Broad network access means cloud capabilities are reachable over a network through standard mechanisms usable by different kinds of client platforms. NIST lists phones, tablets, laptops and workstations as examples.[ref]
The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing by Peter Mell and Timothy Grance. §2, Broad network access
For example, a browser interface and an application programming interface can expose the same service to interactive users and automated analyses. Network accessibility does not imply public authorization: a private cloud can restrict authenticated clients while still using broadly supported network interfaces. Latency, bandwidth and intermittent connectivity affect how an application should divide work between client and service; an accessible remote operation is not equivalent to a local memory access.
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