In my last article I covered off an overview of Microsoft Azure, touching on the Microsoft Cloud & Azure, focusing on the benefits of cloud (scalability, resiliency, flexibility, security, and cost effectiveness). This month I thought I would continue to build on a similar theme and focus on the three cloud computing service models.

Within Azure (and really any cloud for that matter) we have different models of services and in my opinion the easiest way to think of them is like a utility, just like your electric, water, or gas company – as what we’re talking about with cloud providers really is utility based computing, where the ins and outs of everything is abstracted by the partner and customer, meaning we don’t necessarily need the same level of expertise or control over the technology as we traditionally would have.

So, what are these cloud service models and how are they utility-based?

  1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – It’s like a power grid where you host and maintain it all yourself, we’re generating power, storing it, and providing it to where it needs to go, such as households or businesses.
  2. Platform as a Service (PaaS) – I don’t want to maintain the power grid, I just want to pay someone to rent their services and infrastructure and then from there, use the power how I like.
  3. Software as a Service (SaaS) – I don’t care about any of it, the grid, how I use and consume it, where it comes from, I just want the power itself.

 

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If we think about IaaS in the sense of technology and what we are used to (keeping in mind the utility-based model), IaaS is used for internet-based access to storage and computing power, it lets you rent IT infrastructure - servers and virtual machines, storage, networks, and operating systems - from a cloud provider on a pay-as-you-go basis. Some key fundamentals of IaaS and use-cases are:

  • It has the most user management.
  • You are responsible for managing the operating systems, data, and applications.
  • It helps you to extend resources rapidly to meet the spikes required for your application.
  • Use-cases/scenarios:
    • Migrating workloads (Light & Shift) – move existing workloads to the cloud.
    • Test and development – quickly set up and dismantle test and development environments. IaaS makes scaling development and testing environments, fast and economical.
    • Storage, backup, and recovery – simplify the planning and management of backup and recovery systems along with long term archiving of data.
    • Website hosting – less expensive than traditional web hosting.

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PaaS gives you the tools to build and host, it is designed to give users access to the components they require to quickly develop and operate web or mobile applications over the internet, without worrying about setting up or managing the underlying infrastructure of servers, storage, networks, and databases. Some key fundamentals of PaaS and use-cases are:

  • Less user management.
  • The operating systems are managed by the cloud provider, while the user is responsible for the applications and data they run and store.
  • Offers all the functionality you need to support the entire lifecycle of web applications: building, testing the application, deploying the source code, managing, and updating within the same integrated environment.
  • Use-cases/scenarios:
    • Development framework – a framework for creating or customizing cloud-based applications.
    • Analytics or business intelligence – find insights and patterns and predict outcomes to improve business decisions.
    • Additional services – PaaS offers many other services that enhance applications, such as workflow, directory, security, and scheduling. As well as more common scenarios like web site and database hosting, managed file shares and managed Active Directory.

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SaaS is a method for delivering software applications over the internet, on demand, and typically on a subscription basis. With SaaS, cloud providers host and manage the software application and underlying infrastructure. These providers also handle any maintenance, like software upgrades and security patching. Users connect to the application over the internet, usually with a web browser or application on their phone, tablet, or PC. Some key fundamentals of SaaS and use-cases are:

  • Least amount of management
  • The cloud provider is responsible for managing everything, and the end-user just uses the software.
  • Pay only for what you use.
  • Gain access to sophisticated applications. You don’t need to purchase, install, update, or maintain any hardware, middleware, or software. SaaS makes even sophisticated enterprise applications, such as ERP and CRM, affordable for organisations that lack the resources to buy, deploy, and manage the required infrastructure and software themselves.
  • Mobilise your workforce easily. SaaS makes it easy to “mobilise” your workforce because users can access SaaS apps and data from any internet-connected computer or mobile device.
  • Use-cases/scenarios:
    • The most common in a Microsoft world is Microsoft 365, with things like Teams, Exchange and SharePoint Online, as well as CRMs like Dynamics 365.
    • More common for everyday users are web-based email services such as Outlook, Hotmail, or Gmail.

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A useful website for an overview or Azure services and the ability to focus on what services are IaaS, PaaS or SaaS is https://azurecharts.com/overview.

If you’d like to explore these in some more depth, whether that is a Lift & Shift into IaaS, or modernisation into PaaS, or for a more general discussion, then please reach out for a chat.