4 Types of Cloud Computing Services You Should Know

Do you know that the global cloud computing market is projected at $2,321 billion by the year 2032? Yes, you saw that right.

Cloud computing growth is galloping at a CAGR of 16%. And why not?

Cloud computing offers businesses an opportunity to rent their IT services rather than having them on their on-site data center.

It helps companies to leverage ready-made IT resources that unlock a unique set of business benefits.

Cloud computing has amazing business benefits. But, to implement them, you must understand it clearly.

You must know different types of cloud computing services, their use cases, examples, advantages, disadvantages, and many more.

And that’s exactly what we are going to explore in this blog. So, let’s begin with the definition first.

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is an on-demand access of different computing services like servers, intelligence, databases, storage, analytics, and networking.

The access here is through the internet; hence it is called cloud computing.

It has pay-as-you-go pricing and it helps you to:

• Lower your operating costs
• Run infrastructure efficiently
• Scale as per your business needs

Types of Cloud Computing Services

1. SaaS

SaaS has become a buzzword with the advent of hundreds of SaaS companies in the recent past.

But I am sure many of you might be thinking what exactly is SaaS?

Well, the answer lies in its name itself. Software as a Service (SaaS) is a method of delivering software by allowing multiple users to access it.

The mode of access for users is remote via the internet where the user pays a subscription fee in return.

This distribution model enables SaaS providers to eliminate the need for:

• Installation
• Storage space
• Data loss

Use Cases & Examples

SaaS has a range of use cases that helps different components of businesses to work more efficiently.

Let’s have a look at some of the top SaaS use cases along with a few examples.

Sales Enablement

SaaS Sales enablement tools helps sales teams to sell more effectively by providing them with features for:

• Lead management
• Communication
• Analytics

Examples: Salesforce Sales Cloud and HubSpot Sales Hub

Design

Design SaaS applications offer graphic designers with the tools and resources, helping them to create visually appealing designs.

Examples:
Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud

Customer Service

Customer service SaaS enables efficient communication between businesses and customers. Ultimately, it helps resolve inquiries quickly.

Examples: Zendesk and Freshdesk

Metrics and Analysis

These SaaS tools help businesses to take data-driven decisions, track performance, and optimize strategies.

Examples: Google Analytics and Tableau

CRM

SaaS CRM software helps businesses in managing their customer relationships more efficiently. It also boosts their sales and marketing efforts.

Examples: SalesForce CRM and Zoho CRM

Project Management

Project management tools help teams to ensure that all their tasks are completed within the set time and budget.

Examples: Asana and Trello

Advantages

• Lower cost
• Scalability
• Data Storage
• Accessibility
• Operational Management

Disadvantages

• Lack of Control
• Data and Security Concerns
• Regulations Compliance Issues

2. PaaS

PaaS, which stands for Platform-as-a-Service, is one of the popular types of cloud computing services that offers customers a complete cloud platform comprising software, hardware, and infrastructure.

Businesses use PaaS to develop, run, and manage applications without bearing the cost, inflexibility, and complexity that comes with on-premises app development and maintenance.

Here, the PaaS provider hosts several things at their data center like:

• Networks
• Servers
• Storage
• Operating system software
• Databases
• Development tools

Use Cases & Examples
Web Application Development

PaaS simplifies web application development by enabling developers to focus on coding and deployment without having to worry about:

• Server Provisioning
• Scalability
• Maintenance

Examples: Heroku and Google App Engine

Mobile App Backend Services

PaaS for mobile app development helps to manage critical backend services like:

• Authentication
• Real-time databases
• Push notifications

It also helps developers to create user-friendly interfaces.

Examples: Firebase and AWS Amplify

Big Data and Analytics

PaaS platforms are also known for streamlining big data and analytics.

They enable organizations to process vast data by eliminating complexities associated with managing distributed systems.

