Have you heard terms like IaaS, SaaS or serverless computing but wanted to better understand what they mean? Cloud computing provides on-demand access to computing power, databases, storage and all the services that power innovation today. As organizations accelerate cloud adoption, lets explore the 5 main types of cloud computing in plain English so you can grasp the unique value of each.
We’ll overview:
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Function as a Service (FaaS)
- Desktop as a Service (DaaS)
Gartner forecasts worldwide public cloud spending to hit $591 billion in 2023 driven by the versatility cloud offers. So whether you’re an IT leader modernizing systems or an entrepreneur building innovations, insight into these pivotal technologies is key!
Infrastructure as a Service Powers Adaptability
First up is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) which provides versatile building block resources to deploy software environments on-demand. This includes fully functional infrastructure components like:
- Virtual servers
- Storage
- Networking
- Operating systems
Cloud infrastructure providers maintain data center hardware while consumers utilize self-service portals to tailor and control virtual software infrastructure.
For example IaaS virtual servers allow web apps to flexibly scale up during demand spikes and down when traffic normalizes. The beauty is that additional infrastructure capacity can be activated instantly as needed rather than sitting idle.
IaaS offers advantages like:
Scalability – Scale resources up or down quickly per demand
Agility – Deploy infrastructure faster than procuring hardware
Resilience – Leverage cloud’s built-in redundancy and failover protections
Flexibility – Customize environments using wide range of infrastructure building blocks
Cost – Pay only for what you consume rather than overprovisioning resources
Leading IaaS providers include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). These offer services like virtual machines, storage and databases that users can mix-and-match.
| IaaS Provider | Virtual Servers | Storage | Networking |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS | EC2 | EBS | VPC |
| Azure | Virtual Machines | Blob Storage | Virtual Network |
| GCP | Compute Engine | Persistent Disk | Virtual Private Cloud |
With cloud resources that can be controlled programmatically using APIs and tools, IaaS empowers remarkable agility.
However some downsides of IaaS include:
Complexity – Architecting cloud infrastructure demands new skills that are scarce
Management – Ongoing patch, security and cost oversight remains non-trivial
Lock-in – Migrating from one IaaS vendor to another can be challenging
So in summary, need virtualized infrastructure provisioned instantly? IaaS is your ticket with the control and customization DevOps teams crave.
Platform as a Service Steps on the Gas
Just as cars require roads and utilities to transport people quickly, applications need underlying infrastructure and services to run efficiently. Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides a holistic platform encompassing servers, storage, networking AND development tools, databases and more to accelerate coding and deployment.
PaaS offerings include:
- Operating systems
- Programming languages/frameworks
- Databases and data analytics
- Testing/staging environments
- Built-in scalability and availability
- Application lifecycle management
For instance PaaS can allow teams to seamlessly collaborate on application development using shared code repositories, conduct integration testing across replicated staging environments, then deploy apps with built-in scalability to production through centralized pipelines.
Benefits provided by PaaS include:
Developer productivity – Focus efforts on creating amazing apps rather than resource configuration
Innovation velocity – Launch new capabilities faster leaning on automated deployment pipelines
Scalability – Apps intrinsincally leverage cloud-native elasticity and redundancy
Cost efficiency – Consume pooled, shared resources driving economies of scale
Leading PaaS offerings include AWS Elastic Beanstalk for web apps, Azure App Service for container/serverless apps and Google App Engine providing application hosting frameworks.
However some downsides of PaaS solutions involve:
Proprietary frameworks – Applications may require rewrites if switching PaaS vendors
Vendor governance – Less control over underlying infrastructure configurations
So in essence, think of PaaS as a turbo boost for development and delivery of apps allowing innovation to outpace infrastructure constraints.
Software as a Service Drives Simplicity
Why go through the hassle of installing, configuring and maintaining software when you can simply access applications directly via the cloud? That’s the value proposition behind Software as a Service (SaaS).
SaaS provides turnkey access to complete software solutions that are hosted and managed by vendors. This allows anyone to leverage powerful apps using only a web browser or mobile app.
