Easy way to understand SaaS, PaaS and IaaS
Since the advent of cloud computing and services, businesses worldwide are moving away from traditional on-premise services. The cloud has revolutionized how companies work, enabling them to connect to IT platforms, applications, and infrastructure via the Internet.
The following terms must be understood for organizations wishing to move their e-commerce businesses to the cloud.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).
Cloud computing exists in three primary forms today. IAAS gives access to the resources like virtual machines and virtual storage. PAAS provides access to run time environment to deployment and development tools for application—SAAS allows access to the end user.
It is a service model that provides visualized computing resources over the Internet.
Service providers handle as much or as little of the stack as you do relative to the service provider for IaaS, PaaS and SaaS. Every model has its pros and cons, depending on what you need in terms of flexibility and customization.
An unmanaged IaaS solution, for example, requires more monitoring than a fully integrated SaaS application, which provides complete control and flexibility over the deployment of virtually any workload.
You’ll choose your model largely based on the needs of your IT operation and the characteristics of the particular applications you have. Following are the three “as a service” models compared with the “on-premise” model. Listed below are the services provided by each of the three service models.
Let’s take a look at each of the service models,
SaaS
The SaaS platform involves software that third parties can access via the Internet and is alternatively called cloud application services. This platform uses many cloud computing services, utilizing a web browser to deliver an entire application.
The provider performs updates, bug fixes, and general software maintenance while users connect via dashboards or API. Group access to the program is smoother and more reliable because no software needs to be installed on individual machines. In addition to its many benefits, SaaS is an excellent choice for organizations without the resources to handle software installation and maintenance.
SaaS has limitations, such as unpredicted interruptions for critical patching and minimal end-user customization. Most SaaS packages require the installation of specific operating systems, web browsers, or software interfaces that are beyond the expertise or knowledge of most users.
However, you should make sure you choose a trustworthy provider, as SaaS has advantages such as time and cost savings, but it can have disadvantages like control and security.
A few popular SaaS providers are:
1. Slack.
2. Dropbox.
3. Hubspot.
PaaS
Internet-based software and hardware are the main components of PaaS. Essentially, Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offers on-premises infrastructure management at a lower cost. In this instance, the provider hosts the hardware and software, delivering the platform to the user through an integrated product.
In most cases, PaaS is a valuable service for developers and programmers, as these services allow users to create, run, and manage their apps with no need to construct or maintain any infrastructure.
Without the hassle of updating software or maintaining hardware. Build and deploy your applications in an environment provided to you. It is often called an unscaled version of IaaS since it offers a broader range of services, including servers, networks, and storage, all provided by a third-party provider.
As an organization, you have no control over data protection or network bandwidth, which may result in unforeseen challenges. This is one of the significant limitations of PaaS.
A few popular PaaS providers are:
1. Google App Engine.
2. OpenShift.
3. Windows Azure.
IaaS
Storage, networking, virtualization, and networking are some of the primary services associated with IaaS. On-premises infrastructure is being replaced with infrastructure as a service. An infrastructure service provided by a third party allows you to pay as you go for resources, including storage and virtualization, when you need them.
A provider provides you with access and management of the network, servers, virtualization, and storage you need, while you are responsible for the operating system, data, applications, middleware, and runtimes. Your provider takes care of maintaining and updating your on-site data center on your behalf. An application programming interface (API) or dashboard allows you to control the infrastructure.
As you need, you can increase or decrease the number of components as needed with IaaS. Using IaaS is very affordable since there is no overhead or maintenance cost.
IaaS providers may encounter security issues and service reliability issues if they share infrastructure resources with multiple clients. When choosing a reliable and trustworthy provider with a solid history and reputation, these drawbacks can be avoided.
In order to ensure your budget, efficiency, and workload are on target, you should always run a Return on Investment (ROI) formula. When features, products, and compute resources change, some time will be required to train the users and administrators.
IaaS providers examples are:
1. AWS EC2.
2. Google Compute Engine (GCE).
3. Microsoft Azure.
4. VPSie
On-Premise
Due to the popularity of these cloud service models, on-premise hosting has become less necessary. With businesses and technology merging, organizations that want to stay competitive tend to move to the cloud or establish a hybrid model.
Cases where on-premise is considered the best option:-
Data Sovereignty: where the understanding that data is stored outside of an organization’s host country and still subject to the laws in the country where the data are stored. (GDPR & CCPA are good examples)
Data Security: No matter how strict is the contract with the cloud provider, They all abide by the regulatory requirements of the residence country where the data is stored
Litigation (search warrants): No Cloud providers do follow forcing access to your company storage without your consent to search for artifacts that support an investigation. Electronic materials that are strategic to the company’s operation may not be appropriate for Cloud storage
Bandwidth overhead: This cost varies dramatically by region from $0.20 to $30/Mbps commercially, so in some situations the cost of bandwidth to access the cloud could be an overhead that could be reduced on-premise
Control: You own control over the hardware, data, and security layers
Reduced attack surface: This Data is stored in your data centers, and access is primarily internal (intranet) and restricted to authorized entities, while on the other end, cloud providers have well-known IP scopes that are scanned thousands of times per day for legitimate and non-legitimate reasons
With VPSie offers the whole platform as a turnkey on-premise solution providing the benefits of both worlds, Having an affordable upfront investment and all advantages of the cloud while maintaining security and controls on-premise with the ability to become your cloud provider within your datacenter and providing the full-line of cloud services to your business clients at the same time.
We hope this article clarifies how cloud model responsibilities are defined compared to on-premise options.
We appreciate you spending time reading this article. We hope that you found it informative. Contact our professional team to evaluate which option suits your business.
FAQ
Cloud computing is a technology that enables users to access computing resources (e.g., servers, storage, databases, applications) over the internet.
The three main categories of cloud computing services are: Infrastructure as a Service , Platform as a Service and Software as a Service. In short IAAS,PAAS,SAAS
An Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing service that provides users with virtualized computing resources, such as servers, storage, and networking. Users can provision, manage, and scale these resources on demand without purchasing and maintaining physical hardware.
Some examples of IaaS providers include Amazon Web Services , Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud computing service that provides users with a platform to build, deploy, and manage their applications. PaaS providers typically offer pre-built tools, frameworks, and middleware to simplify application development and deployment.
Some examples of PaaS providers include Heroku, Google App Engine, and Microsoft Azure App Service.
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud computing service that provides users access to software applications over the internet. Users can access and use the software without installing it on their own devices or managing the underlying infrastructure.
Some examples of SaaS providers include Salesforce, Dropbox, and Google Workspace (formerly known as G Suite).
The benefits of using IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS include: cost savings, scalability, agility, ease of use, reduced maintenance and management, and access to the latest technologies.
The choice between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS depends on your organization’s specific needs and goals. If you need complete control over the infrastructure and want to build and manage your applications, IaaS might be the best choice. PaaS might be the best choice if you want to focus on developing and deploying applications without managing the underlying infrastructure. SaaS might be the best choice if you want to access and use software applications without having to install or manage them.
Some common security concerns when using IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS include: data privacy, data protection, access control, network security, and compliance with regulatory requirements. Working with a trusted provider and implementing proper security measures to mitigate these risks is essential.
Public cloud refers to a cloud computing environment where the resources are owned and managed by a third-party provider and shared among multiple users. A private cloud refers to a cloud computing environment owned and managed by a single organization and used exclusively by that organization. Hybrid cloud refers to a cloud computing environment combining public and private cloud resources, allowing organizations to leverage both benefits.
