1.2.5 Network Cloud Services and Applications
There are three basic types of cloud computing:
SaaS – Software as a Service
PaaS – Platform as a Service
IaaS – Infrastructure as a Service
Select each tab for more information about each type of cloud computing.
SaaS (Software as a Service)
SaaS applications are focused on the end-user. Instead of the application being installed locally on the end-user’s computer, the application is accessed over the network usually using a web browser. In a traditional computing environment, the user would access their word processing application software stored in the local hard disk drive. Using SaaS, the user can use a web browser to access Google Docs word processing application in the Google cloud. The user’s documents can be stored in Google cloud or exported to the local computer.
Other SaaS applications include:
- Google Sheets
- Google Calendar
- Google Maps
- Office 365
- Salesforce
PaaS (Platform as a Service)
PaaS is used primarily by software developers. PaaS allows developers to focus on their code and not on the underlying software and hardware needed to run their programs. The PaaS cloud provides the servers, storage, security, tools, database and other services to host the consumer’s application. PaaS in its simplest form is where the developer only has to write code, and the infrastructure and operations are handled by the PaaS provider
Some examples if PaaS services include:
- Microsoft Azure
- Saleforce Lightning
- AWS Lambda
- AWS Elastic Beanstalk
- Google App Engine
IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
IaaS is service where computing resources are supplied by a cloud services provider. The IaaS cloud provides the virtual machines (VMs) for storage, networking and other services. The cloud provider is responsible for the uptime requirements, power, and security of the VMs.
IaaS is a service used by both software developers and system administrators. Because the VMs and the applications are managed by the IaaS cloud provider, organizations do not have to host these systems in their own data center.
Some examples if IaaS services include:
- Cisco Metacloud
- Microsoft Azure
- DigitalOcean
- Google Compute Engine
- Rackspace
XaaS (Anything/Everything as a Service)
Today, a variety of solutions and technologies can be delivered by cloud providers to clients as a service. XaaS is not a specific cloud service but is defined as the delivery of anything and everything as a service. XaaS includes Saas, PaaS and IaaS.
Other examples of XaaS include:
- Disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS)
- Communications as a service (CaaS)
- Monitoring as a service (MaaS)
- Desktop as a service (DaaS)