Pros and Cons of Different Cloud Computing Models

Pros and Cons of Different Cloud Computing Models

In today's blog, we are comparing different cloud computing models. Each model has its pros and cons; we tried to cover the most important ones.

Let's dive into more details and discuss the differences and pros and cons of different cloud computing models.

IaaS - Infrastructure as a Service

The infrastructure as a Service model is designed for companies that do not want to maintain their own data centers and manage infrastructure. The IaaS provider manages the hardware infrastructure (server, storage, network) and makes it available as a virtual resource over the internet.

IaaS Pros

Cost control - with IaaS, you pay for the resources via the pay-as-you-go model - you only pay for the resources you use. There are no large infrastructure investments because the provider manages the infrastructure.

Simply scalability - IaaS simplifies horizontal and vertical scaling - when you need more resources, you simply scale up; when you don't need them - you scale down.

IaaS Cons

Complex security controls - even though large cloud platforms offer superior security controls and compliance with the most security standards, you might struggle to implement security policies properly.

Dependency - by using IaaS, you are entirely dependent on the IaaS provider.

PaaS - Platform as a Service

In the Platform as a Service model, the developers use the platform for software development and deployment. PaaS enables developers to quickly develop and deploy apps without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. The provider offers a range of e-mail, image and video processing, database or other services that can be easily integrated into the custom software.

PaaS Pros

Simple management - PaaS provider takes care of the underlying infrastructure, so you do need to manage anything. The services can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection and internet browser.

Development speed - the platform provides a range of tools for common development problems, like image and video processing, analytics, and others, helping you develop custom software faster.

PaaS Cons

Inability to meet unpredictable scalability needs - compared to IaaS, PaaS platforms are hard to set up to meet instant and unpredictable spikes in demand.

Vendor lock-in - every PaaS vendor has unique services and configurations, making changing the PaaS platform difficult.

SaaS - Software as a Service

In the Software as a Service model, the platform provider hosts the application and makes it available to the users over the public internet. With this model, users don't need to install any software on their computer or server - the application is available through any popular internet browser. In the SaaS model, users do not need to worry about software updates - the application is up-to-date because the provider handles the maintenance.

SaaS Pros

Immediate access and ease of use - as soon as you create an account in the SaaS product, you are ready to use it. The provider manages the software, so you do need to worry about software updates.

Simple scalability - as a user, you don't need to worry about scalability. You simply add more users to the platform or change between different plans or subscriptions.

SaaS Cons

No control over the underlying infrastructure - as a user, you don't have any control over the providers' cloud infrastructure. If the provider experiences any problems or incidents with the infrastructure, your application will be affected too.

Integration with internal applications - many SaaS applications offer some kind of API for integration with other services. Your internal application could be older and without any APIs making it hard to integrate SaaS applications with your existing internal applications.

Conclusion

Each cloud computing model is designed for a specific use.

The SaaS model is designed for delivering apps as they are; as a user, you subscribe to the service and use it immediately. You don't need to manage anything; the provider does everything concerning application updates and hardware management.

PaaS model is designed for developers; the platform offers specialized services that speed up the development and application deployment.

IaaS model is designed for companies that want full control over their infrastructure without any work related to data center management. Infrastructure resources are delivered as a virtual resource over the internet; with this model, you have simple scalability with an efficient pay-as-you-go pricing model.

As AWS Advanced Consulting Partner, we help companies of every industry and size solve their infrastructure problems with cloud migration.

If you want to know more about cloud migration, cloud technology in general, AWS cloud, or you want to try AWS services:

• visit our cloud migration service page;
• give us a call at +385 1 3141 562;
• contact our sales department at sales@heptabit.com.

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