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IIaas, Paas or Saas. Which cloud to choose? eng

By the end of this year, the value of the Polish market of services related to “cloud computing” will be USD 800.45 million. Companies want to use cloud solutions more and more often. The question they ask themselves is, “Which cloud model is right for me?” I will try to answer this question below.

If we consider what the customer actually buys when choosing a cloud service, cloud for business is usually classified into one of three categories – IaaS, PaaS or SaaS.

IaaS

IaaS Iaas, or Infrastructure as a Service, is a service when the client lends the necessary infrastructure – e.g. hardware in the form of servers. The client can pay for the rented disk space or used computing power, which is physically at the service provider, and we have remote access to it. Thanks to this service, the company does not have to buy its own servers. We get physical dedicated servers or virtual machines installed on servers along with the operating system.
 
PaaS
PaaS Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides a virtual work environment. As a part of a service, the company uses already prepared platforms equipped with Operating Systems and applications (eg CRM or accounting). We have a ready, complete system that we use remotely. The benefits of IaaS include the speed and convenience of using predefined templates, which saves our time.

 

SaaS

SaaS, or Software as a Service, is a service in which applications and data are stored in the cloud, on the service provider’s servers. Users are not interested in the operating system or the necessary licenses. They use already created applications that can be used in the cloud. Their advantage is combining and quick use.

As you can see, the different models have a different service levels that meet the needs of different customers. Therefore, it would not make much sense to say, “The best cloud is only SaaS because I use pre-built applications.” Some do not need them, and standard applications would even make it difficult to operate where we need control over the management of operating systems and applications, changes, and monitoring that is not possible in SaaS.

 

In my private opinion (supported by observation and conversations with clients), each of the cloud models has its “dream” client.

IaaS will be a good choice for an enterprise with its own servers. Depending on the size of the servers and the level of complexity, we can use dedicated machines or virtual machines (VM) running on servers in the service provider’s data center. It is the best solution for daily operations and keeping you connected at work. We are free to configure the network and connect to existing systems. We can also better manage permissions and monitor systems.

In the case of a VM, it can often be described as a VPS (Virtual Private Server) on which the operating system is installed, and the appropriate person (administrator from the company or supplier) installs additional software and configures it. You can also create a corporate Microsoft AD domain.

An important part is the virtualization system. In my opinion, the advantage of VMware over open source solutions is the ease and mobility of such a VPS. At any time, we can “pack” our server (here: VM) and move it to another cloud, or even reinstall it on our hardware. It is an “enterprise” type solution, so we have full, professional support.

The next advantage is access through the portal (eg One Step Cloud). We can change the machine’s resources at any time, and even turn it off and on for a specific time. It gives a lot of savings in hourly settlement with the service provider.

 

PaaS is a solution for a company that has its own servers and does not want to have equipment physically in the office. Servers are needed for everyday functioning and the achievement of the company’s goals. The main advantage is the pre-defined applications installed already on the machines. Moreover, there is no need to involve the administrator in managing the servers. That is why Paas works well when using, for example, accounting programs, CRMs that we have installed on servers. The service provider provides updated applications on VPS. However, we do not have the ability to manage the server or at least the operating system and permissions. We only manage applications.
 
SaaS platforms are products addressed to companies or teams that are working on a specific solution and combining services with applications. We will not base the functioning of the company only on applications. SaaS allows you to focus on the code and not go into system settings. We are not interested in configuring environments and updating systems, i.e. the entire administrative zone. Unfortunately, we automatically become hostages of a given service provider, because when using certain solutions, we often cannot transfer them to another service provider or even to our private equipment. We are also not able to check (debug) errors that arise when using the application compared to the IaaS service, where we have access to the servers.
 

Cloud is good for everyone. However, it is important to properly address your needs and clearly define the intended goal. Do we want to migrate enterprises or just create an application that we will share? How important for us is the flexibility of solutions, the possibility of resignation, cost transparency and, most importantly, contact with the company – says one of Intratel’s customers.         

 

Of course, there is no one right solution and you can always say “it depends”. The hybrid cloud approach is often used, which connects its own physical servers with the resources used in the cloud. Next approach is multicloud, which involves the use of several clouds depending on the need to use the resources in question.
 
If you are wondering which solution will be right for you – contact me. I am happy to advise you and suggest solutions.
 
Author: Mateusz Bohonos, OneStepCloud.pl