Services on someone else’s hardware
A cloud provider runs the physical data centres behind cloud computing. An organisation can use its virtual servers to run apps, storage for files, and databases for records. These are separate services: saying an app “runs on” a provider does not say which services it uses.
For example, an app might run on Amazon’s EC2, store files in S3, or analyse data with Google Cloud’s BigQuery. Each is one service within a larger provider platform.
The provider maintains the physical hardware. The organisation chooses its services, sets up its app, controls access, and protects its data. Some services leave the organisation to manage the software on a server; others take on more of that work.
Check the service and location
Services run in regions, which are geographic areas. Teams choose a region when setting up many services. Location can affect speed, data rules, and what happens during an outage.
If someone says a provider is down, ask whether the problem affects one app, a particular service or region, or a wider part of the provider’s platform. The same detail matters when investigating costs. Choosing services that are specific to one provider can also make switching providers harder later.