Four Types of Cloud Computing Services

The types of cloud computing services vary but using the cloud  has become the “gold” standard for enterprises to access IT infrastructure, hardware, and software resources. It offers a big shift to the way businesses think about IT resources. Cloud computing is all about the delivery of computing services like databases, software, analytics, servers, storage, networking, and intelligence. There are many benefits of cloud computing including cost savings, scalability, and access to data centers around the world. For many enterprises the cloud offers flexible resources, economies of scale, and faster innovation.

Cloud Computing services are changing the way information technology is being used by public institutions and private organizations. Today, there are a variety of cloud computing services to fulfil almost any IT requirement. Organizations typically pay only for the cloud service they use, helping them reduce operating costs and run infrastructure more efficiently.   
With every organization today entering the cloud world, it is essential to understand the different types of services cloud computing offers. Although there are many types of cloud computing services, all these services have a few basic features and advantages in common and can be categorized into four basic cloud service offerings. Organizations can fly their business, small or big, to the cloud with these four different types of cloud computing services.

1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) 

 The lower end of managed cloud computing services where hardware resources are provided by an external provider and managed for you. IaaS provides users access to computing resources such as networking, processing power and data storage capacity.  

Features and Benefits of IaaS Cloud Computing Service 

1.  A typical infrastructure as a service offering saves both time and money as the underlying hardware set up and support is provided by the service provider. 
2. Resources are available on demand as and when required so there is no wastage of any unused resources and no delays on adding any resources. 
   Utility-based pricing model i.e. pay only for the resources you actually use. 

2. Platform as a Service (PaaS) 

 This cloud computing service is an advanced version of IaaS. Apart from just providing the IT infrastructure, PaaS also provides the computing platform and solution stack as a service. PaaS is a cloud computing service that provides developers with a framework that can be used for building custom applications. Platform as a Service lets software developers build custom applications online without having to worry about data storage, data serving, and management. 

Features and Benefits of PaaS Cloud Computing Service   

1. PaaS makes software development easy even for non-experts as anybody can develop an application through the web browser with just a single click functionality. 
2. There is no need for the users to upgrade or update the infrastructure as the PaaS service provider handles all the update patches, upgrades, and regular software maintenance.
3. PaaS provides location independence as developers in different locations can work together on the same application build. 
4. There is no need to invest in physical infrastructure or in the expertise required to manage it, an example of this would be SAP. The ability to rent virtual IT infrastructure brings in great cost benefits for the users. 

3. Software as a Service (SaaS)  

 A special cloud computing service that incorporates both IaaS and PaaS service offerings. SaaS is a cloud computing service that provides application-level services tailored to diverse business needs such as business analytics, CRM, or marketing automation. SaaS is a cloud computing service offering that provides web-based software applications to customers on-demand. SaaS providers host a fully-functional application through a browser-based interface and make it accessible to the users through the Internet. 

Features and Benefits of SaaS Cloud Computing Service   

1. There is no initial setup cost as the users can make use of the application as soon as they subscribe. There is no hardware cost as well because the processing power is supplied by the service provider. 
2. Flexible payments as the users pay for the services on a pay-as-you-go model. 
   Any updates to the software are automatic and free of charge. 
3. SaaS provides cross-device compatibility because SaaS applications can be accessed through any internet enabled devices, such as laptop, smartphone, or desktop. 
4. Enterprises need not engage an IT expert to download the software on multiple systems in the office nor have to worry about the keeping the software up-to-date on every PC.

4. Functions as a Service (FaaS) 

Before we understand Functions as a Service, it is important to understand the most popular tech term associated with FaaS – serverless computing. Serverless computing is a cloud computing model that takes away low-level infrastructure decisions and server management from the developers. The application architect need not deal with the allocation of resources as it is managed by the cloud service provider. 

Features and Benefits of FaaS Cloud Computing Service  

1. Money is never wasted on inactive resources as users are billed depending on the amount of functionality used. 
2. Makes developers efficient as they can focus more on writing application-specific logic rather than having to deal with the server logistics. 
   FaaS code is inherently scalable and fault-tolerant. 

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