Software as a service (SaaS) is a software licensing and distribution model in which your full-application stack is delivered as a cloud service. Your software application and its underlying infrastructure is centrally hosted on your vendor’s cloud service, and is fully maintained and updated by them. The vendor controls the entire computing stack, which you can access through a web browser. Your applications run on the cloud and you can use the vendor’s cloud services by paying a license fee or get it for free with limited access. SaaS does not require any installations or downloads in your existing computing infrastructure. This eliminates the need for installing applications separately on each device you use. Application maintenance and support is handled by the vendor. Common examples of SaaS include Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, InfinCE and ReachOut Suite among others. Show
2. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud service model in which the cloud provider hosts the infrastructure components that provide compute, storage, networking, and virtualization capabilities to the subscriber on an on-demand basis via the internet. IaaS eliminates the need for enterprises to procure, configure, or manage infrastructure themselves. They only need to pay for what they use. IaaS avoids the costs and complexity associated with building and maintaining physical infrastructure in an on-premises data center. As a subscriber, you only need to focus on installing, configuring, and managing software and keeping your data secure. Google Compute Engine, AWS EC2, and Azure IaaS are popular examples of IaaS. 3. Platform as a Service (PaaS) Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud service model that offers users a flexible and scalable cloud platform to develop, deploy, run, and manage apps. It provides the hardware and software resources needed for cloud application development. Developers don’t have to worry about updating the operating system and development tools or maintaining hardware. The entire PaaS environment is delivered via the cloud by a third-party service provider.Development teams can simply purchase pay as you go access to everything they need to build custom apps, including servers, operating systems, networking, storage, middleware, infrastructure, development tools, and much more. Applications built directly on the PaaS environment can be rapidly deployed. It gives developers the freedom to focus on their application code. Cloud Services are among the most in-demand services recently, with big organizations like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle driving the path for innovation development. Rather than depending on their own private servers, organizations incline toward contracting out the storage to reputable providers, ignoring the obligation regarding supporting the foundation and guaranteeing security. What is Cloud Computing?Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services). This cloud model is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models. Cloud Computing Service ModelsThere are three main types of service models of cloud computing. Each type of cloud computing provides different levels of control, flexibility, and management so that you’ll select the proper set of services for your needs. Three Common Cloud Service ModelsThe three Cloud Service Models are as follows:
1. Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS)
Benefits of IaaSIaaS is an efficient and cost-effective way to deploy, operate, and scale your IT infrastructure. It’s easy to set up and configure, so you can start using it quickly. And because it’s available as a service from an external provider, you don’t have to worry about building and maintaining your own infrastructure. IaaS offers the following benefits: Cost savings: IaaS is more cost-effective than building your own data center. You pay only for what you need — storage space, CPU power, bandwidth, and other resources. This makes it easier to scale up or down as needed. On-demand access: You can instantly provision new resources whenever they’re needed without having to invest in new hardware and software or hire additional IT staff members. The cloud provider takes care of all the maintenance and upgrades required to keep your servers online 24/7 with 99 percent uptime guarantees (or better). Flexibility: With cloud computing, you can easily add more resources when demand increases without having to upgrade equipment or hire more IT professionals. Read: Azure DevOps Vs AWS DevOps IaaS Use-CasesHere are some common IaaS use-cases:
2. Platform As A Service (PaaS)
Benefits of PaaSPaaS is an easy way to build an application, and it offers a lot of benefits. Here are just a few: Faster development time – You don’t have to build infrastructure before you can start coding. Reduced costs – Your IT department won’t need to spend time on manual deployments or server management. Enhanced security – PaaS providers lock down your applications so that they’re more secure than traditional web apps. High availability – A PaaS provider can make sure your application is always available, even during hardware failures or maintenance windows. Read: AWS For Testers And AWS Quality Assurance (QA) PaaS Use-CasesThere are multiple use cases for PaaS, in a wide range of business contexts. Some of them are:
3. Software As A Service (SaaS)
Benefits of SaaSThe benefits of SaaS are numerous and varied. Many businesses have already made the switch to SaaS, but some are still skeptical about making the change. Here are some of the top reasons why you should consider switching to SaaS: Lower Total Cost of Ownership: One of the biggest benefits of SaaS is that it lowers your total cost of ownership (TCO) by eliminating hardware expenses and maintenance costs. There is no longer a need to buy servers or hire IT professionals to maintain or monitor them, which results in fewer upfront costs and reduced maintenance fees over time. Better Security: Another benefit of SaaS is improved security. Since most services are hosted on secure servers in data centers with 24/7 monitoring, there’s less chance for hackers to gain access or steal your data. This makes SaaS a more secure option for storing sensitive information than other options like on-premise software or local servers. In fact, according to Gartner’s 2017 Magic Quadrant report, “Software as a service (SaaS) offerings provide better security than self-hosted software does.” SaaS Use-Cases
Read: AWS Shared Responsibility Model Graphical Comparison of Cloud Computing Service ModelsCharacteristics Of Service Model of cloud computing
Which Cloud Service Model To Learn?One of the most common questions I get from my students is which Cloud Computing Service Model I should learn?
Cloud Shared Responsibility ModelThe shared responsibility model defines cloud security, but it changes for IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. Sample QuestionsHere are a few sample questions that you should be able to solve after reading this blog. Q1. Do Amazon Web Services fall into which of the following cloud-computing category?
Correct Answer: 3 Q2. Which one of the following can be considered as the most complete cloud computing service model?
Correct Answer: 2 Q3. Which one of the following provides the resources or services such as virtual infrastructure, virtual machines, virtual storage, and several other hardware assets?
Correct Answer: 3 Q4. You plan to provide Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) resources in Azure. Which resource is an example of IaaS?
Correct Answer: 2. This blog post covered one of the important topics on Cloud Computing Service Models in the Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification Exam (AZ-104), AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C02, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Foundation Certification [1Z0-1085-21]. Which of the following is the most common cloud models?Which cloud deployment model is most commonly used? The public cloud is the most widely used model. It allows users to access a vast range of cloud-based services.
Which service model is best in cloud computing?IaaS is the most flexible cloud model that helps manage and customize your IT hardware infrastructure according to your requirements.
What are the most widely used cloud computing applications?Cloud Computing Examples. Software-as-a-Service (Saas): Salesforce.. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (Saas): DigitalOcean.. Platform-as-a-Service (Saas): AWS.. File Sharing + Data Storage: Dropbox.. Big Data Analysis: Civis Analytics.. Data Governance: Carbonite.. Cybersecurity: Forcepoint.. |