Cloud Service Models

Infrastructure as a service

• Servers
• Storage Capacity
• Networking Resources

User activities in IaaS

• Configures the infrastructure
• Setups the infrastructure
• Installs, manages and monitors any required software

IaaS advantages

1. Cost Minimization
2. Increased scalability
3. Improved responsiveness
4. Higher availability
5. Easy Deployment

Question 1 : If the company chooses an IaaS model, what will be their own responsibility and what will be provided by the cloud provider?

• They can build out backend IT infrastructure on the cloud using IaaS, and use it to build its own development platform and application.
• The organization's IT team would have complete control over operating systems and server configurations, but also bear the burden of managing and maintaining them, along with the development platform and applications that run on them.

PAAS Platform as a service

• Platform as a Service is software that provides access to development tools, APIs, and deployment instruments

• Users receive access to virtual development environments and Cloud storage, where they can build, test, and run applications.

• PaaS provides a virtual runtime environment through which users can acquire space to develop and test various applications.

• The cloud services provider hosts, manages and maintains all the hardware and software included in the platform as well as related services for security, operating system and software upgrades, backups and more.

• Users access the PaaS through a graphical user interface (GUI), where development teams can collaborate on all their work across the entire application lifecycle including coding, integration, testing, delivery, deployment, and feedback.

• Users are provided with a platform for developing applications hosted in the Cloud

• Services to develop, test, deploy, host and maintain applications

• Users can use Web based user interface creation tools help to modify, create, deploy and test different UI scenarios

• Same development application could be utilized by many users

• Support for development team collaboration

• Tools available to handle billing and subscription management

• It consumes cloud infrastructure

User activities in PaaS

• Tests cloud based solutions and cloud services
• Develops cloud based solutions and cloud services
• Manages cloud based solutions and cloud services
• Deploys cloud based solutions and cloud services

Cloud provider activities in PaaS

Pre-configure platform Provision underlying infrastructure, middleware and other required IT resources Monitor usage by a consumer of the cloud

PaaS advantages

• less development time
• support for multiple programming languages
• increased collaboration adoption of new technologies

How to Spot the Best Decision for Selecting a Cloud Service Model

1. Evaluate Functionality Requirements

   • Identify the core functionalities required by your organization. For example:
   • Does the company need a complete, ready-to-use application (SaaS)?
   • Or is there a need for custom application development, which might favor PaaS or IaaS?

2. Analyze Current Pain Points

   • Understand the challenges employees face with existing systems, such as:
   • Lack of scalability.
   • Inefficient resource management.
   • Poor user experience or limited features.

3. Define Expected Benefits

   • List the outcomes you aim to achieve, such as:
   • Enhanced scalability and flexibility.
   • Improved time-to-market for applications.
   • Cost savings by offloading infrastructure or application management.

4. Determine Control Preferences

   • Evaluate how much control the company wants over various aspects of the system:
     • application functionality
     • data storage
     • user access
     • security
     • management of infrastructure
     • Management of application development resources
     • Control over operating systems
     • Control over server configurations