When we say cloud technology, and a wide term as it is, we refer to a centralized way of storing data on the Internet, providing access from anywhere, anytime and from any device. It added a great revolution among businesses all sizes, in a way that reduces the cost, offers flexibility, ease of use and automatic updates in the storage system and maintenance.
When it comes to office transformation, not only it makes out-of -the-office work participation, but it allows installing third-party software that reduces the need for full IT staff, access to all of the company’s documentation from any location and a way to secure the data without physical storage space.
With cloud showing no signs of slowing down, businesses are open to three main cloud service models: SaaS, PaaS and IaaS. Read on to find out more.
Types of Cloud Services:
Cloud services refer to the type of the benefits that cloud provides, and are independent of the type of cloud setting that you are using, even though some of them are most frequently found on public clouds.
Saas – Software as a Service
Providers of SaaS cloud services are basically giving their users access to different applications. This can include everything from finance management software to HR solutions, and pretty much everything else that you can make an application for. All the users of the service gain access to the same app, with possible restrictions or benefits depending on their authorization or plan. This solution is most often used by businesses that need particular software for their operation, as it removes the necessity for powerful hardware, constant software updates and IT staff needed to manage the distribution of software within the company.
The applications are using the resources of the cloud, are auto-updated, and their maintenance and trouble shooting is taken care of by the provider, which greatly simplifies matters for the end user of the provided application.
PaaS – Platform as a Service
What SaaS solutions do for the users of the application, PaaS solutions do for the people developing the applications for SaaS solutions. Basically, users of this service are given an environment that comes equipped with all that they need for application development. This includes testing, deploying and hosting of the apps, as well as a set of tools for the development itself.
Apart from that, PaaS solutions also offer greater scalability and collaboration options.
IaaS – Infrastructure as a Service
In the stack of cloud computing services, often portrayed as a pyramid IaaS is the base, with Paas in the middle and SaaS at the top. As its name implies, IaaS services basically provide the user with basic cloud resources, such as storage and servers. That is to say that a provider of PaaS services could technically use the services of an IaaS provider to host their platform, which can be used for the development of applications for the providers of SaaS services.
Like with the previous two types of services, one of the greatest advantages of this kind of setup is that the user doesn’t have to invest in hardware, and still gets plentiful resources. Iaas service is easily scalable to your needs, as you can always easily upgrade your plan. You are not leaving anything to chance, thanks to the redundancy and a number of physical machines included in the cloud, ready to step in if some of the ones whose resources you are currently using breaks down or experiences any kind of problem.
The conclusion
Cloud technology includes all of these three segments: software, platform and infrastructure. Each segment offers a diverse purpose and different products to businesses. A company should take the time to understand what is available, gets the idea how to continue in flexible and scalable environment and make the right business decision.
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