What Do You Mean By Cloud Services?
Cloud services include infrastructure, platforms, or software that are hosted by third-party cloud providers and can be accessed via users.
Earlier in traditional IT companies, the setup of hardware and software is done by them only to manage their data locally but with time the cloud service providers came into play which ultimately helps companies to reduce their setup and maintenance costs.
What Is A Service Model?
It is a fast-emerging business model that shifts the customer-company relationship from the traditional model of ownership to a model that evolves around providing services on a non-ownership basis.
Types Of Cloud Service Models
Based on the level of service provided, below are the 3 types of cloud service models:
1. Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS)
IaaS provides access to hardware-based fundamental resources such as physical machines, virtual machines, storage, runtime engines, firewalls, etc.
All of the above resources are made available to end users via server virtualization. Even though users do not buy the hardware resources, these resources are accessed by the customers as if they own them.
Characteristics
- Virtual machines with pre-installed software and Operating Systems such as Windows, Linux, and Solaris.
- On-demand availability of resources.
- The computing resources can be easily scaled up and down on demand.
2. Platform As A Service (PaaS)
Platform as a Service (PaaS) offers the run time environment for applications. In layman’s language, It also offers development & deployment tools, required to develop applications. PaaS has a feature of point-and-click tools that enables non-developers to create web applications.
The Salesforce platform used by developers and admins to build applications is an example of PaaS.
Characteristics
- PaaS offers a browser-based development environment. It allows the developer to create a database and edit the application code either via Application Programming Interface or point-and-click tools.
- PaaS provides built-in security, scalability, and web service interfaces.
- PaaS also provides web services interfaces that allow us to connect the applications outside the platform.
3. Software As A Service (SaaS)
Software as a Service (SaaS) makes the software available over the internet. This model allows software applications to be provided as a service to end users. It refers to software that is deployed on a hosted service and accessible via the Internet.
There are several SaaS applications, such as billing and invoicing systems, customer relationship management (CRM) applications, help desk applications, and human resource (HR) solutions.
Characteristics
- Available on demand.
- The Software is maintained by the vendor rather than where they are running and hence making it cost-effective.
- The license to the software may be subscription-based or usage-based. And it is billed on a recurring basis.
- Scaled up or down on demand.
- Automatically upgraded and updated.
- SaaS offers a shared data model.
- All users can run the same version of the software.
Anything As A Service (XaaS)
Anything-as-a-Service (XaaS) is yet another service model, which includes Network-as-a-Service, Business-as-a-Service, Identity-as-a-Service, Database-as-a-Service, and Strategy-as-a-Service.
Difference Between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
Let’s take a quick look at the major differences between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.
