Demystifying Cloud Service Models IaaS, PaaS, SaaS. Characteristics Difference IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.

Cloud Service Models
There are the following three types of cloud service models -
1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
3. Software as a Service (SaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
IaaS is also known as Hardware as a Service (HaaS). It is a computing infrastructure managed over
the internet. The main advantage of using IaaS is that it helps users to avoid the cost and complexity
of purchasing and managing the physical servers.
Characteristics of IaaS
There are the following characteristics of IaaS -
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Resources are available as a service
Services are highly scalable
Dynamic and flexible
GUI and API-based access
Automated administrative tasks
Example: DigitalOcean, Linode, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Compute
Engine (GCE), Rackspace, and Cisco Metacloud.
To know more about the IaaS, click here.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
PaaS cloud computing platform is created for the programmer to develop, test, run, and manage the
applications.
Characteristics of PaaS
There are the following characteristics of PaaS -
Accessible to various users via the same development application.
Integrates with web services and databases.
Builds on virtualization technology, so resources can easily be scaled up or down as per the
organization's need.
Support multiple languages and frameworks.
Provides an ability to "Auto-scale".
Stratos, Magento Commerce Cloud, and OpenShift.
To know more about PaaS, click here.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS is also known as "on-demand software". It is a software in which the applications are hosted by
a cloud service provider. Users can access these applications with the help of internet connection and
web browser.
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Characteristics of SaaS
There are the following characteristics of SaaS -
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Managed from a central location
Hosted on a remote server
Accessible over the internet
Users are not responsible for hardware and software updates. Updates are applied
automatically.
The services are purchased on the pay-as-per-use basis
Example: BigCommerce, Google Apps, Salesforce, Dropbox, ZenDesk, Cisco WebEx, ZenDesk, Slack,
and GoToMeeting.
To know more about the SaaS, click here.
Difference between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
The below table shows the difference between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS -
IaaS Paas SaaS
It provides a virtual data center
to store information and create
platforms for app development,
testing, and deployment.
It provides virtual platforms and
tools to create, test, and deploy
apps.
It provides web software and
apps to complete business
tasks.
It provides access to resources
such as virtual machines, virtual
storage, etc.
It provides runtime
environments and deployment
tools for applications.
It provides software as a
service to the end-users.
It is used by network architects. It is used by developers. It is used by end users.
IaaS provides only
Infrastructure.
PaaS provides
Infrastructure+Platform.
SaaS provides
Infrastructure+Platform
+Software.