Cloud services are IT resources (servers, storage, databases, software and networking) that you rent over the internet from a provider's data centre instead of owning them in your office. There are three main types: infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS), delivered through public, private or hybrid cloud. ERS IT Solutions, a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider in Dublin 15 since 1983, designs and manages cloud services for Irish businesses.
What are cloud services? The meaning in plain English
The standard cloud computing services definition comes from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, which defines cloud computing as "a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources", made up of five essential characteristics, three service models and four deployment models (NIST SP 800-145). In everyday terms: you use computing like electricity, paying for what you use, scaling up or down, and leaving the hardware to someone else.
Cloud computing is the technology; cloud services are the products sold on top of it. Microsoft 365, Azure virtual machines and an online accounts package are all cloud services. A cloud services provider in cloud computing is the company that runs them, such as Microsoft, Amazon Web Services or Google, or a partner that resells and manages them.
What are the types of cloud computing services?
There are three service models. The difference is how much the provider manages and how much you manage.
| Type | What you get | You manage | Provider manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS (infrastructure as a service) | Virtual servers, storage, networks | Operating system, applications, data | Physical hardware, data centre | Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Disk Storage |
| PaaS (platform as a service) | A ready platform to run applications or databases | Your application and data | Servers, operating system, runtime | Azure App Service, Azure SQL Database |
| SaaS (software as a service) | Finished software you log in to | Users, settings, data | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 |
Microsoft's shared responsibility model uses exactly these examples and stresses that in every model "you own your data and identities".
Infrastructure cloud services (IaaS)
IaaS is the closest to your own server room. You rent virtual machines, storage and networking, and run your own software on them. It suits businesses moving existing servers to the cloud without changing the applications, often called "lift and shift". Cloud infrastructure management services are the work of patching, monitoring, backing up and securing those machines, which is still your job (or your provider's) in IaaS.
Cloud platform services (PaaS)
PaaS removes the operating system from your list of jobs. You deploy an application or a database and the platform handles servers, patching and scaling. It suits cloud application development and hosting web applications. Cloud native services are applications built specifically for this model, using managed databases, functions and containers rather than full virtual machines.
Cloud software services (SaaS)
SaaS is software you simply use: email, accounts, CRM, HR. Most cloud based services and applications a small business uses are SaaS. Popular cloud services in this group include Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce and Xero.
Cloud services examples by category
If you want a cloud computing services list, these are the cloud services categories businesses actually buy:
- Cloud email services: Exchange Online in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace Gmail.
- Cloud based storage services and cloud file services: OneDrive, SharePoint, Azure Files, Dropbox. Microsoft cloud storage services include OneDrive and SharePoint for documents and Azure Storage for application data.
- Cloud data storage services for applications: Azure Blob Storage, Azure SQL Database.
- Cloud backup and disaster recovery: see our cloud backup guide.
- Cloud network services: virtual networks, VPN gateways, firewalls as a service.
- Cloud logging services: central collection of security and system logs, for example Azure Monitor and Microsoft Sentinel.
- Cloud desktops: Windows 365 Cloud PCs.
- Cloud application hosting services: hosting web apps, portals and APIs on PaaS.
- Mobile app cloud services: back ends that store data, authenticate users and send push notifications for mobile apps.
These are the main services of cloud computing that a small business meets. The large platforms offer many more, but a typical Irish SME uses only a handful.
Public vs private vs hybrid cloud: the deployment models
NIST lists four cloud deployment models: public, private, community and hybrid (NIST SP 800-145). The three that matter to most businesses:
| Model | What it is | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public cloud | Shared infrastructure run by a provider, rented per use | Most businesses, fast set-up, scaling | Configuration mistakes, cost control |
| Private cloud | Infrastructure dedicated to one organisation, on its premises or hosted | Strict data or performance requirements | Higher cost, you manage more |
| Hybrid cloud | A mix of public cloud and private or on-premise systems, connected | Moving in stages, keeping a legacy system on site | More moving parts to secure |
What are public cloud services? Examples
Public cloud services are offered to anyone over the internet on shared infrastructure. Public cloud services examples include Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and SaaS products such as Microsoft 365.
What is a private cloud service?
Private cloud computing services run on infrastructure used only by your organisation. Private cloud hosting services put that dedicated environment in a provider's data centre. SSE Airtricity's sales pipeline system, built by ERS, was migrated from on-premise to a private cloud (SSE Airtricity case study).
Hybrid cloud storage services and multi cloud services
Hybrid cloud storage keeps some data on site (for speed or because a legacy application needs it) and syncs or tiers the rest to the cloud. Multi cloud means using more than one public cloud provider, for example Microsoft 365 and Azure alongside an application hosted on AWS. Multi cloud services add flexibility but also more consoles, bills and security settings to manage. Our older article on the hybrid cloud covers the basics.
What are the benefits of cloud services?
The advantages of cloud services for a business:
- No large hardware purchases. Costs move from buying servers every five years to a monthly fee.
- Scale when you need to. Add users or capacity in minutes.
- Work from anywhere. Staff reach email and files securely from home or on site.
- Less maintenance. The provider patches the physical infrastructure, and in SaaS much more.
- Better resilience. Major providers run multiple data centres. Azure's North Europe region is in Ireland and is paired with West Europe in the Netherlands (Microsoft Learn).
- Security tooling. Identity protection, encryption and monitoring that a small business could not build itself.
What are the risks of cloud services?
The main cloud services risks are not the data centre being breached. They are:
- Misconfiguration: files shared publicly, storage left open, admin accounts without MFA.
- Account takeover: one stolen password opens everything.
- Cost overrun: resources left running, wrong sizes, unused licences.
- No backup: assuming the provider backs up your data.
- Lock-in: data or applications hard to move later.
- Connectivity: if the internet goes down, so does access.
Are cloud services secure?
Major cloud platforms are generally more secure at the physical and infrastructure level than a typical office server room. The weak point is how the customer sets them up. Microsoft's own list of what customers always keep responsibility for is data, endpoints, accounts and access management, including MFA and conditional access (Microsoft Learn). Get those right and cloud services are secure for most businesses.
Cloud services comparison: Microsoft Azure vs AWS vs Google Cloud
Which is the best cloud computing service depends on what you already use.
| Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strongest fit | Businesses already on Microsoft 365, Windows and Active Directory | Software companies and large-scale web workloads | Data analytics and businesses on Google Workspace |
| Identity | Entra ID, shared with Microsoft 365 | Separate identity service | Google identity |
| Region in Ireland | North Europe (Microsoft) | Europe (Ireland), eu-west-1 (AWS) | Check Google's region list for current European locations |
| Typical SME use | Email, files, servers, backup, Cloud PCs | Hosting apps and websites | Workspace, analytics |
For most Irish SMEs running Microsoft 365, Azure is the natural choice for servers and backup because identity, security and billing sit in one place. A cloud services comparison chart should always include support: who you ring when it breaks.
What is managed services in cloud?
Managed cloud services means a provider runs your cloud environment for you: monitoring, patching, backups, security, cost control and user support, for a monthly fee. The types of cloud managed services range from managing Microsoft 365 only, to running Azure servers, to full managed IT across cloud and office. Cloud services brokerage is a related idea: a partner helps you choose, buy and combine services from several providers. See our cloud services page for how ERS does this.
Emerging cloud services and technologies
The cloud services technologies changing fastest in 2026 are AI services built into productivity tools, such as Microsoft Copilot, cloud PCs that replace office desktops, and serverless platforms for applications. For most small businesses the practical priorities are still secure identity, good backup and controlled costs.