Which cloud service model is most appropriate for application development?
The advantages of moving to cloud are vast, it is no wonder that the cloud services market is booming. By and large, organizations understand how they can benefit from moving their applications or infrastructure to the cloud. However, when it comes to choosing from different types of cloud models or the right cloud service, most organizations are unclear between IaaS, SaaS and PaaS and find it rather challenging to decide which one will best meet their needs. Show
Choosing the right cloud service for your needsIn order to choose the right cloud service for your needs, it is important to first understand the difference and advantages of these three models. What creates the demand for cloud computing? Grand View Research defines the following reasons for its popularity:
Among many cloud computing approaches, there are three main models: IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS. We have prepared a detailed description of each delivery option. These insights will help you choose the right product for your business among cloud solutions. What is IaaS?IaaS (infrastructure-as-a-service) refers to self-service that enables users to access and monitor hardware. This cloud computing model includes monitoring of specialized processors, data storage space, and visualization services. It is like using a physical data center. The main characteristics of IaaS cloud service include the following:
Examples of IaaS The prominent IaaS solutions are as follows:
Below is how AWS offers to explore their analytical, computing, and other products: Related reading: Deploying a Static Website on AWS Web Hosting With Gitlab CI When to use IaaS Let’s discuss cases when IaaS seems the best possible option if you have to choose between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS:
Benefits of IaaS cloud model
Downsides of Infrastructure-as-a-Service Let’s take a look at the main disadvantages of this cloud model.
IaaS market trends According to Gartner, the IaaS market grew 41.4% in 2021. This growth comes from the IaaS’s support of business needs, such as scalability and the ability to innovate quickly. Also, IaaS providers aim to satisfy the companies’ need for continuous development and security. Another trend that will be there in the nearest future is regional cloud ecosystems. With geopolitical diversity, IaaS providers with a strong local presence have bright opportunities. Read also: 15 Top SaaS Startups for Your Inspiration in 2022 What is PaaS?PaaS (platform-as-a-service) provides users with a cloud environment for creating custom apps. This way it is different from SaaS offering ready products. With PaaS cloud service, you do not have to build and maintain the infrastructure required for your application. The main characteristics of PaaS include the following:
PaaS examples The most popular examples of PaaS include the following:
For an example of PaaS, Heroku, a cloud platform, offers this extensive feature set: When to use When you have to choose between SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS, opt for platform-as-a-service solutions if:
PaaS delivery Delivery of PaaS is the same as with SaaS. The only difference is that PaaS does not deliver software over the web but offers the environment. PaaS relieves developers from worry about infrastructure, operating systems, or data storage. Using special components built into PaaS, developers design and create software. These components include operating systems, development tools, and middleware. Read also: How to Build a SaaS Product in 6 Steps Benefits of PaaS
Downsides of the platform-as-a-service model
PaaS market trends The demand for flexibility, scalability, and agility shapes the development of the PaaS market. PaaS companies provide complex infrastructures. So, independent software vendors can focus on increasing the business value of their cloud-based products. Another trend is that PaaS offers a self-service model. This means that a developer can upload compiled code and instantly run the app. Such an approach is suitable both for standard and custom solutions. This method will help the PaaS market grow in the nearest future. At the same time, the diversity of apps present on the market impedes business efficiency. When it comes to creating large-scale apps, developers need to use different PaaS solutions. For example, this may include combining PaaS for user interface, messaging, and security. Therefore, this trend hinders the PaaS market growth. Do you want to know more about cloud computing and the latest development trends? Subscribe to our newsletter to get valuable insights from our experts. What is SaaS?SaaS (software-as-a-service) means ready software products that are delivered via the Internet on a subscription basis. If we compare SaaS vs PaaS vs IaaS, the first cloud service model is the simplest option to maintain. The third-party provider fully manages SaaS by making updates and performing support of software. That is why most businesses use it for their operations. You only need a web browser to run a SaaS app. Unlike on-premises solutions, SaaS does not require installations or downloads. The main characteristics of SaaS apps include the following:
SaaS examples The most common examples of SaaS are as follows:
When to use Software-as-a-service is the most suitable option among IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS in the following cases:
SaaS delivery Providers deliver SaaS solutions to end users via the internet. Typically, you can use a SaaS solution as an app or install it on your device. For example, you can use Google Docs over the web. Meanwhile, you need to download Adobe Creative Cloud to your computer. What is great about SaaS is that you don’t need help from IT specialists to install the app on each device. Providers manage software and hardware updates, saving your time and resources. Have a SaaS app idea? We will turn it into reality. Let’s discussCore benefits of the software-as-a-service models
