Cloud Computing Services

Unit 3
Contents
• XaaS
• IaaS
• PaaS
• Leveraging PaaS for productivity
• Service languages for PaaS
• DBaaS
• SaaS
XaaS (Anything as a Service)

• Anything as a service” (XaaS) describes a general category of services related to cloud

computing and remote access.
• It recognizes the vast number of products, tools, and technologies that are now delivered
to users as a service over the internet.
• Essentially, any IT function can be transformed into a service for enterprise consumption.
• The service is paid for in a flexible consumption model rather than as an upfront purchase
or license.
Benefits of XaaS
• Improving the expense model. With XaaS, businesses can cut costs by purchasing services from providers
on a subscription basis. Before XaaS and cloud services, businesses had to buy individual products—
software, hardware, servers, security, infrastructure—install them on site, and then link everything together to
create networks. Now, with XaaS, businesses simply buy what they need, and pay as they go. Previous capital
expenses now become operating expenses.
• Speeding new apps and business processes. This model allows businesses to quickly adapt to changing
market conditions with new apps or solutions. Using multitenant approaches, cloud services can provide
much-needed flexibility. Resource pooling and rapid elasticity support mean that business leaders can simply
add or subtract services as needed. A company can quickly access new technologies, scaling infrastructure
automatically when users need innovative resources.
• Shifting IT resources to higher-value projects. Increasingly, IT organizations are turning to an XaaS
delivery model to streamline operations and free up resources for innovation. They are also using the benefits
of XaaS to transform digitally and become more agile. In a recent survey by Deloitte, 71% of companies
report that XaaS now constitutes more than half of their company’s enterprise IT. XaaS provides more users
with access to cutting-edge technology, democratizing innovation.
Disadvantages of XaaS
• Possible downtime. The internet sometimes breaks, and when it does, your XaaS provider might have
problems as well. With XaaS, there can be issues of internet reliability, resilience, provisioning and managing
the infrastructure resources . If XaaS servers go down, users won’t be able to use them. XaaS providers can
guarantee services through SLAs.
• Performance issues. As XaaS becomes more popular, bandwidth, latency, data storage, and retrieval times
can suffer . If too many customers use the same resources, the system can slow down. Apps running in
virtualized environments can also face impacts. In these complex environments, there can be integration
issues, including the ongoing management and security of multiple cloud services.
• Complexity impacts. Pushing technology to XaaS can relieve IT staff of day-to-day operational headaches;
however, if something does go wrong, it might be harder to troubleshoot. The internal IT staff still needs to
stay current on the new technology. Costs for maintaining high-performing, robust networks can increase—
although the overall cost savings of XaaS models are usually much greater. Nonetheless, some companies
want to retain visibility into their XaaS service provider’s environment and infrastructure. In addition, an
XaaS provider that gets acquired, discontinues a service, or alters its roadmap can have a profound impact on
XaaS users.
Examples of XaaS
1. Hardware as a Service (HaaS) –
Managed Service Providers (MSP) provide and install some hardware on the customer’s site on demand. The customer uses
the hardware according to service level agreements. This model is very similar to IaaS as computing resources present at
MSP’s site are provided to users substituted for physical hardware.
2. Communication as a Service (CaaS) – 
This model comprises solutions for different communication like IM, VoIP, and video conferencing applications which are
hosted in the provider’s cloud. Such a method is cost-effective and reduces time expenses.
3. Desktop as a Service (DaaS) – 
DaaS provider mainly manages storing, security, and backing up user data for desktop apps. And a client can also work on
PCs using third-party servers.
4. Security as a Service (SECaaS) –
In this method, the provider integrates security services with the company’s infrastructure through the internet which
includes anti-virus software, authentication, encryption, etc.
5. Healthcare as a Service (HaaS) –
The healthcare industry has opted for the model HaaS service through electronic medical records (EMR). IoT and other
technologies have enhanced medical services like online consultations, health monitoring 24/7, medical service at the
doorstep e.g. lab sample collection from home, etc.
6. Transport as a Service (TaaS) – 
Nowadays, there are numerous apps that help in mobility and transport in modern society. The model is both convenient
