Worldwide mobile apps consumption has increased at an unprecedented rate, with the increased use of smartphones. As a result, the mobile app development industry struggles continuously to keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies and constant consumer behavior changes. As a result, Cross-platform mobile app development has become the latest trend, which brings a paradigm shift with the use of cloud as a service specifically to use the platform as a service or PaaS. This alternatively gives users better UI-UX experience.

The mobile development industry and mobile developers untiredly try to leverage newer technologies as well as adopt them to save time and increase revenue. Cloud as a service, no doubt, beckons in this space to develop and deploy newer apps at a faster rate than ever before. This, in other terms, is known as mobile cloud computing. In this context, one of the cloud service model platforms as a service comes to the fore. This is mainly applicable for startups that get enough support related to infrastructure and deploy apps to multiple platforms while saving time for setup and configuration. Not only development, but cloud as a service also plays a key role in developing mobile and web analytics tools for overseeing testing, source code managing, tracking, and so on. Platform as a service is one of the preferred systems here.

Relating to this, Gartner identifies a key trend of the PaaS market, which according to the report, has contained more than 360 vendors in 219, which offered more than 550 clouds as a service in 21 categories. It is expected that the market will double in size by 2022, where the platform as a service will play a prevailing role. The global Platform as a Service (PaaS) Market Segment caters to the following types:

• Video Communication Paas
• Cloud Telephony Paas
• Web and Mobile Optimization
• Others By the application

What is PaaS architecture in Cloud Computing?

Platform as a Service is one of the cloud service models. Cloud Computing provides customers the platform to develop, run, and manage applications that diminish maintenance complexities. PaaS helps to deliver higher cloud-enabled applications from simple cloud-based applications. Here, the customer can purchase the resources from the cloud service provider on a pay-as-you-go basis. This happens with the help of the internet.

PaaS architecture includes server, storage, and networking and database, tools, business services, and many more. At a time, it helps to perform build, testing, deployment, management, and modification of the application

Characteristics of PaaS:

• It allows multiple user architecture
• Flexibility
• Strong Workflow capabilities
• Rough control of sharing and security
• User-friendly interface

Why do we need a platform as a service for the mobile app?

A great mobile app depends on its look and feels, how speedy it is, how much security it provides to user data and some other factors beyond the eye's judgment. Building all these features, maintaining owned backend platforms has been a huge challenge for developers. However, with PaaS, it saves a lot of time and money both of the developers and clients. As it saves time, it widens the path of innovation and experiments.

Advantages of Platform as a service in Mobile Cloud Computing

Storage: With cloud-enabled services, the user can store a large amount of data. So it uplifts any storage-related restrictions of mobile applications while the data is stored on the cloud.

Ease of Integration: PaaS facilitates the integration of different services from different service providers. Ultimately it fulfills the users’ demands.

Multi-tenancy: Service providers can share the applications and data to a large number of users at the same time.

Cost Efficiency

Mobility and availability: Since the data is stored in the cloud, it reduces losing data. Besides, it leverages mobility as the cloud storage can be accessed from anywhere using the internet.

As a whole, Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud service model that refers to high-level software systems delivered over the Internet. Consequently, it enables developers to deliver Web applications as Software as a Service. 

For mobile app designers and developers, Platform as a service means an integrated development and deployment environment at fingertips. Furthermore, it often includes sophisticated software frameworks that intensify the speed of work.

Why should you switch from Traditional Technology to Cloud PaaS Architecture

Whether it is a large or small scale, every organization is looking for a better means for managing their web hosting needs. PaaS is a means to increase the infrastructure's capacity and while it reduces the overall cost. This is the key reason that every company should rethink migrating their current infrastructure to the cloud to avail the benefits which cloud computing is going to offer. And what are those benefits?

Reduced cost: The cloud service model offers infrastructural benefits, so there is no need to purchase the hardware and install it. This saves a lot of expenditure.

Access from anywhere: As mentioned above, the cloud leverages mobility as cloud storage can be accessed from anywhere using an internet connection.

Improved Resource Utilization: As the resources are stored in the cloud, it can be accessed whenever necessary and from any location. Thus, it makes resources more useful.

Scalability: PaaS allows users to respond to their IT needs. Since the data is stored in the cloud, users can add or subtract resources as and when required. In mobile computing, designing apps for millions of connected devices can eventually create potential scalability along with security challenges. A cloud-based solution helps you to take advantage of the situation.

No data losing: You can always store the backup of data in the cloud. As a result, it gives a better disaster recovery service. So, there is no chance of data loss, and you can always get a backup of data.

Better quality of Service: Companies can get 24/7 customer support from the cloud service provider and immediate solutions in any crisis.

Guaranteed Uptime: In a PaaS architecture model it makes sure that the required data is always available and accessible.

Expertise: Developers can get access to app components, code libraries, and other help. Designers also can achieve inspiration for interface design.

Speed: Companies can develop mobile apps faster because you don’t need to reinvent the wheel for the hardware and software to build, maintain, and protect the application development platform. So, it is easy to get started. Once the user is signed up to PaaS, they can immediately start using the system without lagging set-up time. It also shortens the release time as developers can access tools, code libraries, templates, and build packs on the go.