In the past, software such as Microsoft Word or Adobe Illustrator came in a box and was designed to operate on a single machine. Today, you$$re more likely to download the software from the vendor$$s website or to use the software as a cloud service delivered over the Internet and pay a subscription fee.

Which of the following best describes a cloud$-$based software service?

ANSWER

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Cloud$-$based software and the data it uses are hosted on powerful servers in data centers and can be accessed with an Internet connection and a standard web browser.

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Cloud$-$based software enables a firm to contract custom software development or maintenance of existing legacy programs to outside firms, which often operate offshore in low$-$wage areas of the world.

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Cloud$-$based software is a prewritten commercially available set of software programs that eliminates the need for a firm to write its own software for certain functions, such as payroll processing or order handling.

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Cloud$-$based software is produced and maintained by a global community of programmers and is often downloadable for free.