Cloud computing is a model designed to enable convenient and ubiquitous network access to a pool of shared, configurable resources.
The configurable computing resources could include anything from servers, applications and storage. These resources can be released with minimal service provider interaction.
The cloud model is made up of three primary service models, including:
Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS)
IaaS gives businesses access to key web architecture features, including storage and connections without the need to invest in the infrastructure and manage it by themselves.
Due to the economies of scale involved, this can prove to be a benefit for both the infrastructure provider and the one availing it. Primarily, IaaS allows businesses to grow and expand. Both SaaS and PaaS are grounded in IaaS since the company providing the software is service is also providing the infrastructure to run along.
While it can be complicated to use IaaS cloud, done the right way and using the right software, it can be highly beneficial.
Platform As A Service (PaaS)
PaaS clouds are generated inside IaaS by cloud specialists to make deployment scalability easier and to lower your expenses. One of the most prominent examples of PaaS include the Google App Engine.
The most important benefit of applications like these is the ability to get the application off the ground, in many cases, without any investment.
In addition to this, PaaS allows users to benefit from a lot of scalability by design since it’s based on cloud as discussed earlier. PaaS can prove to be quite useful in cases where you want a lean operations staff. However, there are still some downsides like trade-offs that might not work with any product under any condition and other restrictions.
Software As A Service (SaaS)
Compared to the other two models, SaaS is relatively mature and the term is being used even before cloud computing existed.
Cloud applications enable the cloud to be leveraged for software architecture, cutting down the maintenance load, operations and support by having all applications run on vendor computers. Salesforce is one of the most prominent examples of SaaS operated on cloud. However, not all SaaS needs to be based around cloud computing.
When mass adoption of cloud computing started in 2005, several companies realized the potential and gained the lead. Presently, even though a few players lead the market, none of them hold an authoritative position in terms of features and standards.
If you are small business owner, wondering how cloud computing works, we can help. From integration to making the most of your cloud system, at Rete Consulting, we are your one stop IT support company. Give us a call to learn more!