructure, e. g. servers, disk drives and network hardware.
-An important distinction is that "cloud service" in consumer marketing may refer to a data processing service provided by the manufacturer that is ''not'' based on cloud computing from the service provider's perspective. A service provider might be in complete physical possession of the infrastructure, hence it not being "cloud" for ''them'', but they might still advertise the service as "cloud service" to consumers because they're never informed how and through what the service is provided. This lack of information is what typically defines a service as "cloud".
-In marketing the term "cloud" is meant to carry a positive association with convenience of not having to decide how a service is provided.
+Notably, a "cloud service" in consumer marketing may refer to a data processing service provided by the manufacturer that is ''not'' itself based on cloud computing from the service provider's perspective. A service provider might be in complete physical possession of the infrastructure involved in a service, hence it not being "cloud" for the provider, but manufacturer might still advertise the service as "cloud service" to consumers if the provider manages it for them without offering alternatives or prominently disclosing its existence.
 ==How it works==
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 ===Loss of control===
 Service company can deprive you of your data/services.  For example if you lose login credentials, as might happen when a person dies, or your account is stolen, or the service provider terminates the account.  (see for example,  [[Microsoft account]], [[Google account]]).
+===(Often) Lack of competition===
+{{Main|Forced cloud}}
+Cloud services bundled with products often don't come with the ability to change providers for those services. This puts the product into a direct dependency from the service providers chosen by the manufacturer (often themselves), which:
+*artificially prevents demand for the same service from other providers, preventing the emergence of competitive markets in respective market niches, giving financial advantage to chosen providers for non-competitive reasons, as well as preventing users from switching from providers they don't trust, e. g. after security incidents
+*threatens [[Right to own|ownership over the product]], as terms of service can be altered unilaterally through technical means, and prevention of this through legal means is difficult or impossible
+*limits the use of the product in unusual environments which manufacturer-chosen providers have no willingness or capacity to support, since they provide service for ''all'' users of the product, and therefore prioritize features that benefit wider circles of users, effectively reducing product capabilities. A particularly frequent example of this is functioning of a product with no internet access, which, in addition to being desirable to some users running private networks where access to the internet is restricted or unavailable, is a safeguard against accidents on service provider's side, such as when internet-enabled bed accessories by [[Eight Sleep]] were rendered non-adjustable due to an outage at Amazon Web Services<ref>{{Cite web |last=Castro-Sloboda |first=Giselle |date=2025-10-22 |title=Owners of Luxury Smart Beds Literally Lost Sleep Due to AWS Outage |url=https://www.cnet.com/health/sleep/owners-of-luxury-smart-beds-literally-lost-sleep-due-to-aws-outage/ |url-status=live |website=CNET}}</ref> (also showcasing [[Cloud (service)#Service concentration within cloud computing companies|the problem of service concentration]])
 ==Alternatives==
@@ Line 62: / Line 70: @@
 *AI compute (inference) servers which power AI chatbots and agents. (for example, [[Google Gemini]], [[ChatGPT]], [[Microsoft Copilot]]).
-==Further reading==
+==See also==
-*[[Self-hosting]]
+*[[wikipedia:Content_delivery_network|Content delivery network]] ([[CDN]])
 *[[Internet of things]]