Cloud computing allows companies to access scalable software, applications and storage resources hosted by third-party service providers over the internet. It’s an efficient way to eliminate upfront costs and maintain flexibility and agility without sacrificing security. There are several different models, types and services to choose from based on your needs.
With Software as a Service (SaaS), the cloud vendor hosts and manages the hardware, operating systems and application software. Also referred to as hosted software or on-demand software, this model offers businesses reduced expenses and simplified maintenance.
In Platform as a Service (PaaS), the provider creates and maintains all the infrastructure necessary to run an application, including compute, storage and networking services. This includes virtual machines, load balancers and web server software management. Developers then deploy applications on the infrastructure to deliver a seamless user experience. PaaS enables you to scale up and down quickly as demand increases or decreases, so you only pay for what you use.
With Function as a Service (FaaS), the service provider spins up virtual machines to execute application code in real-time as events trigger. They are then automatically cloned and re-allocated as needed, allowing you to scale up or down rapidly to meet demand and eliminate the need for physical hardware or VM management. This is a more lightweight approach than traditional serverless computing, which doesn’t provide any control for the customer or allow them to re-provision or restart services.
Hybrid cloud is a strategy where data and applications are shared between a private cloud and one or more public clouds. This provides greater flexibility and scalability by enabling you to store sensitive information in your private cloud and utilize scalable resources of the public cloud for other applications. In addition, thanks to interoperability standards, applications running on a multicloud are able to work with infrastructure located in other clouds or on premises.
