The rise of con­sump­tion-based IT ser­vices pric­ing is an organ­ic exten­sion to — and result of — cloud com­put­ing, with its mod­u­lar and flex­i­ble ser­vices-based model.

Indus­try com­men­ta­tors have referred to con­sump­tion-based IT ser­vices pric­ing as à la carte com­put­ing, but that’s inac­cu­rate. With à la carte, you have to pay for every­thing you’ve ordered and, if you don’t con­sume it all at once, you can take the rest home and save it for later.

In the world of con­sump­tion-based pric­ing, you can order what you like, eat as much or as lit­tle as you want… and you can still expect some form of par­tial (or com­plete) reim­burse­ment on any­thing that you don’t need.

It’s in the Fine Print