Organizational networks are more than just building the physical network and adding servers. Networks contain many different components. Let’s take a look at some of these components and how you can use the cloud to use and support them.
Infrastructure- as- a- Service (IaaS)
Infrastructure- as- a- service (IaaS) is a cloud computing service that provides on demand compute, storage, and networking resources on a pay-a s- you- go basis over the Internet.
Using an IaaS solution will help you reduce maintenance of your onsite datacenters and can help with the expense of hardware costs. It also allows you the flexibility to scale your resources depending on demand. You only pay for what you use.
IaaS Advantages
The following are the advantages of IaaS:
Eliminates Capital Expense and Reduces Ongoing Cost IaaS avoids the up- front expenses of setting up and managing an onsite datacenter.
Enhanced Security With the appropriate SLA in place, your cloud service provider can provide better security for your applications and data than if you were to maintain it onsite.
Helps Innovate and Get New Apps to the Users Faster With IaaS, once you’ve launched a new product, the necessary computing infrastructure can be ready in a few minutes or hours, rather than in days or weeks. This allows you to deliver your apps much faster.
Improved Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery With the appropriate SLA in place, IaaS can help reduce the cost of achieving high availability, business continuity, and disaster recovery.
Increased Scale and Performance of IT Workloads IaaS allows you to scale globally and will adjust to changes in resource demand.
Increased Stability, Reliability, and Support With IaaS, since the provider maintains all the hardware and software, there is no need for you to upgrade software/hardware or to troubleshoot any equipment issues. IaaS frees up your team to allow them to focus on your business rather than on IT infrastructure issues. You still have to handle operating system issues, maintenance, and monitoring. You won’t need to worry about the physical hardware.
Reduced Capital Expenditures and Optimized Costs IaaS eliminates the costs associated with managing and configuring an onsite datacenter. When you’re migrating to the cloud, IaaS makes it extremely cost- effective. IaaS providers use the pay- as- you- go subscription model.
Platform- as- a- Service (PaaS)
According to Microsoft, “platform as a service (PaaS) is a complete development and deployment environment in the cloud, with resources that enable you to deliver everything
from simple cloud- based apps to sophisticated, cloud-e nabled enterprise applications” (https://azure.microsoft.com/en- us/resources/cloud- computing- dictionary/what- is- paas). You can purchase the required resources from a cloud service provider on a pay- as- you- go basis and then access those resources via a secure Internet connection.
PaaS includes infrastructure, such as servers, storage, and networking. It also consists of the middleware, development tools, business intelligence (BI) services, database management systems, and more.
PaaS allows you to avoid the costs of buying and managing software licenses. Basically, you manage the applications and services that they developed, and the cloud service provider manages all other aspects.
Platform- as- a- Service (PaaS) Advantages
The following are the advantages of PaaS:
Adds Development Capabilities Without Adding Staff PaaS can provide your development team with new capabilities without the need to hire new staff.
Cuts Coding Time You can reduce the time it takes to code new applications by using pre- coded application components that are built into the platform. These include workflow, directory services, security features, search, and more.
Easily Develop for Multiple Platforms Service providers can offer you development options for multiple platforms. These can include computers, mobile devices, and browsers to make cross- platform applications easier to develop.
Efficiently Manage the Application Life Cycle PaaS provides all of the capabilities needed to support the complete web application life cycle. The life cycle includes building, testing, deploying, managing, and updating within the same integrated environment.
Supports Geographically Distributed Development Teams Since the development environment is accessed over the Internet, PaaS makes it easier for development teams to work together on projects, even when in remote locations.
Uses Sophisticated Tools Affordably Since PaaS is a pay- as- you- go model, it makes it possible to use advanced development software and business intelligence (BI) as well as analytics tools that you typically could not afford to purchase.
Understanding the Difference between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
Software- as- a- Service (SaaS)
Over the Internet, software- as- a- service (SaaS) allows users to connect to and use cloud- based applications. SaaS provides a software solution that is purchased on a pay-a s- you- go basis from a cloud service provider. Basically, you are renting the use of an application and users connect to it over the Internet. Common examples are email, calendaring, and office tools (such as Microsoft Office 365).
All of the core infrastructure, middleware, application software, and application data are located in the service provider’s datacenter. The service provider maintains all the hardware and software.
SaaS allows a company to get up and running quickly with few up- front costs. When employing an SaaS solution, you will be responsible for configuring the SaaS solution. Then, everything else is managed by the cloud provider.
Software- as- a- Service (SaaS) Advantages
The following are the advantages of SaaS:
Access App Data from Anywhere Since the data is stored in the cloud, your users can access the information from any Internet- connected computer or mobile device. Since the application data is stored in the cloud, no data is lost if a user’s computer or device fails.
Gain Access to Sophisticated Applications To provide SaaS applications to users, there is no need to purchase, install, update, or maintain any hardware, middleware, or software.
Mobilize Your Workforce Easily Users can access SaaS applications and data from any Internet- connected computer or mobile device. There is also no need to hire additional staff to maintain the applications.
Pay Only for What You Use You will save money since the SaaS service will automatically scale up and down depending on your usage levels.
Use Free Client Software Users can run most SaaS applications using their web browser without the need to download or install any software.