This document provides an overview of cloud computing, including its history and origins dating back to mainframe computers in the 1950s and time sharing networks in the 1960s. It describes the types of cloud models including infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS). The key characteristics of cloud computing are also summarized such as resource pooling, broad network access, elasticity, measured service, and on-demand self-service.