Cloud computing has become an essential part of enterprise technology, helping you deliver applications and IT as a Service (ITaaS) to your end users with ease and efficiency. Today, one of the most important parts of your cloud strategy is choosing the right cloud service models for your organization. Show
As you explore your options, you’ll see choices like IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and similar terms. These are all “as a service” models—part of a broader trend of “Everything as a Service” or “XaaS.” The type of service you choose depends on your available infrastructure, IT staff resources, cost considerations, and cloud security needs. On-premises requires the highest level of management and the greatest capital expenses but could be the most cost efficient in the long term. Everything is run in a private cloud, on hardware that belongs to your organization, by your IT team. Recently, cloud service providers have begun offering on-premises “private cloud” services. For example, IBM Cloud Private delivers an application platform for developing and managing on-premises, containerized applications. These new services help alleviate some of the management and capital expenses related to on-premises cloud architectures. Off-premises services, or public cloud services, are typically delivered by a cloud service provider and can be one of several service model types. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) With Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), a cloud service provider owns and manages the hardware upon which your software stack runs. That includes servers, networking, and storage. This can be a great cost-reduction strategy if you’d like to avoid purchasing and maintaining infrastructure. However, there’s still plenty of work for your IT team. Under the IaaS model, your IT team manages operating systems, databases, applications, functions, and all of your organization’s data. As a result, they’ll typically have more control and flexibility compared with other service models. IaaS is self-service, which allows your IT team to access resources as needed through an API or dashboard. Some common examples of IaaS include instances on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Compute Engine, and Microsoft Azure, which let you buy more or less capacity as you go. That means there’s very little commitment involved—an advantage if you think your needs will change in the near future. If you’re part of a large organization, you may also have access to IaaS from another part of your enterprise. Platform as a Service (PaaS) The next level of service is Platform as a Service (PaaS). PaaS is similar to IaaS, except that your cloud service provider also provides the operating system and databases. That means less work for your IT team. Your organization is still responsible for applications, functions, and data. PaaS gives your developers a simple, scalable platform for building applications. Much like with IaaS, you can buy more resources as needed. And because multiple users can access the development application at the same time, PaaS can streamline workflows and enhance coordination. Some examples of PaaS are AWS Elastic Beanstalk and Google App Engine. Software as a Service (SaaS) Finally, Software as a Service (SaaS) offers the most support and is the simplest of all delivery models for the end user. Chances are that you already use it in your organization. SaaS can be run in a multitenancy architecture, in which one instance of software serves multiple users. Typically, SaaS products don’t involve a download or installation, saving your end users from needing to manage software updates. All they’re responsible for is their data. Popular examples of SaaS include CRM software, cloud-based file storage, and email.
Other services Besides IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS, there are a couple of other types of cloud service models you should know about. The main three cloud service models are: IaaS, PaaS and SaaS. Each cloud service model covers different user and company needs, and provides a different level of control, security and scalability. IaaS is the cloud service model that offers a higher level of control compared with an on-premises solution. PaaS makes the process of developing and deploying applications simpler and more cost-effective. SaaS makes collaboration among teams and access to software applications easier. Contents 1 Cloud computing service delivery models 2 IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) 2.1 IaaS security 2.2 Main IaaS benefits 2.3 Main IaaS concerns 3 PaaS (Platform as a Service) 3.1 Main PaaS benefits 3.2 Main PaaS concerns 4 SaaS (Software as a Service) 4.1 Main SaaS benefits 4.2 Main SaaS concerns 5 Examples of IaaS, PaaS and SaaS 5.1 IaaS 5.2 PaaS 5.3 SaaS 6 Comparing on-premises, IaaS, PaaS and SaaS models 6.1 Differences between IaaS, PaaS and SaaS Cloud computing service delivery modelsThere is no one-size-fits-all cloud service model for every business. The right choice will depend mainly on how many “layers” companies can or want to outsource to their service provider when migrating from an on-premises to a cloud solution. Besides, companies can combine different cloud service models for different purposes. Let’s see each cloud computing service model in depth. IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
Infrastructure as a Service provides businesses with the technology and capabilities of high-standard data centers. This way, companies delegate the cost and complexity of building and managing physical servers. Companies access their infrastructure via a dashboard or API, but they do not have to physically manage it. This cloud service model offers a lot of flexibility to companies. They can purchase computing resources on-demand, boosting efficiency and scalability. Moreover, by outsourcing their infrastructure, companies also delegate its setup, management and maintenance. So, IaaS can be a real money and time saver. IaaS can be used for many purposes such as deploying web applications, running a CRM, doing Big Data analysis, backups or Disaster Recovery plans. Some examples of IaaS are Stackscale, AWS and VMware. At Stackscale, we offer IaaS with virtualization in the form of Private Cloud and IaaS without virtualization through bare-metal servers.
