SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS

The cloud was definitely a disruptive technology and the way companies of all sizes conduct business has changed radically. The majority of businesses have shifted somehow to the cloud. And for those who do not have the possibility of cost savings by decreased in-house IT demands and other advantages. The cloud transfer is definitely at the top of any corporate list to do.

While most companies now regularly benefit from cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) options areas such as Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) can remain somewhat of a mystery. That follows then is a description or overview of SaaS, PaaS and IaaS and some observations on their relative advantages.

SaaS

SaaS is a straightforward model which is easy to recognize the benefits even of the least technically minded executive. Probably one of the most immediate examples of how SaaS benefits almost every company is the Microsoft Office 365.

Microsoft’s’ Office’ software (Word, Excel, Outlook. The ubiquitous software for a modern office) was purchase directly. From the company on CDs and manually install on a business’s PC. This meant that personnel were available to make the installations available. And to provide troubleshooting services when software problems arose.

It would be the responsibility of the same staff member to add the patches and updates. When the software’s latest version came, that meant upgrading many Computers. And again you wanted someone to do it. It’s easier these days-the program is in the cloud.

Microsoft is responsible for storing the applications for Office 365, rather than being on the disks. It is quickly download onto a device, and Microsoft itself handles the distribution of patches and patch installs. When the software’s latest version becomes available, automatic installation saves time and money once again. Aside from Office 365, there are numerous other examples of SaaS options that might be familiar to a business executive.

For example, Salesforce manages Customer Relationship Management (CRM) at a company. Saving server and maintenance costs, data from your customers are store directly in the cloud. And accessible online from anywhere in the world via any PC or handheld device. Cisco Webex Meetings is another example of how to handle your video conferencing. And group messaging needs without having to set up a program for your business.

Paas

PaaS is design to address another set of problems. Not all business issues are solved by ‘one size fits all’ software like Office 365. Businesses often have unique and specific business requirements. It’s need unique applications which perform specific functions to address them.

It obviously meant having a programmer in the past, and setting up an environment in which software development and testing could take place. It usually require a computer. Beyond that, the companies had to load computers with expensive software that would be used by a programmer to do their job. Whatever can be achieve in the cloud these days.

Some applications now operate in a cloud environment, and a PaaS provider offers an infrastructure for the development of cloud-based apps.  PaaS providers provide the resources needed to create software applications. That will be hosted in the cloud (whether it’s an in-house private cloud, a “hybrid” mix of the two, in a public cloud like AWS or Azure).

If you have more than one person creating apps in your business, PaaS will support app development by setting up accounts and managing the tools each programmer uses. Clearly, if you don’t have an existing infrastructure for growth, it will cost you to put everything needed together–often a huge expense.

PaaS basically provides everything you need in the cloud. It’s all controlled by a third party–this can reduce costs by 80 per cent or more in certain cases. There are several reasons why companies could decouple their current development infrastructure in favour of PaaS.

Also, a PaaS infrastructure can automate a lot of the development processes that had to be done manually before. This obviously saves time and money, and makes an app running faster and faster.

When procedures are automate, you may not need to include as many employees. Also, suggesting a decreased manpower savings. And being automate PaaS can more easily execute changes, making it much easier to manage multi-application development. Also, a PaaS infrastructure can manage who uses the system, making security more stringent.

IaaS

Most modern companies have IT requirements and this could involve providing a dedicated data centre. And covering the massive costs involved in such an undertaking depending on their need.

IaaS provides businesses with a “do-it-yourself” approach to managing data centre infrastructure. And avoids the excessive cost of hardware and software needed to set up an effective infrastructure. Additionally, IaaS payments are based on usage. Iaas offers a utility approach, as just as you pay only for the electricity that you use in your office. And  you pay only for the IT infrastructure you use.

Instead of renting server and storage space you won’t be using just in case you need it. IaaS automatically (or on request) adds any additional resources you need and eliminates them when they are no longer needed.

If you bought your own IT infrastructure hardware, you would be responsible for the maintenance  software, operating systems, etc., and this is how IaaS and PaaS differ. Often providers offer additional services to differentiate their offerings, but you get infrastructure in the cloud at its core and manage it yourself.

You can replace all of the physical infrastructure of your business, or just a part of it in a hybrid fashion. Whatever approach it takes, as with PaaS, IaaS is scalable and manages the resources your company needs automatically.

Other “as a Service” Options

Apart from SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS, a plethora of other current terms are used to describe “as-a-service” options – BaaS, CaaS, DBaaS, and DaaS to name a few. Each of these solutions focuses on a particular aspect of your IT needs. But when you step back for a moment, you see that they each provide the same core advantage. The assurance that your IT is handled by third party experts.  It’s no longer necessary to constantly worry about whether there will be an outage or an IT issue – it’s the worry of someone else. And whoever is worried about it is better position than you are to deal with any problems they might encounter.

For this single reason, SaaS, IaaS, PaaS and other solutions of ‘ as a Service ‘ are highly likely to eventually dominate their relative markets. And strip IT functions from the businesses that need them.