The use of e-learning suggests the use of ICT to enhance the quality of learning and teaching. However, many higher education institutions, does not have e-learning platforms, resources and infrastructure necessary to implement this type of training. This is due to the need for high cost of basic infrastructure and applications challenges related projects it has to face. This article puts forward an overview on what is the current state of the use of cloud computing in e-learning in higher education context, where the use of computers is increasingly intensive. The article analyzes e-learning systems challenges and trends, the convenience of cloud computing for e-learning and the key benefits of e-learning on the cloud. The article exposes also some application solutions using cloud computing in e-learning for higher education, by presenting the most common architecture that has been adopted. Finally, this article discusses issues related to the implementation of cloud-based e-learning systems and presents some potential ways to overcome them.