What is SaaS, IaaS, PaaS & Cloud Computing ?
Cloud computing ! One of the widely used terms in this century. I think at least on some stage even a non-technical person should also be aware of this term. Cloud computing plays an important role in this modern century and a lot of pro types have been going to air as we speak.
Cloud computing is a type of computing that relies on shared computing resources rather than having local servers. In other words, It is simply storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer’s hard drive. The cloud is just a metaphor for the Internet. Programs may be a specific application, or visualization tool or something else.
Cloud Server: Someone else’s server which you connect to remotely.
Why Cloud?
Cloud computing has some tremendous advantages compared to normal computing methods. Its advantages can answer all the questions related to its benefit as well. Let’s mention the major 4 benefits of cloud computing.
- Scalable: Grow as per the needs.
- Affordable: Not much financial credit needed. It can be started even if the customer has no dedicated IT team.
- Secure: Data can be secured by advanced methodologies from the service provider.
- Normally people think that data will not be safe in the cloud. But, it’s better than keeping it stored in on-premise or any physical locations. The cloud providers also have to ensure the data is safe and they dedicate more time to doing this than an internal IT
- Easily Accessible: Data can be accessed from anywhere anytime over the internet.
Moreover, In terms of the factors like Maximum Asset Utilization, Backup Management and Migrations Support, Cost-Effective & Collaboration efficiency, Cloud computing is much better than any on-premise server system. Cloud computing is the technology and cloud server is the server where the data/programs are stored remotely.
How can I get the Cloud Server?
You can simply purchase your server from any cloud providers and its working models and nature purely depends upon your needs. Generally, AWS, Oracle Cloud, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure & IBM are good examples for cloud providers.
What are the THREE MODELS or CATEGORIES of cloud computing services?
Cloud models are mainly 3 types:
1 >> IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
2 >> PaaS (Platform as a Service) &
3 >> SaaS (Software as a Service).
Each of the cloud models has its own set of advantages and characteristics that could serve the needs of various types of users.
1: IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service):
The cloud provider will provide required hardware, storage, servers and data center (DC) space or network components. Simply it covers Infrastructure, Network & Virtualization.
Eg: Digital Ocean, Linode, Rackspace, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco Metapod, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine (GCE)
2: PaaS (Platform as a Service):
The cloud provider will provide all IaaS benefits and required operational platforms such as operating systems, middleware etc… Each of these functions is operated, owned, configured and maintained by the cloud service provider.
Eg: AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Windows Azure, Heroku, Odoo sh, Force.com, Google App Engine, Apache Stratos
3: SaaS (Software as a Service):
Here, The provider brings all features of PaaS indirectly and provides a single or set of software functionalities to the customer. The technical risk is here less and this is the more optimized way.
Eg: Google Apps, Dropbox, Salesforce, Cisco WebEx, Odoo Online, GoToMeeting
Cloud Models : Real world example:
Let’s go through each model with real-world examples for better understanding.
Suppose you are looking for a residential apartment for rent, You may select a non-furnished plain apartment/villa having only essentials things like electricity, Water, Building structure, etc and you can customize and partition as per your needs. You can bring new sofas, Beds, Cupboards at your own risk after the rental/purchase This method is IaaS.
Next choice is having a semi-furnished flat/villa for rent, Where apartment with all facilities of the first choice and additionally kitchen setups and essential furniture like cupboard, bedroom …etc. This method is PaaS.
The last option on the plate is having a full-furnished flat/villa for rent, equipped with all required items of a household. This is the top layer of the concept. From sofa to the table lamp, from bed to dresser and even electronic appliances like washing machines, utensils, and glassware in the kitchen. This method is SaaS.
Is it secure ?
The security matters can also draw here. When you hire any of the above-mentioned apartments, You/ apartment owner will place a legal agreement that describes all the sections including accessibility, financial settlements, validity, services, security measure, etc…
The security completely relies on that legal agreement. Note that the real apartment owner cannot interfere with the moments of your lifestyle with your family at the apartment. However, the owner can help you with the service maintenance of your Air conditioning or water supply as per your ticket/demand. And again, Which is completely relies on the agreement made between you and the owner.
In cloud computing , Contract, Service Level Agreement(SLA), Disaster Recovery, Data Security, Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) etc.. are the examples of legal documents.
So, The cloud computing security is completely depends upon the contract between the provider and consumer and cloud provider data secure methods.
Comparisons: Based on Terminologies Provided by Cloud Providers :
The table below is a brief structure of service providers with the terms. The blurred terminologies will be provided by cloud providers and the remaining terms will be set up by consumers or customers based on their requirements.
Conclusion:
Throughout this blog cloud computing and its models are described with real-world examples. Not that there are several models of clouds like Storage as a Service (SaaS), Communications as a Service (CaaS), Network as a Service (NaaS), Monitoring as a Service (MaaS), etc.. Also some providers are providing mixed nature of the cloud models. All of them are selected by the customers based on their requirements.
Thank You for reading.
