WHAT IS CLOUD COMPUTING STACK (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS): What’s The Difference and How To Choose
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing is often described as a stack, as a response to the broad range of services built on top of one another under the moniker “Cloud”. The generally accepted definition of Cloud Computing comes from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), essentially says that; 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) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. What this means in plain terms is the ability for end users to utilize parts of bulk resources and that these resources can be acquired quickly and easily. NIST also offers up several characteristics that it sees as essential for a service to be considered “Cloud”. These characteristics include;
- On-Demand Self-Service: The ability for an end user to sign up and receive services without the long delays that have characterized traditional IT
- Broad Network Access: Ability to access the service via standard platforms (Desktop, Laptop, Mobile, etc.)
- Resource Pooling: Resources are pooled across multiple customers
- Rapid Elasticity: Capability can scale to cope with demand peaks
- Measured Service: Billing is metered and delivered as a utility service
More than putting and solving puzzles around categorization, we believe that in order to maximize the benefits that Cloud Computing brings, a solution needs to demonstrate these particular characteristics. This is especially true since in recent years there has been a move by traditional software vendors to market solutions as “Cloud Computing” which are generally accepted to not fall within the definition of true Cloud Computing, a practice known as “Cloud-Washing.” The diagram below depicts the Cloud Computing stack — it shows three distinct categories within Cloud Computing: Software as a Service, Platform as a Service and Infrastructure as a Service and the composition of each category:
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
In the IaaS model, self-managed cloud deployment of virtual machines gives you more control of your infrastructure while leaving the core hardware and network management to the provider. With your control comes greater responsibility for maintaining the virtual machines, including operating system updates and security.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
With PaaS, a cloud-based managed service minimizes the complexities of live streaming by offloading most of the configuration and management to third-party specialists, so you don’t have to make big investments in resources and expertise to get started. However, what it offers in scalability it sometimes lacks in control.
As your needs evolve, you may want to work with a cloud-based service that provides advanced features or a REST API for fine-grained control, plus is agile about adding new capabilities and keeping your streaming platform future-proof.
Alternatively, at that point, you could deploy an IaaS-based solution for the highest level of cloud infrastructure control.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Finally, with SaaS, a vendor usually provides the player on a hosted page and abstracts all of the underlying processing and delivery components. In this case, you would simply point your viewers to that hosted web page or embed the player on your own site.
