IaaS, Paas, and Saas are all delivery models of cloud computing. Cloud computing, regardless of use, allows users to have on-demand, remote access to resources. Applications, data, middleware, OS, servers, storage, networking, and virtualization can all be accessed through the cloud, but the delivery model of cloud computing determines which of these features will be managed by your cloud service provider. IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS exist in a hierarchy, where SaaS requires you to manage the least elements, and IaaS requires you to manage the most aspects of the delivery models.
Regardless of which model and level of support you choose, all these models offer similar benefits over on-site options. On-site options, computing that doesn’t take place in the cloud, are a more considerable responsibility and liability for your company of these options. It requires you to store and maintain servers physically and manage every component of the computing process. Cloud computing options are more flexible, scalable, and generally offer pay-as-you-go models, potentially making them a better option for your computing needs.
IaaS
IaaS, or infrastructure-as-a-service, does exactly what it says in the name; it takes the responsibility off of you to manage infrastructure services, such as servers, storage, networking, and virtualization, and moves these resources to the cloud, to be managed by your cloud service provider. This takes the difficult task of managing servers and hardware off of your business and allows you to access these resources via the internet. In addition, IaaS providers store these services in their own data centers, allowing you to move away from on-site servers.
IaaS services are generally offered in one of two ways, either through a virtual machine (VM) or an application programming interface (API). A VM is a virtualized hardware that emulates the server/computer managed by your service provider that you can access remotely. An API is a dashboard provided to you by the service provider that serves as an intermediary between applications and the server to allow for remote, virtualized data transfer options.
With IaaS, you are still required to manage and provide the applications, middleware, operating system, and data. This allows you a significant degree of oversight and control over the essential elements of your project outside of the infrastructure itself. In addition, because the service provider is handling the core infrastructure for you, you are free to purchase other components, such as the OS and applications, and adjust them precisely to your needs. If you want your services to be as customizable as possible while still relieving your business of some responsibility by using cloud infrastructure, IaaS may be ideal.
There are many benefits to IaaS for any business looking to move away from relying entirely on on-site resources. These benefits include redundancy, higher availability due to its remote environment, lower latency, high speeds, security, and scalability. With IaaS, you can upgrade essential resources as necessary, giving you access to the best resources as they develop. Additionally, since the service provider manages the core resources, this can be more secure and reliable than ensuring the safety and maintenance of servers yourself. One potential disadvantage of IaaS is that it can include shared hosting environments, which aren’t always ideal for security or speed. This can be verified by your provider; a reliable provider will assure you that security and speed aren’t a problem.
PaaS
PaaS, or platform-as-a-service, is the next step up in cloud service models. Like IaaS, PaaS delivers exactly what it says in the name; with PaaS, the cloud service provider handles the infrastructure and the platform. Under this model, all hardware and software are managed by the service provider. This means the operating system and middleware are handled by the cloud service provider, in addition to all the services handled by them under IaaS. This means your business is free to entirely focus on how your applications and data are developed and managed, as the cloud service provider handles everything else. This is optimal for developers looking to quickly and easily test applications without the responsibility of organizing, managing, storing, and purchasing on-site hardware and software. PaaS serves as a platform to focus only on your application if you wish.
PaaS services are generally offered through a graphical user interface (GUI). This GUI provides your team with access to hardware and software and allows collaboration for the deployment of your applications.
PaaS has many benefits, particularly for developers and those looking to focus on web applications. PaaS potentially allows your application to hit the market sooner, as you don’t have to purchase and deploy servers and other software before your application can be released. Additionally, PaaS provides the best options for testing applications at a much lower cost and risk than traditional on-site options. Additionally, this option is more scalable as you can upgrade to different servers and requires less time and technical knowledge than managing on-site resources. One potential disadvantage of PaaS is that you are restricted to the operating system offered by the service provider, potentially limiting what you can do with your application.
SaaS
SaaS, or software-as-a-service, is the most comprehensive option of the cloud computing delivery models. SaaS delivers entire applications remotely over the internet. SaaS requires the provider to manage the data and application, as well as all the other hardware and software externally managed with PaaS and IaaS. SaaS is ubiquitous; anyone who has used Dropbox, Gmail, or other Google Apps, has used a SaaS. SaaS handles everything from deployment to software updates for you.
SaaS services are offered over the internet and generally can be accessed through a web browser. SaaS generally can be accessed through an online API. With SaaS, you don’t need to install a VM or any additional software.
SaaS has many benefits, particularly for small businesses or applications that aren’t very intensive. This option offers effortless and accessible remote access for anyone on your team, allowing for easy collaboration. Additionally, this option provides a very low risk, as it is often pay-as-you-go, inexpensive, and doesn’t require you to provide any resources yourself. Just like all the cloud delivery models, this option is highly scalable. A disadvantage of SaaS is that it offers minimal customization compared to other options. Although resources are upgradable and scalable, you are entirely restricted to what the provider offers you.
Whatever your cloud computing needs, Hotwire Networks can support you and your business. Check out our cloud hosting plans if you want to get your business running with the cloud.
