Choosing the Right Cloud Computing Services: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS?

Do you remember the days when we have to carry CDs, USBs and hard disk drives to access stored files? The time has changed now and Cloud computing has revolutionized the way enterprises manage, scale and process large-scale applications and drive value from data. A cloud environment takes benefits from a shared IT infrastructure and reliable internet connection to enable users to use multiple applications, helping them in solving work challenges quickly and efficiently from anywhere in the world through any device which is connected to the internet thus highly reducing the costs and initial investment. The flexibility of cloud technology, on-demand availability, high efficiency and enormous capabilities are helping companies of all sizes to adopt cloud services.

Reports say that worldwide public Cloud Computing Services and infrastructure spending would reach $160 billion this year. It also estimates the spending to reach $277 billion in 2021 at a CAGR of 21.9%.

Understanding Cloud Computing and its Different Types

Very Fast Cloud Computing is becoming the standard way for technology companies to access the IT infrastructure, software and hardware resources as required. This technology allows companies to use applications and other resources that are stored in high-end server computers and networks managed by third party companies such as AWS, Microsoft, Google among others. Cloud computing systems are mainly set up for business or research purposes. In this article, we will be discussing the different types of cloud computing solutions and their benefits.

Cloud computing makes businesses more efficient and save on their software and hardware investments which are important for different tasks. Cloud computing involves the access of software or hardware that are in the cloud i.e. use of software or hardware remotely. Companies can use cloud computing to increase their IT functionality or capacity without any need to add software, staff, training cost or in setting up new infrastructure.

Let’s discuss now the main types of cloud computing services: -

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

IaaS is a cloud computing model where virtualized infrastructure is offered to, and managed for, businesses by external cloud providers. With IaaS, companies can outsource for storage, servers, data center space and cloud networking components connected through the internet, offering similar functionality as that of an on-premises infrastructure. Some examples of usage of IaaS are automated, policy driven operations like backup, recovery, monitoring, clustering, internal networking, web hosting etc. The IaaS service provider is responsible for building the servers and storage, networking firewalls/security, and the physical data center. Some big IaaS providers are Microsoft Azure, Amazon EC2, Google Cloud Platform, GoGrid and Rackspace among others.

Benefits of IaaS Solutions

IaaS reduces total cost of ownership and capital expenses

User companies pay for the service that they want, on the go

Provide access to enterprise-grade IT resources and infrastructure

User companies can scale up and down based on their latest requirements anytime

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

PaaS cloud computing is similar to IaaS but it is more advanced. With PaaS, other than simply providing infrastructure, providers also offer a computing platform and solution stack as a service. Hence the IT infrastructure may come with a graphic user interface (GUI), run-time system libraries, an operating system or programming languages. PaaS services are generally used by companies that need to develop, test, collaborate and deploy cloud solutions for particular applications but the hosting of the application is done by a third party i.e. the PaaS provider. PaaS providers offer a fully configured sandbox and deployment environment for customers to develop, test and deploy their cloud applications. Some of the PaaS providers are: - Microsoft Azure, Salesforce.com’s, Force.com, Rackspace Cloud Sites, Google App Engine etc.

Benefits of PaaS Solutions

Generally, many people are involved in building cloud applications in PaaS environments. This allows building of a strong supportive community that can help your development team along the way.

Companies don’t need to update or upgrade the infrastructure software. Actually, the PaaS provider handles all upgrades, patches and regular software maintenance.

Companies do not have to make initial investment in the hardware and software hence there is lesser risk for them.

The development team can focus on developing the cloud application without worrying about testing and deployment infrastructure.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Generally, most of the people think of Software as a Service (SaaS) providers whenever someone talks about cloud services. SaaS providers provide fully functional web-based applications on demand to customers. The applications are mainly targeted at business users and can include web conferencing, ERP, Email, CRM, time management, project tracking etc.

The payment models for SaaS solutions can include subscription based like Salesforce, pay-for-use like WebEx or free to use. Some other examples of SaaS solutions providers are NetSuite, Citrix etc.

Benefits of SaaS Solutions

Allow fast scalability
Provide accessibility from any location using internet
Removes Infrastructure worries
Customized service offerings
In-built maintenance and support

Benefits of cloud computing

Businesses can greatly benefit from cloud computing services as it improves their efficiency and reduce costs. Companies can adopt cloud services based on their needs, priorities, areas of expertise and business processes. As we do with any IT project, careful planning and preparation is needed before switching to cloud services.

Let’s now discuss some of the top benefits which cloud computing offers: -

Instant Scalability

Cloud computing offers immediate scalability of infrastructure capacity depending upon the business needs. You will have an unlimited IT resource, which can be scaled up and/or down as per the requirements and demands.

Anywhere Accessibility

Cloud computing enables enterprises to deploy their applications across the world so that they can serve their customers at a fraction of the cost of a traditional brick and mortar business. Customers can access the application from anywhere in the world and still get an identical digital experience.

Increased Speed

Today in fierce competition, businesses require the ability to instantly scale their cloud capacity by accessing demand from remote servers of a cloud service provider. These providers can increase the computing capacity and IT resource availability with the click of a button. This improves organizational agility, productivity and efficiency.

Less Expenditure

With the cloud, enterprises can focus on building their business rather than investing in hardware infrastructure and data centers.

Automatic Updates and Patches

When business use different kinds of software, operating systems and applications from different vendors, they have to do extra bit of efforts to get their updates and security patches. This is a very time-consuming process and leads to lesser productivity. A cloud service provider does this automatically thus saving time and efforts of the companies.

Conclusion

We have just discussed about the various types of cloud computing services i.e. IaaS, PaaS and SaaS and we have also explained their benefits. Businesses and enterprises should do proper research before selecting the type of computing services which best fits into their business model and then offer their services to their customers. As we have just said, it will offer so many benefits to their businesses and provide them a clear competitive advantage in the market so that they can scale high in their businesses.