Common examples include:
- Office productivity suites
- Customer relationship management (CRM)
- Human resource management (HRM)
- Accounting
- Project planning
SaaS allows businesses to shortcut lengthy deployment cycles by quickly activating cloud-based software. Updates happen automatically so users benefit from latest capabilities and security patches.
Advantages of SaaS solutions encompass:
Rapid deployment – User provisioning measures in minutes rather than weeks or months
Mobility – Access apps anywhere, anytime through internet connectivity
Low administration – Vendors handle monitoring, maintenance and continuity
Flexible cost – Pay only for users or resources utilized rather than licensing entire software
Prominent SaaS applications include Google Workspace with Gmail, Docs and Sheets, Salesforce CRM improving customer interactions and Workday HRM standardizing people processes.
Potential downsides to weigh include:
Limited customization – Extensibility and integration with other systems poses challenges
Data control – Reliant on provider for proper data protections
So in summary, don’t reinvent the wheel when proven software solutions offered through SaaS can simplify getting business-critical apps up and running quickly.
Function as a Service Simplifies Through Serverless Computing
What if you could forget servers entirely and code was automatically executed only when needed? Say hello to Function as a Service (FaaS) which represents the next evolution in cloud computing services.
With FaaS, rather than provisioning servers and managing runtime environments, developers simply upload functional application code. Cloud vendors then handle executing code snippets automatically in response to event triggers like:
- Incoming API requests
- New database entries
- File uploads to cloud storage
- Schedule-based actions
For example, as images are uploaded to cloud storage, a FaaS function could automatically resize images to create optimized thumbnails.
Prominent FaaS platforms include:
AWS Lambda – Serverless functions triggered via AWS service events
Azure Functions – Process events from Azure services and SaaS apps
Google Cloud Functions – Lightweight code linking Google Cloud events and services
IBM Cloud Functions – Code hosted as functions then invoked on demand
FaaS offers advantages like:
Cost savings – Pay only for code executions rather than idle resources
Automated scaling – Seamlessly handle demand spikes without capacity planning
Innovation velocity – Decreased time-to-market releasing new capabilities
Event-driven actions – Trigger critical flows based on state changes
However as complexity can mount with greater numbers of functions, FaaS solutions also impose some challenges including:
Monitoring – Tracking distributed request flows across functions proves difficult
Debugging – Isolating and correcting issues in a serverless architecture
So in summary, forget about procuring and maintaining infrastructure – FaaS executes code in a fully managed, auto-scaling architecture through short-lived containers invoked on-demand.
Desktop as a Service Powers Secure Remote Work
Employees love the freedom of working remotely. But IT teams still need to deliver desktop applications while safeguarding data security and access controls. Enter Desktop as a Service (DaaS).
DaaS provides cloud-hosted virtualized Windows and Linux desktop environments accessible across devices. This facilitates secure remote work, improves resilience and simplifies delivery of apps/data.
Leading DaaS platforms include:
Microsoft Windows 365 Cloud PCs – Fully personalized cloud desktop experience
Amazon WorkSpaces – Desktops with choice of Windows or Linux
Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops – Hosted shared and individual desktops
Benefits provided by DaaS solutions include:
Improved security posture – Data protection centralized rather than distributed across devices
Global access – Productivity from anywhere through internet connectivity
Simplified compliance – Unified controls help address privacy regulations
Flexible scaling – Desktop capacity expands or contracts to meet changing needs
Administrative ease – Centralized management rather than device-by-device
However some downsides to consider involve:
Latency – Rich graphics and video may lag due to distant computing
Availability – Temporary loss of internet access can impact workflows
So in essence DaaS modernizes desktop app and data delivery from centralized cloud platforms rather than dispersed physical devices.
The versatility across these cloud services offers something for everyone no matter where you reside on digitization journey. SaaS provides turnkey apps to simplify getting users rapidly productive. IaaS delivers flexible building blocks fine-tuned using APIs and tools. PaaS minimizes the foundation needed to develop, test and deploy next-gen apps. FaaS allows abstraction from servers entirely in an auto-scaling event-drive architecture. And DaaS virtualizes secure, manageable desktops hosted centrally rather than on individual devices.
Which cloud computing capability can you leverage today to increase agility and efficiency? The cloud offers innovative means to amplify access to computing resources so you can dream bigger!
