Types of Cloud Services 🌩

Hello, Devs 🙋‍♂️

Lets explore the three categories of cloud computing

IaaS versus PaaS versus SaaS

1. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

Infrastructure as a Service is the most flexible category of cloud services. It aims to give you the most control over the provided hardware that runs your application (IT infrastructure servers and virtual machines (VMs), storage, and operating systems). Instead of buying hardware, with IaaS, you rent it. It's an instant computing infrastructure, provisioned and managed over the internet.

IaaS is commonly used in the following scenarios :

• Migrating workloads :
  Typically, IaaS facilities are managed in a similar way as on-premises infrastructure and provide an easy migration path for moving existing applications to the cloud.

• Test and development : Teams can quickly set up and dismantle test and development environments, bringing new applications to market faster. IaaS makes scaling development and testing environments, fast and economical.

• Storage, backup, and recovery : Organizations avoid the capital outlay and complexity of storage management, which typically requires skilled staff to manage data and meet legal and compliance requirements. IaaS is useful for managing unpredictable demand and steadily growing storage needs. IaaS can also simplify the planning and management of backup and recovery systems.

Some notable examples of IaaS :

2. Platform as a service (PaaS)

PaaS provides an environment for building, testing, and deploying software applications. The goal of PaaS is to help you create an application quickly without managing the underlying infrastructure. For example, when deploying a web application using PaaS, you don't have to install an operating system, web server, or even system updates.

PaaS is a complete development and deployment environment in the cloud, with resources that enable organizations to deliver everything from simple cloud-based apps to sophisticated cloud-enabled enterprise applications. Resources are purchased from a cloud service provider on a pay-as-you-go basis and accessed over a secure Internet connection.

PaaS is commonly used in the following scenarios :

• Development framework : PaaS provides a framework that developers can build upon to develop or customize cloud-based applications. Just like Microsoft Excel macro, PaaS lets developers create applications using built-in software components. Cloud features such as scalability, high-availability, and multi-tenant capability are included, reducing the amount of coding that developers must do.

• Analytics or business intelligence : Tools provided as a service with PaaS allow organizations to analyze and mine their data. They can find insights and patterns, and predict outcomes to improve business decisions such as forecasting, product design, and investment returns.

Some notable examples of PaaS :

3. Software as a service (SaaS)

SaaS is software that is centrally hosted and managed for the end customer. It is usually based on an architecture where one version of the application is used for all customers, and licensed through a monthly or annual subscription. Office 365, Skype, and Dynamics CRM Online are perfect examples of SaaS software.

Here are a few more advantages of SaaS :

• Payment flexibility : SaaS is a subscription, pay-as-you-go model. Customers can manage their budgets better because they can choose the best licensing that adapts to their needs and make payments accordingly. SaaS models also give them the flexibility to terminate the contract at any time, eliminating those recurring costs.

• Scalability : Customers can always revisit their licensing model and access more or fewer services depending on their business needs at that time.

• Simpler upgrades : With SaaS, IT departments don’t have to worry about painful upgrades. The provider takes care of that for them. Users always have access to the latest version of the service. When the SaaS is delivered from a multi-tenant architecture, the software provider benefits, too, because new updates and upgrades are automatically available to all users in all the companies that subscribe.

• Accessibility : Customers can access SaaS anywhere at any time as long as they have an Internet connection and a web browser.

• Easy customization : Despite the multi-tenant architecture, most SaaS applications can be easily customized to fit the business needs of each customer. These customizations don’t impact the common infrastructure and are always preserved when an upgrade is performed.

Some notable examples of SaaS :