Introduction:

SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS are known to be the three main types of cloud computing. Since they are experiencing a surge in popularity, it is hard to ignore these terms as majority of the businesses are moving to the cloud. Not long ago, maximum number of different company’s IT systems was on-premise and that is why clouds were just considered to be the white fluffy things in the sky. But now the situation is totally otherwise. SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS are three ways to help you understand how you can use the cloud for your business these days. So, let us take a look at these three main types of cloud computing.

Three main types of cloud computing:

Even though “as-a-service” types are constantly growing by the day, yet there are only three main models of cloud computing to compare.

• SaaS-Software as a Service.
• PaaS-Platform as a Service.
• IaaS-Infrastructure as a Service.

Statistical information:

Before we dive deep into these types of cloud computing, let us take a look at some stats showing how much these cloud computing types are in use.

• SaaS usually accounts for around 24% of all enterprise workloads. This percentage has rose from 14% in 2016.
• IaaS has managed to account for 12% which also rose from 6%.
• Lastly, PaaS is known to be the most popular model around thereby hovering around 32%. With that it is expected to grow even more in the upcoming years.

All big tech companies are putting to get maximum cloud computing marketing. Microsoft is among the major players with Microsoft Azure as a good cloud computing product.

SaaS VS PaaS VS IaaS:

Now let us make a brief comparison between these three to understand what they have to offer.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS):

Software-as-a-Service is the one that represents the most commonly usable option for businesses in the cloud market. It utilizes the internet to deliver different types of applications which are then managed by a third party vendor. The best thing about SaaS is that majority of its applications can work directly through your web browser. This means that no downloads or installations on the client side are required.

Features of SaaS:

SaaS has the following features.

• It can be managed easily from a central location.
• It can be hosted on a remote server.
• Similarly, it is easily accessible over the internet.
• Moreover, the users are not responsible for any type of hardware and software updates.

Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS):

Platform-as-a-Service is a type of cloud computing that provides cloud components to different software while also being used for applications mainly. This type of cloud computing aims to deliver a framework for developers that they can use to create customized applications meticulously. With PaaS, the servers, storage, and networking can easily be managed by either the enterprise or a third-party provider. Whereas the developers can manage the applications from their end.

Features of PaaS:

PaaS offers different features which are mentioned below.

• PaaS gives the option to scale up or down the resources and can be easily built on virtualization technology.
• Similarly, it offers a variety of services to assist with development, deployment, and testing of apps.
• Moreover, it is accessible to multiple users via the same development application.
• Lastly, it gives the option to integrate web services and databases.

 

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS):

Infrastructure-as-a-Service is a type of cloud computing that is made of highly scalable and automated compute resources. It is known to be fully self-service used for accessing and monitoring computers, storage, networking, and other kinds of services. It enables different services to purchase resources on-demand instead of having to buy the hardware.

Features of IaaS:

IaaS offers the following features.

• All the resources are available in the form of service.
• The cost of using this cloud computing varies depending on consumption.
• All the services are highly scalable.
• IaaS is quite dynamic and flexible.
• Similarly, it enables the organization to gain complete control of the infrastructure.
• Lastly, it allows multiple users on a single hardware.

Conclusion:

As you can see each of the three cloud models have specific functionalities and features to offer and that is why it is impossible to conclude which one is the best because they all have something peculiar to offer to the organizations. Thus it all depends on the need of the organization. But no matter which one you choose, in the end migrating to the cloud is the future of your business.