Different Types of
Cloud Services

The IT industry is developing at lightning speed and shows no sign of slowing down. New tides of tech innovation keep hitting the market, and IT and Software Development opportunities are increasing at two times the rate of countrywide job growth. Cloud services specifically have seen an efflux as the “as a Service” (aaS) subscription continues to shake the market.

In one statement, cloud computing is the offering of on-demand IT systems over the internet. The enterprises that provide such computing services are known as Cloud Service Providers (CSPs).

Cloud services have revolutionized how companies such as IBM, Oracle, AWS, and Microsoft Azure procure and monitor infrastructure. Our expertise in collaborating with all these big players in the tech industry can be beneficial for accelerating your cloud journey. Get in touch with us today to learn everything you need to know to adopt cloud technology and boost your business performance!

For organizations “as a Service” solutions offer several advantages but exploring all the services to get a feel of which one aligns with your business can be taxing.

Below we’ve highlighted for you the top cloud services that every business should be aware of.

The Top Cloud Services
There are numerous cloud computing services to fulfil any IT demand. Ideally, organizations subscribe only to the cloud service they need, helping them decrease operating capital and run infrastructure successfully.

Though there are different types of cloud computing services, they have some common features and benefits, enabling them to be grouped into four cloud services namely:

• Functions as a Service (FaaS)
• Platform as a Service (PaaS)
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
• Software as a Service (SaaS)

1.Functions as a Service (FaaS)
Before we define FaaS, let’s get into the most popular tech term linked with it, which is serverless computing. Serverless computing is a cloud computing service that handles low-level infrastructure decision-making and server management. Serverless computing handles the distribution of resources, which takes the pressure off the application architect.

FaaS on the other hand is an emerging cloud service that applies the serverless computing concept. It lets developers implement applications and deploy an individual “task” aspect of business rationale or a business action without handling a server.

FaaS increases efficiency as developers are not concerned with server operations because they are sourced externally.

Examples of FaaS are Microsoft Azure Functions, Open Whisk, Google Cloud Function, AWS Lambda, Webtask.io and Iron.io.
A key benefit of FaaS is money is not wasted on inert resources as users are charged based on the amount of utility used. FaaS code is also inherently innovative and fault-tolerant.

2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
PaaS is a cloud service that offers developers a framework for building custom applications. PaaS enables software developers to implement custom applications online without the hassle of data serving, data storage and management. An ideal PaaS contains hosting solutions, OS, DBMS, network access, server software, storage, software tools for design and development, support and environment for server-side scripting.

Examples of PaaS services are OpenShift, Microsoft Azure, Force.com by Salesforce, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Google App Engine, Apache Stratos and Rackspace Cloud Sites.

PaaS offers location independence as developers in separate locations collaborate on a similar application build. With PaaS, there is no need to invest in physical infrastructure or in skills needed to manage it. A good example of this is SAP. The potential to acquire virtual IT infrastructure earns high-cost benefits for the users.

Moreover, PaaS makes software development easy for non-IT experts as anyone can establish an application through the web browser with a single click button.

Users don’t need to update infrastructure as the PaaS service provider maintains all the gadgets and consistent software maintenance.

3. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
IaaS is a cloud service where hardware resources are offered by an external provider and managed for the user. IaaS avails computing resources such as data storage capacity, networking and processing power.

Examples of IaaS are Google Compute Engine, Amazon EC2, Rackspace and Windows Azure.

IaaS assists users to utilize virtual machines without server management or non-automated hardware investments. For instance, a user wants a Linux system. IaaS enables access to it without having to worry about the machine networking on which Linux is installed.

IaaS is advantageous for clients who want to implement highly scalable and cost-effective IT solutions where the complexities and resources needed to manage hardware resources are outsourced to a service provider.

IaaS package consists of storage, servers, and networking and virtualization systems while the users are accountable for security components, maintaining databases, applications and OS.
IaaS is a utility-based pricing model; thus, you pay only for the subscription you use.

4. Software as a Service (SaaS)
A combination of both IaaS and SaaS is a cloud computing service that provides tailored applications for diverse business needs like business analytics, marketing automation or CRM. SaaS is, therefore, a cloud service that offers web-dependent software applications to clients on-demand.

SaaS providers host a full-serviced application through a browser-based interface and make it accessible to users via the internet.
Examples of SaaS services include Pardot Marketing Automation, Zoho CRM, SAP Business By Design, AppDynamics, and Microsoft Office 365.

SaaS is used widely by many users worldwide. Some SaaS applications include Salesforce, Gmail, Netflix, Dropbox and JIRA.
SaaS services enable the cloud to be leveraged for software modelling, thus decreasing the overhead of support, operations and maintenance as the applications run on systems belonging to the provider.

SaaS is subscription-based; hence clients pay monthly rates rather than purchasing it, so there are no upfront fees involved. It also offers users the option to end the subscription when it is no longer required.

SaaS is advantageous as it offers flexible payment options for the services on the pay-as-you-go model. Furthermore, subscribers need not engage an IT professional to download software on multiple levels in the office nor have to worry about updating the software on every PC.

Conclusion
Every company can gain from one or more cloud services as they help enhance efficiency and reduce costs. If you need assistance choosing the right cloud computing service for your organization, we are here to help you. Get in touch with our i95Dev experts today!