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Reconceptualizing Cloud Computing Architectures: Governance, Security, Economics, and Distributed Systems in the Era of Multi-Cloud and Serverless Paradigms
Issue Vol. 2 No. 02 (2025): Volume 02 Issue 02 --- Section Articles
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Abstract
Cloud computing has evolved from a conceptual abstraction of on-demand computational utility into a complex socio-technical ecosystem underpinning modern digital infrastructures across public, private, and hybrid domains. This evolution has been shaped by foundational definitional frameworks, architectural innovations, economic imperatives, and persistent challenges related to security, governance, and performance. Drawing strictly upon established academic literature, standards documentation, and industry research, this article presents a comprehensive and theoretically grounded examination of contemporary cloud computing systems. The study is anchored in the canonical definition of cloud computing proposed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which has served as a conceptual and regulatory cornerstone for over a decade, while integrating subsequent advances in multi-cloud strategies, serverless computing, FinOps practices, and distributed consensus mechanisms (Mell and Grance, 2011; Armbrust et al., 2010).
The article advances three interrelated objectives. First, it revisits the theoretical and historical foundations of cloud computing, emphasizing how early economic and architectural assumptions have been reconfigured by hyperscale providers, edge integration, and platform abstraction layers. Second, it develops a detailed methodological framework for analyzing cloud systems as layered, distributed environments governed simultaneously by technical protocols, organizational decision-making, and market forces. Third, it presents an interpretive results analysis that synthesizes findings from security research, financial governance studies, and distributed systems theory to illuminate emergent patterns in cloud adoption and operation.
Rather than employing empirical experimentation, the study adopts a qualitative, text-based analytical methodology grounded in comparative literature synthesis and theoretical triangulation. This approach enables a nuanced interpretation of how concepts such as elasticity, resource pooling, and measured service have been operationalized differently across infrastructure-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service, and serverless computing models (Bala and Gupta, 2022). Particular attention is devoted to multi-cloud security and privacy concerns, where fragmentation of trust boundaries and heterogeneous policy enforcement have introduced new systemic risks (Zhou and Zhang, 2023).
The discussion extends beyond technical considerations to examine cloud financial management and governance as central determinants of sustainability and organizational value creation. By integrating FinOps principles with architectural decision-making, the article highlights tensions between optimization, transparency, and innovation in large-scale cloud deployments (Weins, 2023; Shvachka et al., 2021). The study concludes by articulating a forward-looking research agenda that situates cloud computing at the intersection of distributed consensus research, edge intelligence, and adaptive economic control mechanisms. Collectively, the article contributes an original, publication-ready synthesis that deepens scholarly understanding of cloud computing as an evolving, multi-dimensional system rather than a static technological artifact.
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References
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