Cloud computing is the choice of the hour for most businesses today. One of the reasons cloud computing is booming in the present market scenario is the numerous advantages of cloud computing. According to Gartner’s forecast, the global public cloud service market is expected to reach $247 billion by 2020, about $383 billion. There are different types of cloud computing services models, such as SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS, and choosing the right one for a business is rather challenging.
As most of us know the abbreviations of these three types of major cloud solutions; however, before going into detail, we will explain the terms with a simple analogy.
– On-premises IT infrastructure – It is like you are the owner of a car, and you are responsible for its maintenance, upgradation, and all other details.
– SaaS – Software as a service. It is like public transport that has assigned routes, and you, as a passenger, share the ride with other passengers.
– PaaS – Platform as a service. You hire a car with a driver and ask the driver where to go instead of driving it yourself.
– IaaS – Infrastructure as a service. You are not the owner of the car. Instead, you lease the car and drive it. If you want an upgrade, choose a different car.
What is SaaS in cloud computing
– SaaS allows you to use cloud-based web applications.
– Email services such as Gmail is an example of cloud-based SaaS services. Office 365 and Google Docs, Salesforce, which is a customer relationship management software are examples of SaaS.
– SaaS services follow a pay-as-you-go, which is a subscription-based pricing model. In this case, the vendor manages all hardware and software. Hence, you don’t need to install or configure anything. It gives you a ready to go application as you get your login and password.
What are managed by the vendor in SaaS?
– Hosted applications
– Operating system
– Development and management tools
– Storages and servers
– Datacenter
– Networking resources
Related post – What are Cloud security challenges and How can we address them?
What is PaaS in cloud computing
This is the cloud platform that provides a runtime environment for the user to develop, test, and manage applications. Here, developers can deploy all types of applications without any need for related infrastructure like servers, OS, databases, development tools, etc. Heroku and Google app engine are examples of PaaS. In a PaaS model, the vendors provide the complete infrastructure for development. This also follows pay as you go model.
What are managed by the vendor in PaaS?
– Operating system
– Servers and storage
– Development and management tools
– Networking resources
– Datacenter
What is IaaS in cloud computing
IaaS is a cloud computing service that provides necessary IT infrastructure like servers, networking resources, and storage. We can compare it with a virtual data center. We can use IaaS services for different purposes, like hosting websites. As a client, you can install and use the operating systems and tools of your choice. This service also follows pay as you go model.
What are managed by the vendor in IaaS?
– Servers and storage
– Networking resource
– Datacenter
What does the client manage in IaaS?
– Hosted applications
– Operating system
– Development and management tools
Hence, each cloud service has its target business needs and audience, and the cloud services are tailored accordingly. So, from a technical perspective, control reduces from IaaS to SaaS. However, as control increases, it requires expertise in the respective field. Cloud services, thus, can be depicted as a pyramid:
When and Why You Should Use SaaS in cloud computing
SaaS solutions can be used for:
Business. Companies of all sizes use a SaaS solution for
- mailing purpose (Gmail)
- collaboration (with tools like Trello)
- customer relationship management software (like Salesforce)
- ERP software (like Cloud ERP)
- event management software (like Cvent)
Personal purposes. Almost all of us by some means use SaaS service in the form of :
- Email service (Gmail, Yahoo mail, Hot mail)
- Storage service (DropBox, OneDrive)
- File management (Google Docs)
Hence, SaaS services offer many advantages to businesses and individuals.
Access from anywhere. SaaS-based applications are accessible from anywhere, as these are cloud-based. Hence, if you have an internet connection, you can access any SaaS-based application from anywhere. Even they can be accessed from mobile devices if they have mobile apps.
Automatic software updates. As the updates are carried out by the cloud service vendor in SaaS’s case, you don’t need to bother regarding the SaaS software update. In case of any bug or error, the vendor fixes that. As a result, you can focus on the work.
Low cost. SaaS services are affordable, as you don’t need to pay for the whole infrastructure. Instead, you need to pay for the service as per your business needs. There is always an option of upgradation of your subscription in case you need extra services.
Simple adoption. SaaS services are out of the box solution. So, adopting a SaaS service is very simple. You need to sign up for the service, whereas you don’t need to install anything.
However, SaaS solutions have certain disadvantages. Some of them are as follows:
– As a user, you can’t control the hardware that handles your data.
– You cannot manage the parameters of the software you are using. It is managed by the vendor only.
When and Why You Should Use PaaS
PaaS solution is ideal for software developers as it provides an environment for development, testing, and management of applications.
PaaS provides several benefits to developers:
Less time for development. PaaS services significantly reduce the development time for the developers. As the vendor already provides the server-side components, the developers don’t need to configure, update, or maintain them. Hence, they can focus on the development process, which automatically expedites the process.
Supports different programming languages. PaaS services support multiple programming languages. Hence, it allows developers to deliver various projects, from MVPs to enterprise solutions, on the same platform.
Easy to collaborate for distributed teams. You can achieve enormous collaboration capabilities to distributed teams who are located remotely. In the era of outsourcing and freelancing, when development teams collaborate from distributed locations, PaaS offer expected accessibility. Here, PaaS services allow access to unified software architecture from anywhere and at any time.
High development capabilities. PaaS offers all the necessary things for the development of applications. Here you don’t need to hire additional resources. The PaaS vendor provides all the hardware, middleware for the support of the application. Also, those are maintained and upgraded by the vendor.
However, PaaS services have certain disadvantages as follows:
– You cannot have control over the virtual machine, which processes your data.
– PaaS services are less flexible than IaaS.
When and Why You Should Use IaaS
We can use IaaS for multiple purposes. Unlike PaaS and SaaS, IaaS provides hardware infrastructure. This is similar to you are provided with a set of tools that you can use for making your applications or services.
Scenarios when we can use IaaS:
For application hosting. You can run your application or website with the help of IaaS.
Data analysis. When we analyze huge amounts of data that require incredible computing power, not to mention, IaaS is the most economical way to achieve it. Companies mainly use IaaS for data analysis and mining.
Virtual data centers. IaaS is an ideal solution to build virtual data centers that are used by large-scale enterprises. It provides an effective, safe, and scalable server environment.
The significant advantages of Infrastructure as a Service for businesses are as follows:
No expenses on hardware infrastructure. In IaaS, the vendors provide and maintain the entire hardware infrastructure, including servers, networking resources, and storage. This excludes businesses to invest in expensive hardware. As a result, it saves a substantial amount of company costs.
Reliability and security. The data is the IaaS vendor’s responsibility. Thus, they keep the hardware infrastructure in specially designed data centers. Besides, they guarantee the security of customer data.
Scalability. Though all cloud computing solutions are scalable, this is more emphasized in the IaaS solution. This is because additional resources are available to your application if you have additional demand. At the same time, you can scale down if the demand is low.
Now, let’s find out the disadvantages of IaaS cloud solutions:
– IaaS is the most expensive compare to the other two services as it allows you to lease hardware infrastructure.
– You need to take responsibility for the management of a virtual machine.
Conclusion
Finally, the pertaining question is – SaaS vs. PaaS vs. IaaS: Which Cloud Service Is the best for you? Here the choice totally depends on the business goals. So, first, to analyze what your business needs. However, there are some common business needs based on which we can choose the appropriate cloud service.
– If the business needs out-of-the-box software, select Software as a Service.
– If the business needs only a platform for building applications, choose Platform as a Service.
– If the business needs a virtual machine, go for Infrastructure as a Service.
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