Scalability is the ability of a system, process, or business model to handle a growing amount of work or accommodate expansion effectively. In the context of technology and computing, scalability refers to the capability of a software application, network, or hardware system to increase its performance proportionally when additional resources are added. This can involve "vertical scaling," which entails adding more power to a single component, like increasing CPU or memory capacity, or "horizontal scaling," which involves adding more nodes to a system, such as servers in a distributed network. Scalability is a crucial consideration in the design and deployment of everything from databases and cloud services to entire business operations. A system that is not scalable may work efficiently for small tasks but can become inefficient or fail altogether as demand increases. Therefore, scalability is often a key metric in the evaluation of systems and solutions, indicating their readiness to adapt to future growth or changes in demand.