and ecological friendly e.g. Uber taxi services is planning to test flying taxis and self-driving planes in the future.
IaaS
• Iaas is also known as Hardware as a Service (HaaS). It is one of the layers of the cloud
computing platform. It allows customers to outsource their IT infrastructures such as
servers, networking, processing, storage, virtual machines, and other resources. Customers
access these resources on the Internet using a pay-as-per use model.
• In traditional hosting services, IT infrastructure was rented out for a specific period of
time, with pre-determined hardware configuration. The client paid for the configuration
and time, regardless of the actual use. With the help of the IaaS cloud computing platform
layer, clients can dynamically scale the configuration to meet changing requirements and
are billed only for the services actually used.
• IaaS cloud computing platform layer eliminates the need for every organization to
maintain the IT infrastructure.
• IaaS is offered in three models: public, private, and hybrid cloud. The private cloud
implies that the infrastructure resides at the customer-premise. In the case of public cloud,
it is located at the cloud computing platform vendor's data center, and the hybrid cloud is a
combination of the two in which the customer selects the best of both public cloud or
private cloud.
• IaaS provider provides the following services -
1.Compute: Computing as a Service includes virtual central processing units
and virtual main memory for the Vms that is provisioned to the end- users.
2.Storage: IaaS provider provides back-end storage for storing files.
3.Network: Network as a Service (NaaS) provides networking components
such as routers, switches, and bridges for the Vms.
4.Load balancers: It provides load balancing capability at the infrastructure
layer.
PaaS
• Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides a runtime environment. It allows
programmers to easily create, test, run, and deploy web applications. You
can purchase these applications from a cloud service provider on a pay-as-
per use basis and access them using the Internet connection. In PaaS, back
end scalability is managed by the cloud service provider, so end- users do
not need to worry about managing the infrastructure.
• PaaS includes infrastructure (servers, storage, and networking) and
platform (middleware, development tools, database management systems,
business intelligence, and more) to support the web application life cycle.
• Example: Google App Engine, Force.com, Joyent, Azure.
• PaaS providers provide the Programming languages, Application
frameworks, Databases, and Other tools:
• 1. Programming languages
• PaaS providers provide various programming languages for the developers to develop
the applications. Some popular programming languages provided by PaaS providers are
Java, PHP, Ruby, Perl, and Go.
• 2. Application frameworks
• PaaS providers provide application frameworks to easily understand the application
development. Some popular application frameworks provided by PaaS providers are
Node.js, Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, Spring, Play, Rack, and Zend.
• 3. Databases
• PaaS providers provide various databases such as ClearDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and
Redis to communicate with the applications.
• 4. Other tools
• PaaS providers provide various other tools that are required to develop, test, and deploy
the applications.
Advantages of PaaS
• 1) Simplified Development
• PaaS allows developers to focus on development and innovation without worrying about infrastructure
management.
• 2) Lower risk
• No need for up-front investment in hardware and software. Developers only need a PC and an internet
connection to start building applications.
• 3) Prebuilt business functionality
• Some PaaS vendors also provide already defined business functionality so that users can avoid building
everything from very scratch and hence can directly start the projects only.
• 4) Instant community
• PaaS vendors frequently provide online communities where the developer can get the ideas to share
experiences and seek advice from others.
• 5) Scalability
• Applications deployed can scale from one to thousands of users without any changes to the
applications.
Disadvantages of PaaS
1) Vendor Lock-In
• One has to write the applications according to the platform provided by the PaaS vendor,
so the migration of an application to another PaaS vendor would be a problem.
2) Data Privacy
• Corporate data, whether it can be critical or not, will be private, so if it is not located
within the walls of the company, there can be a risk in terms of privacy of data.
3) Integration with the rest of the systems applications
• It may happen that some applications are local, and some are in the cloud. So there will be
chances of increased complexity when we want to use data which in the cloud with the
local data.
Leveraging PaaS for productivity

