Here at 4GoodHosting, we’re a reputable web hosting service provider in Canada and we like to think we’ve got our thumbs sufficiently on the pulse of what’s new in the digital marketing world too. The ‘stack’ we’re going to talk about today is all about computing and the new way in which cloud computing, in particular, has revolutionized the way people access and utilize resources made available through the internet. We always have tips for improving your online marketing presence, but this blog post is really more about some of the more notable developments in cloud computing as they pertain to business.
The Cloud is a broad collection of services, and these days there’s plenty of options in regards to the way you can optimize them for the benefit of your company and organization. The stack is the broad range of services built on top of one another - thus the stack. Each one owes much of its stability and practicality to the one underneath it, as we’ll highlight shortly.
Unparalleled Network Access
Services make the grade as ‘Cloud’ worthy when they feature:
- On-demand self service - any time and anywhere you want it, sign up and receive service without delay
- Broad and uninhibited network access across varied devices (desktop, laptop, AND mobile)
- Extensive resource pooling
- Rapid elasticity - able to flex upwards and downwards in relation to demand surges and sags
- Measured service that is billed accordingly, and with transparency
The Stack Itself
Alright, picture a pyramid divided into 3 sections. The pointed top is SaaS (software as a service). The middle section is Paas (platform as a service) and the base is IaaS (infrastructure as a service).
- SaaS applications are intended for delivery to end users, and that delivery occurs immediately via the web (analogy - think passengers)
- PaaS encompasses all of the tools and services that make coding and deploying those services occur smoothly, reliably, and relatively understandably (analogy - think vehicles)
- IaaS is the groundwork - the hardware and software powering it all along. This can be servers, storage, networks, operating systems (analogy - think roadways)
SaaS is software that’s deployed over the internet. To put it in more understandable terms for consumers, it’s embodied in the new phenomena where you don’t need to go and buy a physical hard copy of a software suite complete with install disc and take it home to then install on your computer. Rather, you sign up, pay your initial monthly fee, and nearly instantaneously you’ve got access to it.
SaaS offerings will feature:
- Web access to commercial software
- Software managed from a central location, with no responsibility put on the consumer
- Software delivered with a ‘one customize-to-fit for all’ model
- APIs that allow integration between different varieties of software
Keep in mind however that not ALL softwares are well suited to be made available in a SaaS model. One that are suited will be (among other characteristics):
- Ones where the fundamental technology is well established and unlikely to change
- Ones where there is plenty of interplay between the organization and the worldwide consumer base
- Applications that have a growing need for web or mobile access, and where that is projected to increase even further
- Software that is primarily intended for a short term need
- Software where demand has been seen to spike significantly at times
PaaS is any computer platform that allows the quick and easy creation of web applications without the complexity of purchasing and maintaining infrastructure that must be in place beneath it in order for it to be functional / operational.
Simply, it’s a platform for the creation of software that’s delivered - ready made and ready to work - quickly and easily over the web.
Paas offerings will feature:
- Services designed to develop, test, deploy, host and maintain applications within a same integrated development environment.
- Web-based user interface creation tools that are intended for use in creating, modifying, testing and deploying different UI scenarios
- Multi-tenant architecture where multiple concurrent users utilize the same development app • Programmed scalability of deployed software, with load balancing and failover included
- Integration with web services and databases via common standards
- Support for development team collaboration, with some specific ones featuring project planning and communication tools
PaaS products will be especially practical in any situation where multiple developers will be proceeding to work on a project, or where external parties must interact and work collaboratively within the development process. These models have been very well received in instances where a valuable data source already exists and the aim is to create new applications which leverage the established value of that data. PaaS is also expected to ease difficulties around rapid deployment and iteration of software.
IaaS is any proven method of delivering the servers, storage, networks, and operating systems of Cloud computing as an on-demand service. It’s obtained as public or private infrastructure, or a combination of both (very common, and also known as ‘hybrid cloud’).
IaaS offerings will feature:
- Resources being distributed as a service, with full autonomy for the end user to apply them as he / she sees fit
- A natural allowance for dynamic scaling, and to whatever extent is necessary
- Variable costs, and different utility pricing models
- In many cases, multiple users on a single piece of hardware
Examples of large-scale IaaS providers operating today are Rackspace and Amazon Web Services.
IaaS products will be a good fit in any situation where
- Demand is volatile - increasing and decreasing, and often considerably so in either direction and without any discernible trend
- A new organization finds investment capital for hardware to be a daunting cost
- A growing organization finds scaling hardware to be problematic
- A similar organization that needs to move from capital expenditure to operations expenditure
It’s a fact that Cloud computing is a rapidly accelerating revolution within the entirety of the IT world, and we imagine it will become the default method of IT delivery in the not too distant future. Becoming familiar with it is highly advisable!
