What is a critical feature of cloud services delivery?

The critical feature of cloud services delivery being customer-driven access to cloud resources is rooted in the flexibility and scalability that cloud services offer. This aspect allows users to easily provision and manage their resources based on current needs without the need for extensive intervention from the service provider. Customers can access their resources, such as storage or computing power, on-demand, which aligns with the core advantages of cloud computing—agility and responsiveness to changing business requirements.

This approach emphasizes empowering users to operate efficiently, facilitating faster deployment of applications and enabling innovation. The self-service capability is central to most cloud models, allowing organizations to tailor their usage and spending according to their specific requirements and operational strategies.

While mandatory disclosures of data locations, real-time updates of service availability, and standardized contracts may play significant roles in governance, communication, or compliance, it is the customer-driven access to resources that fundamentally defines the user experience and operational model of cloud services.