Cloud applications are software that are accessible over the internet. Cloud applications must offer a standard and shared service that is available as either a public or private cloud; a user interface that is built using standard technologies; and a turnkey solution that is packaged to include all required system resources. Additionally, cloud applications must have the following characteristics:
- Self-provisioning, although may use some vendor onboarding assistance
- Dynamic, fine-grained elastic scaling for performance optimization
- Self-service application administration
- Published integration APIs based on web services or other internet standards-based technology
- Use-based pricing cap
