The 3 Types of Cloud Computing Services

The 3 Types of Cloud Computing Services

What is SaaS, PaaS & IaaS?

If an individual or organization decides to implement a cloud computing network (without creating or owning their own private cloud) they have essentially 3 different levels of service (or options) to choose from. They are of course:

1. SaaS - Software as a Service
2. IaaS - Infrastructure as a Service
3. PaaS - Platform as a Service

These abbreviations can be found scattered across the net and are used liberally within the cloud computing blogosphere, but many people are (still) bewildered by they actually stand for. What's confusing to most people is exactly what each level (of service) is set up to provide to users. To put it simply; SaaS means that the cloud provider controls everything (you just pay to access their system) and IaaS gives users control over around half of the responsibilities of the cloud (PaaS is somewhere in the middle). Obviously, there are a lot details that will further define the responsibilities of the user for each level of service.

SaaS

In the 'Software as a service' model, your cloud computing provider presents you with a complete package that requires virtually no additional input from the user end in order to remain functional. Not only do they control / maintain the hardware, operating systems, servers, network, storage, applications and data; but they also employ their own platform / integration system as well. For individuals / organizations that are new to cloud computing or simply don't wish to invest any additional funds into developing their own private cloud, this is the perfect choice. The benefit to SaaS is that everything is taken care of for you; you don't' have to worry about security, maintenance, upgrading or functionality, that's the job of your provider. It is important that you fully trust the abilities of your provider however, because under SaaS you have absolutely no control over the integrity of the network itself. A perfect example of SaaS is Gmail.

IaaS

The typical IaaS setup will involve letting users control their own interface, applications, data, operating system as well as any software required to access the cloud itself. The provider in an IaaS setup will be responsible for only what is part of the back end or hardware end of the cloud. This means that the provider is essentially just giving users access to their cloud network's hardware infrastructure. It is the responsibility of the user to deal with everything else and determine what to actually implement in their own cloud space.

PaaS

PaaS is essentially a combination of SaaS and IaaS in that it allows users to control a limited amount of aspects but most of the software and all of the hardware is managed by the provider. Users in a PaaS setup only manage applications and data; interfacing code / software is provided by the vendor. As with both SaaS and IaaS, the provider has complete control over the physical aspects of the cloud itself; PaaS just gives you a basic framework to build upon.

If a business decides to implement their own private cloud network at some point (which seems to be a very popular idea these days) there is also prepackaged software available that will allow them to create their own applications, data and runtime environment. Of course they will still need to setup their own servers, hardware, data storage, security, virtualization system and configure their own operating system. Private clouds are fairly difficult to setup and manage, but with the wealth of material currently available detailing how it's done, it's certainly not impractical or unimaginable. And of all the options for implementing a cloud network, creating and managing your own private cloud is the one that offers the best long term savings.

Finding the right level of cloud computing service for your particular needs may require a little trial and error. And as stated earlier, if you're completely new to the idea of cloud networking or need something that's virtually error-free and can be quickly integrated; your best option is definitely SaaS. Both PaaS and IaaS could be seen as sort of 'stepping stones' toward creating and owning a private cloud network.

Interested in learning more about the management aspects of Cloud Computing environment? Check out our Cloud Computing Certification Pathway