Mobile cloud computing (MCC) is the combination of cloud computing and mobile computing to bring rich computational resources to mobile users, network operators, as well as cloud computing providers. In MCC, computational augmentation approaches are used, where computations are executed remotely instead of on the device, allowing resource-constraint mobile devices to utilize computational resources of varied cloud-based resources. There are four types of cloud-based resources in MCC: distant immobile clouds, proximate immobile computing entities, proximate mobile computing entities, and hybrid (combination of the other three models) .

Mobile cloud computing uses cloud technology to deliver mobile apps, which can be deployed remotely using speed and flexibility and development tools. These cloud-based mobile apps use cloud technology to store and process data so that the app is usable on all types of old and new mobile devices. Mobile cloud computing is important because it allows organizations to run complex workloads on cloud resources so that users are not limited by their device capacity or operating system.

Mobile cloud computing works by seamlessly switching between resources in the cloud environment and on mobile devices to improve the experience of mobile users. Applications running on mobile devices send data requests over the internet to cloud-based resources, which process the data and send it back to the mobile device. MCC provides flexible and available resources that are accessible online, including storage, processing, and functionality over the internet via mobile networks.

Some of the key features of mobile cloud computing include facilitating quick development, shared resources of mobile apps, and supporting a variety of development approaches and devices. Mobile cloud computing enables users to quickly and securely collect and integrate data from various sources, regardless of where it resides. However, there are several complex challenges in the MCC landscape, such as Mobile Computation Offloading, Seamless Connectivity, Long WAN Latency, Mobility Management, Context-Processing, Energy Constraint, Vendor/data Lock-in, Security and Privacy, Elasticity that hinder MCC success and adoption.