Question

As a Service solutions are Saas, Paas, and Iaas, Please find me a scenario where all 3 of these are used as in the question below. Thanks.

1. When you look at the different “as a Service” solutions provided, can you think of a scenario where all 3 services are offered as a solution? Describe that scenario.

Answer 1

Infrastructure as a service:

Infrastructure as a service is a service model, wherein the service provider provides computer infrastructure to the customer on an outsourced basis to support enterprise operations. Businesses can purchase resources as needed. These resources include hardware, servers, storage, virtualization, networking. The provider will provide pre-installed and configured hardware or software through a virtualized interface.

How will this be beneficial to the organization?

IaaS is scalable ie. you only pay for what you use. It helps to reduce the expense and makes it easier for organizations to buy and manage your own physical servers and data center infrastructure.

What does a business do with IaaS?

• Website Hosting: It runs websites using IaaS because it is less expensive.
• Storage, backup, recovery: IaaS can help avoid the capital needed for storage management. It simplifies planning and managing backup and recovery system.
• Web Apps: IaaS provides the necessary infrastructure to support web apps, application servers, and networking resources.
• Better Security: IaaS provides more security for your data what you can do in-house.

Improves data recovery: It helps to access data during a disaster with the right service level agreement.

2. Platform as a service:

Platform as a service is a service model, wherein the service provider provides a platform and environment that allows developers to build applications and services using the internet. These services are hosted in the cloud and users can access them with their own web browsers. It supplies an on-demand environment to develop, test, deliver and manage software applications. It helps developers create web or mobile apps without worrying about setting up the infrastructure of servers or storage required for it. You can purchase the resources needed from a cloud service provider on a pay-as-you-go basis model and access them using your internet.

How is PaaS beneficial to an organization?

• Development Framework: PaaS provides a framework for the users to build customized cloud-based applications on.
• Cut Coding Time: It helps to cut the time it takes to code new apps with pre-coded application components built into the platform.
• Develop for multiple platforms, including mobile: It gives development options for mobiles, computers, and browsers that makes cross-platform applications quicker.
• Manage the application effectively: PaaS provides all capabilities needed to support the efficient functioning of a web application like building, testing, deploying, managing and updating in the same environment.

Let's have a look at a few examples of PaaS:

Google app engine, Force.com, AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

3. Software as a Service:

Software as a service is a new and alternative way to access software as opposed to traditional methods of access. In the past, the software was generally purchased and loaded on a device, SaaS is a subscription-based model where the software is hosted in the cloud and accessed over the internet with a web browser. The cloud providers host and manage the infrastructure and the software application along with its maintenance like software upgrades. Users need not install anything but simply log in and use the provider's application running on the provider's infrastructure.

How is SaaS beneficial to an organization?

• Pay only for what you use: SaaS scales up and down as per your usage.
• Access app data anywhere: SaaS helps data to be stored in cloud and user can access it from any internet connected device and the data is not lost if the user's device fails.
• Gain access to enterprise applications: Users can use applications like CRM and ERP without purchasing, installing, updating or maintaining any hardware or software.
• Use free client software: Users don't have to install or purchase any special software. They can run SaaS apps directly from their web browsers.

SaaS is affordable for organizations that don't have resources to deploy, buy and manage necessary infrastructure and software.