Glossary
Cloud Computing (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS)
An on-demand network access model for shared computing resources. NIS 2 covers all cloud players — IaaS, PaaS and SaaS — within its regulatory scope.
Cloud Computing is a computing model that provides on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable resources (servers, storage, applications). NIS 2 covers every player in the sector, whether they provide physical infrastructure (IaaS), development platforms (PaaS), or hosted application software (SaaS).
The three service models
IaaS — Infrastructure as a Service
On-demand provisioning of raw computing resources: processing power, storage, networking. The customer manages the operating system and applications themselves.
Examples: Amazon Web Services (EC2), Microsoft Azure, OVHcloud.
PaaS — Platform as a Service
A complete development and deployment environment made available to customers. The customer focuses on application code while the underlying platform is managed by the provider.
Examples: Google App Engine, Heroku, Azure App Service.
SaaS — Software as a Service
A complete application accessed through a browser, with no local installation. The provider manages the entire technical stack.
Examples: Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Google Workspace.
Position under NIS 2
Cloud providers fall under Annex I (highly critical sectors) of NIS 2 and are subject to the cross-border regime — their supervision depends on the competent authority of the EU member state where their main establishment is located.