Understanding IaaS
IaaS is short for “Infrastructure as a Service.” In this type of service, you pay a service provider to get access to their computing infrastructure. Basically, you’re “renting” a cloud server that you can use to install and manage various programs and applications. However, keep in mind that this is just the foundation and still requires platforms and such to be built upon and maintained by developers.
This is in contrast to traditional IT infrastructure, where you buy and set up a physical server that runs “on-premises.” With IaaS, you can avoid the costs, complexity, and setup of traditional IT infrastructure – and gain instant access to powerful servers located in top-of-the-line data centers.
The Benefits of the IaaS Model
IaaS offers some very appealing benefits compared to building your own on-premises infrastructure.
- Enhanced security – The hardware used for IaaS is locked in extremely secure data centers and your IaaS provider will use the latest technology to encrypt and safeguard your data.
- Much lower up-front costs – IaaS allows businesses to avoid the high costs of buying, setting up, running, and maintaining physical servers and IT infrastructure, lowering up-front costs.
- Additional scalability – Businesses can scale up and down using IaaS as needed and you can get more computing power with just a few clicks or a phone call.
Understanding SaaS
SaaS is short for “Software as a Service.” In this model, you don’t buy a piece of software and install it on a computer – rather, you pay a company directly to access its software on the cloud.
If you’ve used Microsoft Office 365, then you’ve experienced a type of SaaS software. Using Office 365, you can access programs like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel online – without installing any software.
Programs that use a SaaS model can be accessed from any device with an internet connection and a web browser, and this includes mobile devices. Since the cloud handles most of the processing of data, SaaS programs can run even on devices that are relatively low in computing power.
The Benefits of the SaaS Model
Wondering why you would choose software that uses a SaaS model? There are lots of different benefits, but the most important ones include:
- Fast and simple setup – Often, the software can be set up and ready for use in just a few hours, even for dozens or hundreds of users. The overall time spent on installation, configuration and deployment is lowered dramatically.
- Lower costs – SaaS typically reduces overall costs, as each license is cheaper per user. This is particularly helpful for small-to-midsize businesses, which may not be able to afford software that would otherwise be extremely expensive to license.
- Excellent scalability – If you need more features, bandwidth, or licenses, it’s as easy as contacting your SaaS provider and altering your service plan. No major downtime or maintenance needed.
Understanding PaaS
PaaS is short for “Platform as a Service.” It’s sort of a blend of both SaaS and IaaS. In this model, you pay for access to a powerful server environment that’s hosted in the cloud.
This environment is complete with a special suite of development, analytics, database management systems and other such tools – everything that a team of developers would need to build a piece of software, a website, or a web application.
Basically, PaaS integrates everything that developers need into a single seamless package – reducing overall complexity, costs and making it easier to manage the applications and services that they develop. This model is highly customizable and allows full control of all aspects.
The Benefits of the PaaS Model
Choosing a PaaS model has a lot of unique benefits for software developers and organizations.
- Rapid development & deployment – PaaS allows businesses to launch apps, websites, and other projects more quickly. This is because it utilizes the benefits of the built-in custom server environment while also having software development tools at the ready on the platform.
- Excellent security – PaaS providers invest heavily in security and encryption, providing a safe environment for developing and deploying software and websites. This is very important for businesses of all sizes. Data loss can be very costly, and negatively affect your brand’s reputation. Using a PaaS, you can be sure that your website or web app is safe and secure.
- Cost-effective – Since there’s no need to purchase hardware or software, PaaS models are often much more cost-effective, particularly for small businesses. You can do more with less – and still enjoy a modern, sleek and custom website or web application.
ZatroX Studio’s Digital Business Platform
ZatroX Studio uses a PaaS model with the its cloud hosting platform. At our agency, we offer the best business cloud hosting, design/development, and marketing solutions for our customers. With our unique, integrated website page builder, we offer a custom, innovative PaaS platform – simplifying the modern website design, launch and administration process. Contact us to learn more about which model is right for your brand.
