Cloud Service Models
When we talk about Cloud computing we need to start with basics :
We should know what are the different models available.It describes to what extent your resources ate managed by your self or by your cloud service providers . In the following diagram you will find a comparison of the models and the existing management responsibilities .Areas that are coloured in Blue are managed by you: all others are responsibility of the of your provider .
Based on the diagram we can categorize services models accordingly :
On Premises
On-Premises describes a model in which the user or the company manages all resources by themselves.
Infrastructure as a service (Iaas):
IaaS stands for “infrastructure as a service.” It refers to cloud-based infrastructure resources that are delivered to organizations via virtualization technology that help organizations build and manage their servers, network, operating systems, and data storage. IaaS customers can control their own data infrastructure without having to physically manage it on-site. Instead, they can access and store data on servers via a dashboard or API (application programming interface).
What Does IaaS Do?
IaaS helps companies build and manage their data as they grow, paying for the storage and server space that they need to build hardware or software, without having to actually host and manage servers themselves on-site. IaaS products make up the foundations of building new technologies delivered over the cloud.
IaaS Advantages
There are many benefits of choosing IaaS, such as that it:
- Is the most flexible cloud computing model
- Easily allows for automated deployment of storage, networking, servers, and processing power
- Hardware can be purchased based on consumption
- Gives clients complete control of their infrastructure
- Resources can be purchased as-needed
- Is highly scalable
Platform as a Service(PaaS):
Cloud platform services, or Platform as a Service (PaaS), provide cloud components to certain software while being used mainly for applications. PaaS provides a framework for developers that they can build upon and use to create customized applications. All servers, storage, and networking can be managed by the enterprise or a third-party provider while the developers can maintain management of the applications
PaaS Delivery
The delivery model of PaaS is similar to SaaS, except instead of delivering the software over the internet, PaaS provides a platform for software creation. This platform is delivered over the web, and gives developers the freedom to concentrate on building the software while still not having to worry about operating systems, software updates, storage, or infrastructure.
PaaS allows businesses to design and create applications that are built into the PaaS with special software components. These applications, or middleware, are scalable and highly available as they take on certain cloud characteristics.
PaaS Advantages
No matter what size of company you may be in, there are numerous advantages for using PaaS:
- Makes the development and deployment of apps simple and cost-effective
- Scalable
- Highly available
- Gives developers the ability to create customized apps without the headache of maintaining the software
- Greatly reduces the amount of coding
- Automates business policy
- Allows easy migration to the hybrid model
When to Use PaaS
There are many situations that utilizing PaaS is beneficial or even necessary. If there are multiple developers working on the same development project, or if other vendors must be included as well, PaaS can provide great speed and flexibility to the entire process. PaaS is also beneficial if you wish to be able to create your own customized applications. This cloud service also can greatly reduce costs and it can simplify some challenges that come up if you are rapidly developing or deploying an app.
Examples of PaaS
AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Windows Azure, Heroku, Force.com, Google App Engine, Apache Stratos, OpenShift
SaaS: Software as a Service
It refers to cloud-based software that is hosted online by a company and is available for purchase on a subscription basis and is delivered via the internet. SaaS is the model with the lowest levels of control and required management. A SaaS application is reachable from multiple clients and consumers, and the owning consumer does not have any control over the backend , except for the application-related management tasks.
SaaS Delivery
Due to its web delivery model, SaaS eliminates the need to download and install applications on each individual computer. With SaaS, vendors manage all of the potential technical issues, such as data, middleware, servers, and storage, while businesses can simply streamline their maintenance and support.
A perfect example of SaaS is Office 365 that is delivered by Microsoft on different subscriptions. I wrote a blog about the different subscriptions provided by Microsoft and how you are can take advantage of those subscriptions according to the needs and requirements of different companies. You can read more about by visiting the following link :
Difference between E3 and E5 License and why we should upgrade to E5
Difference between the three Cloud Service models:
IaaS helps build the infrastructure of a cloud-based technology. PaaS helps developers build custom apps via an API that can be delivered over the cloud. And SaaS is cloud-based software companies can sell and use.
Think of IaaS as the foundation of building a cloud-based service — whether that’s content, software, or the website to sell a physical product, PaaS as the platform on which developers can build apps without having to host them, and SaaS as the software you can buy or sell to help software companies (or others) to get it all done.
I hope that provides you clarity on different Cloud Service models. Keep watching this space for more learning experiences .
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