Examples: Azure HDInsight and IBM Watson Studio

DevOps and CI/CD

PaaS platforms automate DevOps processes and enable continuous integration / continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.

They ensure faster and more reliable software delivery by streamlining:

• Code integration
• Testing
• Deployment

Examples: CircleCI and Jenkins

Advantages

• Time Saving
• Scalability
• Faster to Market
• Cost Effective
• Continuous Updates

Disadvantages

• Vendor Lock-in
• Data Privacy
• Integration Issues

3. IaaS

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a type of cloud computing service that enables customers to rent and manage computing resources such as:

• Servers
• Storage
• Networking
• Virtualization

IaaS is a great choice for those organizations that are looking to migrate to the cloud or want to modernize their existing infrastructure.

With IaaS, businesses can adjust their resource allocation as per the changing demands. This considerably reduces the need for large initial investments in physical hardware.

IaaS is best for those startups, enterprises, and IT departments that are looking for benefits like:

• Scalability
• Flexibility
• Cost-efficiency

IaaS Use Cases and Examples
Development and Testing Environments

Organizations can provision several infrastructure components like virtual machines for:

• Development
• Testing
• Quality Assurance

Examples: Amazon EC2 and Azure Virtual Machines

Data Backup and Disaster Recovery

Creating backups and disaster recovery solutions is one of the key IaaS use cases.

It helps you to store data and run backup services in the cloud. This ensures business continuity and data availability in case there is a disaster.

Examples: AWS Backup and Azure Site Recovery

Advantages

• Low Capital Expenditure
• Dynamic Scalability
• Pay-as-you-Go Pricing
• Resource Abstraction
• Disaster Recovery

Disadvantages

• Unexpected Cost
• Security Risks
• Third Party Dependency

4. FaaS

Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) is a cloud-based computing service that enables programmers to build, compute, operate, manage application packages, and execute code in response to events, without having to manage complicated infrastructure.

FaaS allows cloud clients to not only build apps but also deploy features. And the best part is that they only have to pay when a feature is used.

Use Cases and Examples
Real-time Data Processing and Analytics

FaaS is more than handy when it comes to analyzing real-time data streams. For an instance, you can use FaaS to:

• Process incoming sensor data from IoT devices
• Analyze log files to detect security threats
• Perform sentiment analysis on social media posts while they are being posted

Example: AWS Lambda

Web and Mobile Application Backend

Backend developers looking for web and mobile applications find FaaS extremely cost-effective and scalable.

It is because, FaaS enables faster feature deployment by handling infrastructure management while developers use functions for tasks like:

• Database Access
• User Authentication
• Content Delivery

Example: Azure Functions

Event-Driven Automation

FaaS is usually the first choice when it comes to building event-driven automation workflows. It is because, FaaS enables you to set up functions that can respond to events like:

• Database Changes
• File Uploads
• User Interactions

Example: Google Cloud Functions

Advantages

• Cost Effective
• Code Language Flexibility
• Increased Developer Velocity
• Automated Scale up and Down

Disadvantages

• Integration Problems
• Less System Control

Explore Cloud Platform Benefits

PLATFORM TYPE	DEFINITION/DESCRIPTION	BENEFITS	EXAMPLES
Software as a Service (SaaS)	The most popular form which makes the app available through a browser. SaaS customers can enjoy the software without having to worry about development, maintenance, support, update, or backups.	Scale as you need Seamless access through internet Eliminates infra concerns Bundled maintenance and Support	Google Apps, Dropbox, Salesforce, Cisco WebEx, Office 365, Gmail, GoToMeeting, Netflix
Platform as a Service (PaaS)	Rapidly growing in popularity, it is preferred by developers who want to focus on coding, testing, and deploying apps, instead of wasting their time on hardware-oriented tasks such as managing security patches and operating system updates.	Strong community who build cloud applications No hassle of upgrading software infra Low Cost as upfront investment not required Focus on development without worrying about infrastructure	AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Windows Azure, Heroku, Force.com, Google App Engine, Apache Stratos
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)	At the bottom of the spectrum, IaaS Vendors deploy and manage pre-configured and virtualized hardware and enable users to spin up virtual machines or computing power without the labor-intensive server management or hardware investments.	Reduced TCO Pay-as-you-go Access to superior IT infrastructure Up Scale & Down Scale based on requirement	DigitalOcean, Linode, Rackspace, AWS, Cisco Metapod, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine (GCE)
Function-as-a-Service (FaaS)	FaaS is a cloud computing service model that allows developers to run individual functions or code snippets in response to specific events or triggers, without the need to manage server infrastructure.	Scalability Cost-Efficiency Simplified Deployment	AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, Google Cloud Functions, IBM Cloud Functions, Netlify Functions

