Google Compute Engine Definition Google Compute Engine (GCE) is an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offering that allows clients to run workloads on Google's physical hardware. Google Compute Engine provides a scalable number of virtual machines (VMs) to serve as large compute clusters for that purpose.  GCE can be managed through a RESTful API, command line interface (CLI) or Web console. Compute Engine is a pay-per-usage service with a 10-minute minimum. There are no up-front f...

application service provider (ASP) An application service provider (ASP) is a company that offers individuals or enterprises access over the Internet to applications and related services that would otherwise have to be located in their own personal or enterprise computers. Sometimes referred to as "apps-on-tap," ASP services are expected to become an important alternative, not only for smaller companies with low budgets for information technology, but also for larger companies as a ...

XaaS (Anything as a Service) Definition XaaS is a general, collective term that refers to the delivery of anything as a service. It recognizes the vast number of products, tools and technologies that vendors now deliver to users as a service over a network -- typically the internet -- rather than provide locally or on-site within an enterprise. Examples of XaaS There are countless examples of XaaS, but the most common encompass the three general cloud computing models: Software as a Ser...