IaaS securityInfrastructure as a Service offers a high level of redundancy and security, while allowing businesses to keep control of their infrastructure. Unlike SaaS and PaaS, IaaS offers more control to customers as they are still responsible for their applications, data, runtime, middleware and operating system. In terms of security, IaaS is based on a shared-responsibility model.
Main IaaS benefits
Main IaaS concernsIaaS concerns vary considerably depending on the type of cloud chosen. Companies will not leverage the same benefits from a public, private or hybrid cloud. While vendor lock-in and performance issues might be a big concern in a public cloud, management and interoperability between environments is one of the top concerns in a hybrid or multi-cloud environment. In addition to that, features vary significantly among providers. PaaS (Platform as a Service)
Platform as a Service is delivered via the web, allowing developers to build scalable and highly-available applications without worrying about the OS, storage or updates. It provides a framework developers can use for developing, managing, distributing and testing software applications. This cloud service model makes the process of application development simpler and more cost-effective. PaaS is accessible to multiple users via the same development application. It integrates web services, database engines, etc., to help developers with app development, testing and deployment. Cloud-based platform services accelerate innovation, but PaaS customers only have control over what is built on the platform. So, if there is a problem with the platform’s OS or hardware, they have no control over the impact it has on their software’s performance. However, they have control over other aspects, such as anti-malware or access control. Some examples of PaaS are Heroku, Apache Stratos and OpenShift.
Main PaaS benefits
Main PaaS concerns
SaaS (Software as a Service)
SaaS cloud providers host applications in his network and users can access them through a browser or app, from different devices. Software as a Service is also known as “on-demand software” or “cloud application services”. SaaS providers are responsible for developing, hosting, maintaining and updating the software. Therefore, users only need to login and start using it online, without installing or hosting any software locally. As a result, IT staff do not need to waste time downloading and installing applications on each employee’s computer. However, this also entails that end users do not have much control over it. This lack of control can be a handicap for some businesses. Software as a Service is the most common cloud computing service. We all use some SaaS products in our daily lives. Cloud-based software is widely used by companies to build their businesses, as it is easy to deploy, use, manage and scale. Furthermore, SaaS has made collaboration among teams incredibly easier during the last decades. Some examples of SaaS are Google Workspace, Dropbox and Salesforce.
Main SaaS benefits
Main SaaS concerns
Examples of IaaS, PaaS and SaaSIaaS
PaaS
SaaS
Comparing on-premises, IaaS, PaaS and SaaS modelsIn the following image we have summarized which elements are managed by the customer (in black) and which are managed by the provider (in red) depending on the model they opt for — on-premises, IaaS, PaaS or SaaS.  Differences between IaaS, PaaS and SaaSIaaSPaaSSaaSComputing, storage and networking resources.Development and deployment environments.Cloud-based applications.Accessed via a dashboard or API.Accessed via the web.Accessed through a browser or app.Available on a pay-per-use or pay-as-you-go basis.Available on a pay-per-use basis.Available for free, on a subscription basis or for purchase.Network architects and IT administrators.Software developers.End users.To sum up, the IaaS model offers the computing resources companies need to host, build and run their services. The PaaS model provides an environment for developers to build and deploy applications. The SaaS model delivers software to users and companies over the Internet. Each cloud service model offers different features and benefits to businesses. Therefore, as we mentioned at the beginning of the article, these three cloud service models are often used simultaneously within companies. Regarding IaaS, there are different types of cloud among which companies can choose depending on their needs and goals. Which service model would be most ideal for use as a software development environment?PaaS provides an environment for developing, testing, and managing applications. PaaS is therefore the perfect choice for software development companies. No wonder that software developers use PaaS services such as Heroku, Elastic Beanstalk (offered by Amazon Web Services), and Google App Engine.
Which cloud service model is most appropriate for application development?Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud service model that offers users a flexible and scalable cloud platform to develop, deploy, run, and manage apps. It provides the hardware and software resources needed for cloud application development.
Which cloud service model refers to software development?Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which a cloud provider hosts applications and makes them available to end users over the internet.
Which cloud architecture model provides application development services?Platform as a service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model where a third-party provider delivers hardware and software tools to users over the internet. Usually, these tools are needed for application development.
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