Cloud computing is transforming the way users and businesses interact with mobile devices and computers. Gone are the days when people used racks of disk drives, expensive data centers, and even large IT support teams to manage and store a wide variety of their data.
Due to the rise of modern and more innovative technological trends, cloud computing becomes an excellent substitute for the centralization of computer services under one server when tested and established properly.
If you’re a person who is planning to move your business to the cloud or ready to acquire the benefits that cloud computing offers, you need to understand the three service models of cloud computing Saas, Paas, and IaaS solutions, their comparisons, testing process, and other information in detail.
3 Most Important Service Models of Cloud Computing : Saas, Paas & Iaas
Saas
Definition: Saas refers to Software as a Service that is a software licensing and delivery model in which software licensing is provided based on subscription, and it is hosted from the center. Saas (Service Software) is also popular as cloud application services, “software plus services” by Microsoft, and an “On-demand software” that is used by businesses in the cloud market.
Saas aims to deliver applications via the internet, which are further managed by third-party vendors like Salesforce, Microsoft 365, Zoho, Google G Suite, SAP, and more.
Saas users can work on the procured software without worrying about how the underlying software or infrastructure is maintained. The procured software or procurement software is a kind of business software used to automate organizational purchasing functions. Software functions can involve:
- Issuing and evaluating tenders.
- Selecting and ordering the product or service.
- Raising and approving purchase orders.
- Payment of invoices.
- Receiving and matching the invoice numbers and orders.
It allows the procurement department to ensure that nothing can be ordered without proper approvals. It also assures that the performance for the same type of product will be the same whether it is bought by a single user or multiple users.
The best part of Saas applications that are sometimes called hosted software, on-demand software, or web-based software, is there is no need to install and maintain the software. One can simply access it from the internet and work without worrying about complex hardware and software management.
Furthermore, Saas applications operate on the servers of SaaS providers, in which they manage access to the application and ensure to provide the proper availability, security, and required performance to its users.
SaaS Examples
The common examples for SaaS (Software as a service) are GoToMeeting, Salesforce, Dropbox, Google Workspace (formerly suite), Gmail, Cisco WebEx, SAP Concur, MailChimp, DocuSign, Hubspot, Slack, ZenDesk, BigCommerce, etc.
The most-commonly available cloud computing services or Saas products are widely used by companies for developing and growing their businesses. There are numerous Saas tools available on the internet for small businesses that one can use for content curation, document collaboration, email marketing, customer relationship management, performing fundamental business functions of accounting, increasing productivity, and knowledge management.
Saas software are beneficial for distributed global teams, mostly those who don’t work in close physical proximity.
Advantages of SaaS (Software as a Service)
- Obtain Access to App’s Data from Anywhere & Anytime
The benefit of using Saas in cloud computing is that you can access the information from anywhere, like from mobile devices or internet-connected computers, due to data storage in the cloud.
- Data Security
For using Saas-based applications or software, you need to hire onboarding expertise to manage the in-built security issues in mobile computing as the service provider already ensures the security of your data without concerning the type of device you will use.
- Greater Flexibility
Saas has become the hot-selling business model as it offers greater flexibility to every consumer and the Saas business owner. It allows you to run the SaaS business on unique verticals and make it easier for you to differentiate your product from others.
- Direct Access from Web Browsers
SaaS apps can be directly used from the web browser, so you don’t need to take any hassle of downloading and installing software. Some Saas apps may require plugins to provide you extra features. Still, you don’t need to purchase or install anything. All you need to do is use the client software for free.
- Easily Accessible Sophisticated Applications
As you’re clear with that, there is no need to purchase, install, update, or maintain hardware, middleware, or software to access the SaaS apps. SaaS applications for enterprise use are very sophisticated.
- Easy Customization
In the modern world, each user's purpose is to get the customized app because it allows streamlining of the business processes without affecting the basic infrastructure. The architecture of Saas is prepared well, so the unique customization feature is provided to each Saas user and company.
Saas providers make the upgrades in customization more frequently to help you adopt the software with low risks and costs.
Related Read : How To Achieve Speed and Scale With Cloud Test Automation
PaaS (Platform as a Service)
Paas is a Platform as a Service that is a complete development and deployment environment with resources in the cloud, which allows you to deliver everything from simple to sophisticated cloud-based apps. Like Saas, you need to purchase the PaaS from the cloud service provider and pay-as-you-go basis, and finally, you can access the resources over a secure internet connection.
PaaS involves infrastructure that are servers, storage, and networking, including development tools, middleware, database management systems, business intelligence (BI) services, and more. PaaS is specially designed to support the full web application lifecycle from building, testing, deploying, managing to updation.
With PaaS, you are free from buying and managing expensive and complicated software licenses, the underlying app’s infrastructure, middleware, development tools, container orchestrators like Kubernetes, or other resources. Furthermore, PaaS delivers a framework to developers that they can expand and use it to create tailor-fit applications. A third-party provider or enterprise can manage all servers, networking, and storage. On the other hand, developers need to maintain the management of the PaaS applications.
Read more: Difference - IaaS vs PaaS vs IaaS
