Using Cloud technology has now become the standard for companies to access all kinds of hardware, software, and infrastructure resources. With Cloud computing, various computing services such as software, servers, networking, databases, analytics, storage, and intelligence can now be delivered with less cost for companies compared to having their own IT infrastructure.
Cloud computing services are now transforming the way public and private organizations use information technology. These days, there is a wide range of cloud computing services that are able to comply with any IT requirements.
Understanding what these different types of cloud computing services can offer is essential for enterprises entering the cloud world. Although there are a variety of these services available, they all share basic features and advantages.
These services are categorized into four types. Big or small enterprises are able to manage their data efficiently by taking advantage of the services offered by the following:
Infrastructure as a Service
With this service, an external provider is responsible for providing and managing the hardware resources for you. Users of this service are given access to different computing resources like processing power, networking, and data storage capacity.
IaaS provides assistance to customers to use virtual machines or computing power that lack server management or labor-intensive hardware investments. The hardware resources are physically pulled from the different servers and networks distributed across data centers that are managed by the cloud service provider.
For instance, a user who wants a Linux system will be given access to it through IaaS without worrying about the networking of the physical system that Linux is installed in.
Cloud infrastructure services allow you to save both your time and money, with most of the hardware set up and support already covered by the service provider. There is also no wastage of unused resources or any delays on adding new ones since resources are already available on demand.
Some examples of this type of computing service include Windows Azure, Rackspace, Amazon EC2, and Google Computer Engine.
Platform as a Service
This is the more advanced version of the previously mentioned type of computing service. Not only does it provide IT infrastructure, but it also offers the solution stack and computing platform as a service. Developers are provided with a framework that they can make use of when customizing their own applications.
Software developers won’t have to stress over data serving, data storage, and management with PaaS. It also makes it easy for non-professionals to create and develop their own applications.
Users won’t have to update or upgrade the infrastructure regularly since the PaaS service provider is responsible for handling all the upgrades, update patches, and the usual software maintenance.
Investing in physical infrastructure or having the expertise typically required for management is not needed for this type of computing service.
Platform as a Service typically consists of OS, environment for server-side scripting, network access, server software, hosting solutions, software tools for design and development, DBMS, storage, and support.
Some examples of PaaS are AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Google App Engine, OpenShift, Microsoft Azure, and Apache Stratos.
Functions as a Service
It’s important to understand what serverless computing is before even trying to understand what Functions as a Service is. Serverless computing is a model of cloud computing. It’s able to remove low-quality and low-level decisions made by the developer for infrastructure and server management.
FaaS is still a relatively new cloud computing service, but it has already become a game-changer for many establishments. With its serverless computing concept, developers get to develop applications and install a piece of business logic, an individual function, or any action that allows them to maintain the service.
The fact that it is hosted externally allows developers to increase their efficiency and not have to worry about server operations.
With Functions as Service, money is never wasted because you only pay for the amount of functionality you used. Instead of having to deal with the logistics of servers, developers are able to pour all of their focus on writing logic specific to their applications.
Some examples of Functions as a Service include Microsoft Azure Functions, Iron.io, AWS Lambda, Microsoft Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Function.
Software as a Service
This is a special type of computing service as it incorporates two of the previously mentioned cloud services: Infrastructure as a Service and Platform as a Service. With Software as a Service, application-level services are tailored to comply with different business needs like CRM, business analytics or marketing automation.
SaaS also offers web-based software applications on demand to users. Providers of this cloud computing service use a browser-based interface to host a fully functional application and give users access to it through the internet.
The cloud can be leveraged with SaaS for software architecture, reducing the overhead of maintenance, support, and operations, since the applications are run using the vendor’s systems.
This type of service is also subscription based where users can subscribe and pay for the software on a monthly basis instead of purchasing it upfront. People are more familiar with this computing service since it has applications like Gmail, Dropbox, and Netflix.
This software also automatically updates without charging you extra for it. It has cross-device compatibility since the applications using this computing service are easily accessible through the internet and with any device.
Some examples of this type of cloud computing service include Zoho CRM, Microsoft Office 365, SAP Business ByDesign, AppDynamics, and Pardot Marketing Automation.
Final Words
Cloud computing services are extremely beneficial to businesses because of their ability to help them cut down on costs while still improving efficiency. It’s possible for them to adopt more than one cloud computing service, depending on their areas of expertise, requirements, business process, and other things that can affect their choice.
For those interested in learning more about cloud services, Mphasis is able to provide cloud consulting services and in-depth expertise, offering you the support and knowledge you need to transform the technology of your business.
We wok with different industry leaders for all types of cloud computing services such as Pivotal, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure. A comprehensive suite of cloud computing services is also offered to help you innovate.
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