Cloud Service Provider (CSP)

Security+ 🏆 • Web Security 🕸️ • Difficulty: premium

Definition

A Cloud Service Provider delivers computing as a service—servers, storage, databases, networking, and higher-level platforms—so customers can deploy applications without owning physical infrastructure. Security and operations follow a shared responsibility model.

Examples

  • A startup runs a web app on a CSP’s managed Kubernetes service; the provider secures the data center and control plane while the team secures containers, images, and app secrets.
  • Finance moves email and collaboration to a SaaS suite; the CSP protects the service and uptime, while the customer configures identity, MFA, retention, and DLP.

Discover 🔎

A Cloud Service Provider operates large-scale infrastructure and platforms that you rent on demand. You choose from service models—SaaS for complete applications, PaaS for ready-to-build platforms, and IaaS for virtual machines, storage, and networks. The payoff is speed, elasticity, and global reach. The tradeoff is that security and operations are shared: the provider secures the cloud; you secure what you put in it.

Remember: Shared responsibility shifts with the service model—more SaaS means the provider does more; more IaaS means you do more.
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