Differentiating the 3 main functional areas of cloud platforms
As demand for Cloud Computing grows, its important to understand the different types of cloud platforms and what their core functions are.
IAAS (Infrastructure as a Service):
Who uses it: Infrastructure Engineers IAAS delivers a computing infrastructure as an on-demand service based on the needs of the operation. An allocation of server space is purchased as needed in a data center allowing for dynamic scaling. This cloud model grants access to resources like virtual machines and storage. This model also typically includes multiple users on a single piece of hardware.
PAAS (Platform as a Service):
Who uses it: Developers PAAS is a cloud delivery model for applications & services managed by third parties. This provides access to run time environments to deploy tools for applications. It allows for scaling based on demand so developers can build applications and services over the internet for deployment in public, private and hybrid environments.
SAAS (Software as a Service):
Who uses it: End Users SAAS allows users to run existing online applications through a hosted and centrally accessed interface, usually an online browser over the web. SAAS services are used for the development and deployment of modern web applications by centralizing the data. This cloud service is focused on the end user.