• Following features will increase developer’s productivity if they are

effectively implemented on a PaaS site
• Ubiquitous access and Quick deployment
• Caching
• Integrated development environment
• Database
• Integration
• Logging
• Identity Management
• Messaging
• Job processing
• Session management
• Service Discovery
• Ubiquitous access and Quick deployment
• Important for organizations whose developers are geographically spread out, mobile and always changing in
number
• Caching
• for cloud services will boost application performance
• Need API to put resource in cache and to flush the cache
• Integrated development environment
• PaaS environment must have browser based development studio with IDE for development, test and debugging
of applications
• Must provide same development and production environment and capability to build apps in various languages
• Database
• Must include File storage, user management, authentication and development tools
• Database and API must support open standards.
• Integration
• Integration with external databases and web services and their compatibility is ensured
• Logging
• Must have API to open and close log files.
• Write event logs, examine entries, send alerts for certain events
• Identity Management
• Developers need to authenticate and manage users within their applications
• Each user has set of privileges based on their role
• Once user is authenticated, he is given credentials to access services
• Messaging
• PaaS cloud must support secured and on demand collaboration throughout SDLC
• Must provide ability to APIs to manage messages
• Job processing
• Developers can start, pause, stop and monitor large processing jobs such as Hadoop style data
mining.
• Session management
• Ability to view, access or change user sessions.
• When user migrates from one node to another node in the cloud, PaaS environment must
maintain user session
• Service Discovery
• Must give way to developers to discover available services and ability to search the cloud by
service types
SaaS
• SaaS is also known as "On-Demand Software". It is a software distribution model in which
services are hosted by a cloud service provider. These services are available to end-users over
the internet so, the end-users do not need to install any software on their devices to access
these services.
• There are the following services provided by SaaS providers -
• Business Services - SaaS Provider provides various business services to start-up the business.
The SaaS business services include ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer
Relationship Management), billing, and sales.
• Document Management - SaaS document management is a software application offered by a
third party (SaaS providers) to create, manage, and track electronic documents.
• Example: Slack, Samepage, Box, and Zoho Forms.
• Social Networks - As we all know, social networking sites are used by the general public, so social
networking service providers use SaaS for their convenience and handle the general public's
information.
• Mail Services - To handle the unpredictable number of users and load on e-mail services, many e-mail
providers offering their services using SaaS.
 Advantages of using SaaS
• 1) SaaS is easy to buy
• SaaS pricing is based on a monthly fee or annual fee subscription, so it allows organizations to access
business functionality at a low cost, which is less than licensed applications.
• Unlike traditional software, which is sold as a licensed based with an up-front cost (and often an optional
ongoing support fee), SaaS providers are generally pricing the applications using a subscription fee, most
commonly a monthly or annually fee.
• 2. One to Many
• SaaS services are offered as a one-to-many model means a single instance of the application is shared by
multiple users.
• 3. Less hardware required for SaaS
• The software is hosted remotely, so organizations do not need to invest in additional hardware.
• 4. Low maintenance required for SaaS
• Software as a service removes the need for installation, set-up, and daily maintenance for the organizations.
The initial set-up cost for SaaS is typically less than the enterprise software. SaaS vendors are pricing their
applications based on some usage parameters, such as a number of users using the application. So SaaS does
easy to monitor and automatic updates.
• 5. No special software or hardware versions required
• All users will have the same version of the software and typically access it through the web
browser. SaaS reduces IT support costs by outsourcing hardware and software maintenance and
support to the IaaS provider.
• 6. Multidevice support
• SaaS services can be accessed from any device such as desktops, laptops, tablets, phones, and thin
clients.
• 7. API Integration
• SaaS services easily integrate with other software or services through standard APIs.
• 8. No client-side installation
• SaaS services are accessed directly from the service provider using the internet connection, so do
not need to require any software installation.
Disadvantages of SaaS
• 1) Security
• Actually, data is stored in the cloud, so security may be an issue for some users. However,
cloud computing is not more secure than in-house deployment.
• 2) Latency issue
• Since data and applications are stored in the cloud at a variable distance from the end-user,
there is a possibility that there may be greater latency when interacting with the
application compared to local deployment. Therefore, the SaaS model is not suitable for
applications whose demand response time is in milliseconds.
• 3) Total Dependency on Internet
• Without an internet connection, most SaaS applications are not usable.
• 4) Switching between SaaS vendors is difficult
• Switching SaaS vendors involves the difficult and slow task of transferring the very large
data files over the internet and then converting and importing them into another SaaS also.
DBaaS
• Database as a service (DBaaS) is a cloud computing managed service offering
that provides access to a database without requiring the setup of physical
hardware, the installation of software or the need to configure the database.
• Most database administration and maintenance tasks are handled by the service
provider, enabling users to quickly benefit from the database service.
• The use of DBaaS is growing as more organizations shift from on-premises
systems to cloud databases.
• DBaaS vendors include cloud platform providers that sell database software and
other database makers that host their software on one or more of the cloud
platforms. Most DBaaS environments run on public cloud infrastructure, but some
cloud providers will also install their DBaaS technologies in on-premises data
centers and manage them remotely for customers in private clouds or 
hybrid cloud infrastructures.
DBaaS and on-premises database variations

