diff --git a/src/engine/runtime.js b/src/engine/runtime.js
index 2e17500cd..082eedaf8 100644
--- a/src/engine/runtime.js
+++ b/src/engine/runtime.js
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ const Variable = require('./variable');
 
 // Virtual I/O devices.
 const Clock = require('../io/clock');
+const Cloud = require('../io/cloud');
 const DeviceManager = require('../io/deviceManager');
 const Keyboard = require('../io/keyboard');
 const Mouse = require('../io/mouse');
@@ -262,6 +263,7 @@ class Runtime extends EventEmitter {
         /** @type {Object.<string, Object>} */
         this.ioDevices = {
             clock: new Clock(),
+            cloud: new Cloud(),
             deviceManager: new DeviceManager(),
             keyboard: new Keyboard(this),
             mouse: new Mouse(this),
@@ -1383,6 +1385,7 @@ class Runtime extends EventEmitter {
         this.targets.map(this.disposeTarget, this);
         this._monitorState = OrderedMap({});
         // @todo clear out extensions? turboMode? etc.
+        this.ioDevices.cloud.clear();
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/io/cloud.js b/src/io/cloud.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e66faf417
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/io/cloud.js
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+/**
+ * Cloud IO Device responsible for sending and receiving messages from
+ * cloud provider (mananging the cloud server connection) and interacting
+ * with cloud variables in the current project.
+ */
+
+const Variable = require('../engine/variable');
+const log = require('../util/log');
+
+class Cloud {
+    constructor () {
+        /**
+         * Reference to the cloud data provider, responsible for mananging
+         * the web socket connection to the cloud data server.
+         * @type{!object}
+         */
+        this.provider = null;
+
+        /**
+         * Reference to the stage target which owns the cloud variables
+         * in the project.
+         * @type{!Target}
+         */
+        this.stage = null;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Set a reference to the cloud data provider.
+     * @param {object} provider The cloud data provider
+     */
+    setProvider (provider) {
+        this.provider = provider;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Set a reference to the stage target which owns the
+     * cloud variables in the project.
+     * @param {Target} stage The stage target
+     */
+    setStage (stage) {
+        this.stage = stage;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Handle incoming data to this io device.
+     * @param {object} data The data to process
+     */
+    postData (data) {
+        if (data.varUpdate) {
+            this.updateCloudVariable(data.varUpdate);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Request the cloud data provider to update the given variable with
+     * the given value. Does nothing if this io device does not have a provider set.
+     * @param {string} name The name of the variable to update
+     * @param {string | number} value The value to update the variable with
+     */
+    requestUpdateVariable (name, value) {
+        if (this.provider) {
+            this.provider.updateVariable(name, value);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Update a cloud variable in the runtime based on the message received
+     * from the cloud provider.
+     * @param {object} varUpdate Data describing a cloud variable update received
+     * from the cloud data provider.
+     */
+    updateCloudVariable (varUpdate) {
+        const varName = varUpdate.name;
+
+        const variable = this.stage.lookupVariableByNameAndType(varName, Variable.SCALAR_TYPE);
+        if (!variable || !variable.isCloud) {
+            log.warn(`Received an update for a cloud variable that does not exist: ${varName}`);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        variable.value = varUpdate.value;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Request the cloud data provider to close the web socket connection and
+     * clear this io device of references to the cloud data provider and the
+     * stage.
+     */
+    clear () {
+        if (!this.provider) return;
+
+        this.provider.requestCloseConnection();
+        this.provider = null;
+        this.stage = null;
+    }
+}
+
+module.exports = Cloud;