4 Types of Deployment Models in Cloud Computing

Cloud deployment models define how one uses cloud services. It shows how an individual or an organization provision, manages, and accesses resources.

Deployment models also defines a lot of crucial factors such as:

• Security
• Level of Access
• Customization

Deployment of cloud computing are broadly classified into 4 types.

Let’s have a look at each of them.

1. Public Cloud

As the name suggests, public cloud ensures that anybody can access the services and systems. However, this can also make it less safe.

Public cloud infrastructure is owned by those entities that deliver and not by the consumers.

It also serves as a great example of cloud hosting where service providers supply their services to a diverse range of customers.

Another significant factor about this type of deployment model is, retrieval services and storage backup are given for free, either in the form of a subscription or on a per-user basis.

Best For

• Small to large businesses that have fluctuating resource demands
• Startups with limited capital
• Projects or applications that need rapid scalability
• Organizations looking for cost-effective solutions
• Teams that have geographically dispersed members

Advantages

• Low Investment
• No setup cost
• Easy Infrastructure Management
• Higher Reliability

Disadvantages

• Lack of Security and Privacy
• Loss Control

2. Private Cloud

If public cloud was accessible by everyone, private cloud is dedicated to a single organization.

Sometimes also known as corporate cloud or internal cloud, this cloud computing environment can be hosted either on-premises within an organization’s data center or by a third-party provider.

Best For

• Organizations having strict security and compliance requirements
• Businesses that need customized infrastructure configurations
• Integrating legacy systems and on-premises infrastructure
• Data sovereignty and residency
• Custom applications and specialized workloads

Advantages

• Complete Control Over Software and Hardware Choices
• Data Privacy and Compliance
• Reliable Performance
• Customization

Disadvantages

• Lack of Geographic Diversity
• Slower Deployment
• Higher Costs

3. Hybrid Cloud

Hybrid cloud is a combination of at least 2 computing environments sharing data with each other to run a uniform series of applications for a business.

There could be multiple combinations like:

• Two or more public clouds
• Two or more private clouds
• At least one private cloud and at least one public cloud
• One physical hardware or virtual environment which is connected to at least one cloud

Best for

• Organizations having mix of on-premises and cloud-based resources
• Businesses that need flexibility to scale resources up or down as per their need
• Applications that need geographic redundancy and high availability
• Those who want to leverage benefits of both private as well as public clouds to meet their diverse business needs

Advantages

• Unique balance of control
• Business agility
• Scalability and Deployment
• Flexibility

Disadvantages

• Expensive
• Overly complex security

4. Multi-cloud

Multi-cloud deployment is a strategy which involves an organization using multiple public cloud providers simultaneously for meeting their business needs.

For example, an organization can use different cloud services like Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and Amazon Web Services for specific applications, workloads, or services.

Best for

• Organizations looking to avoid vendor lock-in
• Businesses having diverse workload requirements
• Enterprises looking for specialized services offered by different cloud providers

Advantages

• Avoid vendor lock-in
• Potential Cost Savings
• Increased application portability opportunities

Disadvantages

• More Complexity
• Increased Security Concerns

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