• In an on-premises computing environment, the database server is part of the IT infrastructure in an

organization's data center and is installed, managed and run by the organization's own IT staff. A
database administrator (DBA) is responsible for configuring and managing the databases that run
on the server.
• In contrast, under the DBaaS model, the provider maintains the system infrastructure and database
and delivers it as a fully managed cloud service. The service covers high-level administrative
functions, such as database installation, configuration, maintenance and upgrades. Additional tasks,
such as backups, patching and performance management, typically are also handled by the
provider.
• Control of the data in a database remains the responsibility of the customer, but the role of the DBA
 primarily involves monitoring the use of the database, managing user access and coordinating with
the DBaaS vendor on things like provisioning, patching and maintenance. In addition, the DBA can
spend more time on other activities, such as optimizing databases for applications.
• Another difference is that DBaaS is a fee-based subscription service. Instead of buying software
licenses, as in an on-premises deployment, customers pay for their use of system resources. That
can be done on a pay-as-you-go basis, with resources being provisioned as needed to meet
processing workloads, or an organization can reserve database instances to get discounted prices
on workloads it runs regularly.
• The DBaaS model is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that don't have
well-staffed IT departments. Offloading the service and maintenance of the database to
the DBaaS provider enables SMBs to implement applications and systems that they
otherwise couldn't afford to build and support on premises.
• Workloads involving data with stringent regulatory requirements may not be suitable for
the DBaaS model because of data security and privacy concerns. Furthermore, mission-
critical applications that require optimal performance and uptime may be better suited for
an on-premises implementation.
• That doesn't mean mission-critical workloads can't run on cloud services, though. Initially,
much of the DBaaS adoption in larger organizations was for less crucial applications, such
as development and pilot projects. But that's changing as more application workloads
move to the cloud. In a survey of 753 cloud users conducted in late 2021 by IT
management tools vendor Flexera, 49% said their organizations were using relational
database services in the cloud, while 38% were using NoSQL database services.
Advantages of DBaaS

• The DBaaS model offers some specific advantages over traditional on-premises database systems,
including the following:
• Reduced management requirements. The DBaaS provider takes on many of the routine database
management and administration burdens.
• Elimination of physical infrastructure. The underlying IT infrastructure required to run the
database is provided by the DBaaS vendor or the provider of the cloud platform that's hosting the
DBaaS environment, if they're different companies.
• Reduced IT equipment costs. Because the system infrastructure is no longer on premises, users
don't need to invest in database servers or plan for hardware upgrades on an ongoing basis.
• Additional savings. In addition to lower capital expenditures, savings can come from decreased
electrical and HVAC operating costs and smaller space needs in data centers, as well as possible
IT staff reductions.
• More flexibility and easier scalability. The infrastructure supporting the database can be
elastically scaled up or down as database usage changes, as opposed to the more complex and
rigorous process required to scale on-premises systems.
Disadvantages of DBaaS

• There are also potential disadvantages with DBaaS compared to on-premises databases. Lack of
control over the IT infrastructure is usually the most significant issue with DBaaS versus an in-
house system. With managed databases, an organization's IT team doesn't have direct access to
the servers and storage devices used to run them. As a result, it has to rely on the cloud provider
to manage the infrastructure effectively.
• Also, if an organization's internet connection goes down, or if the DBaaS provider experiences a
system outage, the organization won't have access to its database until the problem is repaired.
• Security can also be a concern in some cases because it's controlled by the DBaaS provider and
an organization doesn't have direct influence over the safety of the servers running its databases.
Under the shared responsibility model for cloud security, organizations are responsible for some
aspects of data security and things like identity and access management in DBaaS environments.
But the vendor is in charge of securing the database platform and underlying infrastructure.
• Latency is another concern. The additional time required to access enterprise data over the
internet can cause performance issues. These performance issues grow when loading large
amounts of data, which tends to be slow and time-consuming.