The number of the companies understanding the advantages of cloud computing is in permanent growth, and the cloud services available are also in constant evolution. However varied and versatile these services are, they can still be categorized into three major groups. In what follows, you can find a short description of these three categories of service.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
This type of cloud service provides access to software and applications without making the customer pay for expensive licensing and without the necessity to store large program files on local computers. The user is given access to the software applications run by the service provider either free of charge or in return for a fee, and the network used for accessing is usually the internet. The most common examples of SaaS is online banking and e-mail services – the user of these applications is no longer dependent on hardware, the service can be accessed from any place with a connection to the internet.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
PaaS is primarily used for development environments and platforms. With this type of cloud computing service, the provider undertakes to manage the customer’s data base and operating system so the customer no longer has to manage its own platforms. The service is mainly used in development projects with extended computing needs that would require a very long time to complete if done on individual, local computers; it also shortens time-to-market considerably, while making the complete control of costs possible.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
With this type of service, customers can significantly and consistently reduce capital expenses by outsourcing infrastructure like hardware and storage, eliminating the need to purchase large capacity servers. What the customer gets with this type of cloud computing service is access to storage space and processor usage without using any dedicated software to create such space. The system is very flexible, as it allows the user to increase and decrease the size of the space any time and the provider invoices the client only on the size of storage space and of the resources used for delivering the service.
The growing need for outsourced solutions is setting the quick pace of development for these cloud services and accounts for their popularity among corporate and individual customers alike. The storage space, the networking tools, the applications provided in the form of cloud computing services all serve purposes of cost reduction and enhanced efficiency, enabling competitive functioning in a demanding economic environment.
About Dolomite
Dolomite Technology is a Managed Service Provider that provides services and consulting on technology services to customers across the nation. A core concept of of Dolomite’s service portfolio is cloud computing services. To learn more about Dolomite services please contact us. You can also learn more about cloud computing on our website.