Drawbacks of the SaaS model We have discussed the key benefits of SaaS cloud service. Now let’s have a look at the downsides of this option:
SaaS market trends As 5G has been adopted, users tend to use SaaS more. Therefore, more businesses implement SaaS to speed up their operations. Below you can see the forecast of how the SaaS enterprise market size grows from 2015 to 2023 presented by Statista: Many companies introduced a remote working pattern to keep up with the market and maintain employees’ comfort. This resulted in demand for SaaS collaboration tools. For example, daily active users of Microsoft Teams climbed from 115 million in 2020 to 145 million as of 2021. Analytics is another major component of the SaaS market. Companies appreciate and use SaaS cloud-based tools to analyze their business processes and data. In fact, such solutions help them stay competitive. The forecast for such solutions is 23.3% asset growth in 2022. The recent events in the SaaS market are connected with Amazon. First, the company launched Smart Commerce. This solution creates storefronts. So, it helps retailers to provide their buyers with an in-store experience. Also, Amazon Web Services partnered with IBM to deliver IBM software as a service on AWS. The software includes automation, data, AI, and security. IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS comparisonNow you are familiar with three main types of cloud computing. They define how you use the cloud for your enterprise, i.e. hosting, storing, managing, and processing data online. IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS are getting increasingly popular. Let’s take a look at the specific figures that prove that fact:
According to Synergy Research Group, the three major players in the cloud infrastructure market are Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Source: statista.com Below you can see the summary of the key features of Iaas, PaaS, and SaaS. Codica’s choice for cloud solutionsRegarding the advantages of cloud solutions, our team likes to use them in custom software product development. Let’s discover what our cloud favorites are and why. AWS. This cloud platform allows developers to deliver apps that run seamlessly. Using this IaaS provider, developers can choose operating systems, programming languages, and web app platforms that suit most for a particular solution. Also, AWS ensures security of the cloud. That is why we use AWS in our DevOps security practices. Sentry. At Codica, we check our code to make it optimized and ensure that the app runs smoothly. That is why we use Sentry. This error-tracking SaaS tool helps us ensure that the code we created is bug-free and efficient. Thanks to this, a solution works fast and provides the best user experience. Dropbox. It provides automatic file backup. This means that a user does not need to back up files on their hard drive, which saves users time and space when backing up files. Also, recovering files is simple and does not require special tech knowledge. This cloud computing service integrates well with other software systems, for example, Microsoft and Slack. Furthermore, the tool allows for making changes if you are offline. HubSpot. This CRM is free to use, and at the same time, it has reach functionality to track user behavior. Also, the SaaS easily integrates with social media. That is why we recommend our clients include this tool in their solutions. Certainly, we include the above integrations as needed. The choice depends on the peculiarities of each solution to be developed. Further reading: How Much Does It Cost to Build a SaaS Product in 2022 ConclusionWe have discussed the main difference between IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS cloud models. As you can see, each of them offers companies particular benefits. Knowing cloud services’ pros and cons, you can choose the best model for your business. Do you have an idea for a cloud product in mind? Are you looking for a reliable SaaS application development company to take on the technical part? Contact us, and we will be happy to discuss your project idea. We have vast experience in building SaaS applications. We will eagerly provide you with a scalable and secure cloud solution. Which cloud service type is best designed for software development?PaaS provides an environment for developing, testing, and managing applications. PaaS is therefore the perfect choice for software development companies. No wonder that software developers use PaaS services such as Heroku, Elastic Beanstalk (offered by Amazon Web Services), and Google App Engine.
Which of the following cloud computing model is useful to application developer?PaaS, or platform as a service, is on-demand access to a complete, ready-to-use, cloud-hosted platform for developing, running, maintaining and managing applications.
Which cloud architecture model provides application development services?Platform as a service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model where a third-party provider delivers hardware and software tools to users over the internet. Usually, these tools are needed for application development.
Which cloud delivery model is the most suitable for developers?If your organization requires a flexible computing platform, PaaS is your best bet, as it gives you the tools to quickly build, test, and deploy applications, so you can develop iteratively and modify software based on customer feedback.
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