4a: SaaS vs PaaS vs Iaas

When should you purchase software, platform, or infrastructure services?

Software-as-a-Service: allows companies to manage their data without the tediousness of having to develop their own software. SaaS uses a subscription-based web delivery model and vendors handle the technical side of things, streamlining processes for businesses. This option is best for small companies who don’t have the time or resources to develop their own, short-term projects, applications that aren’t used often, and apps that need both web & mobile access. Examples: Dropbox, Salesforce, Google Workspace

Platform-as-a-Service: this provides developers a framework for creating customized applications. This allows the devs to focus on the launching of applications while servers are managed by vendors. PaaS is also delivered via web and allows users to create software on their platform. This option is more scalable than SaaS and makes it easier for devs to manage by greatly reducing the amount of code needed without having to worry about maintaining the software. PaaS is useful when multiple devs are working on the same project, for creating customized applications, and for rapid deployment of applications. Examples: AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Google App Engine, Windows Azure

Infrastructure-as-a-Service: IaaS is a completely self service cloud computing model that gives entities full control over their application management, middleware, data storage, etc, while the vendors are responsible for managing servers and networking. This model is the most scalable of the three and is typically delivered via API or dashboard. Additional resources are available to purchase as needed, cost varies depending on consumption. This option is good for large companies, companies experiencing rapid growth, or startups who want to avoid spending resources on purchasing hardware and software. Examples: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine