Cloud Based Services

Cloud Computing can be defined as the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer. Companies offering such kinds of cloud computing services are called cloud providers and typically charge for cloud computing services based on usage. Grids and clusters are the foundations for cloud computing.

type of Cloud Computing

Most cloud computing services fall into five broad categories: 

1. Software as a service (SaaS)
2. platform as a service (PaaS)
3. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
4. Anything/Everything as a service (XaaS)
5. Function as a Service (FaaS)

These are sometimes called the cloud computing stack because they are built on top of one another. Knowing what they are and how they are different, makes it easier to accomplish your goals. These abstraction layers can also be viewed as a layered architecture where services of a higher layer can be composed of services of the underlying layer i.e, SaaS can provide Infrastructure. 

Software as a Service(SaaS)

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a way of delivering services and applications over the Internet. Instead of installing and maintaining software, we simply access it via the Internet, freeing ourselves from the complex software and hardware management. It removes the need to install and run applications on our own computers or in the data centers eliminating the expenses of hardware as well as software maintenance. 
SaaS provides a complete software solution that you purchase on a pay-as-you-go basis from a cloud service provider. Most SaaS applications can be run directly from a web browser without any downloads or installations required. The SaaS applications are sometimes called Web-based software, on-demand software, or hosted software.

Advantages of SaaS 

1. Cost-Effective: Pay only for what you use.
2. reduce time : Users is run can run most saas app directly from their web browser without need to download and install any software . This is reduces reduce the time spend in installation and configuration and can reduce the issue that can get in the way of the software deployment .
3. Accessibility: We can Access app data from anywhere.
4. Automatic updates: Rather than purchasing new software, customers rely on a SaaS provider to automatically perform the updates.
5. scalability : It is allows allow the user to access the service and feature on – demand .

The various company provideSoftware as a service are Cloud9 Analytics, Salesforce.com, Cloud Switch, Microsoft Office 365, Big Commerce, Eloqua, dropBox, and Cloud Tran. 

disadvantage of Saas :

1. limited customization : SaaS solution are typically not as customizable as on – premise software , mean that user may have to work within the constraint of the SaaS provider ’s platform and may not be able to tailor the software to their specific need .
2. Dependence on internet connectivity: SaaS solutions are typically cloud-based, which means that they require a stable internet connection to function properly. This can be problematic for users in areas with poor connectivity or for those who need to access the software in offline environments.
3. Security concerns: SaaS providers are responsible for maintaining the security of the data stored on their servers, but there is still a risk of data breaches or other security incidents.
4. Limited control over data: SaaS providers may have access to a user’s data, which can be a concern for organizations that need to maintain strict control over their data for regulatory or other reasons.

Platform as a Service

PaaS is a category of cloud computing that provides a platform and environment to allow developers to build applications and services over the internet. PaaS services are hosted in the cloud and accessed by users simply via their web browser. 
A PaaS provider hosts the hardware and software on its own infrastructure. As a result, PaaS frees users from having to install in-house hardware and software to develop or run a new application. Thus, the development and deployment of the application take place independent of the hardware. 
The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications and possibly configuration settings for the application-hosting environment. To make it simple, take the example of an annual day function, you will have two options either to create a venue or to rent a venue but the function is the same.

Advantages of PaaS: 

1. Simple and convenient for users: It provides much of the infrastructure and other IT services, which users can access anywhere via a web browser.
2. cost – effective : It is charges charge for the service provide on a per – use basis thus eliminate the expense one may have for on – premise hardware and software .
3. efficiently manage the lifecycle : It is design to support the complete web application lifecycle : building , testing , deploy , managing , and update .
4. Efficiency: It allows for higher-level programming with reduced complexity thus, the overall development of the application can be more effective.

The various company provideplatform as a service are Amazon web service elastic beanstalk , Salesforce , Windows Azure , Google App Engine , cloud Bees and IBM smart cloud .  

disadvantage of Paas :

1. Limited control over infrastructure: PaaS providers typically manage the underlying infrastructure and take care of maintenance and updates, but this can also mean that users have less control over the environment and may not be able to make certain customizations.
2. Dependence on the provider: Users are dependent on the PaaS provider for the availability, scalability, and reliability of the platform, which can be a risk if the provider experiences outages or other issues.
3. Limited flexibility: PaaS solutions may not be able to accommodate certain types of workloads or applications, which can limit the value of the solution for certain organizations.

Infrastructure as a Service

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a service model that delivers computer infrastructure on an outsourced basis to support various operations. Typically IaaS is a service where infrastructure is provided as outsourcing to enterprises such as networking equipment, devices, database, and web servers. 
It is also known as Hardware as a Service (HaaS). IaaS customers pay on a per-user basis, typically by the hour, week, or month. Some providers also charge customers based on the amount of virtual machine space they use. 
It simply provides the underlying operating systems, security, networking, and servers for developing such applications, and services, and deploying development tools, databases, etc. 

Advantages of IaaS: 

1. Cost-Effective: Eliminates capital expense and reduces ongoing cost and IaaS customers pay on a per-user basis, typically by the hour, week, or month.
2. Website hosting: Running websites using IaaS can be less expensive than traditional web hosting.
3. Security: The IaaS Cloud Provider may provide better security than your existing software.
4. Maintenance: There is no need to manage the underlying data center or the introduction of new releases of the development or underlying software. This is all handled by the IaaS Cloud Provider.

The various company provideInfrastructure as a service are Amazon web services, Bluestack, IBM, Openstack, Rackspace, and Vmware. 

Disadvantages of laaS :

1. Limited control over infrastructure: IaaS providers typically manage the underlying infrastructure and take care of maintenance and updates, but this can also mean that users have less control over the environment and may not be able to make certain customizations.
2. security concern : user are responsible for secure their own datum and application , which can be a significant undertaking .
3. limited access : Cloud computing may not be accessible in certain region and country due to legal policy .

Anything as a Service

It is also known as Everything as a Service. Most of the cloud service providers nowadays offer anything as a service that is a compilation of all of the above services including some additional services. 

advantage of XaaS :  

1. Scalability: XaaS solutions can be easily scaled up or down to meet the changing needs of an organization.
2. Flexibility: XaaS solutions can be used to provide a wide range of services, such as storage, databases, networking, and software, which can be customized to meet the specific needs of an organization.
3. Cost-effectiveness: XaaS solutions can be more cost-effective than traditional on-premises solutions, as organizations only pay for the services.

Disadvantages of XaaS:

1. dependence on the provider : Users is are are dependent on the xaas provider for the availability , scalability , and reliability of the service , which can be a risk if the provider experience outage or other issue .
2. Limited flexibility: XaaS solutions may not be able to accommodate certain types of workloads or applications, which can limit the value of the solution for certain organizations.
3. Limited integration: XaaS solutions may not be able to integrate with existing systems and data sources, which can limit the value of the solution for certain organizations.

Function as a Service :

FaaS is is is a type of cloud computing service . It is provides provide a platform for its user or customer to develop , compute , run and deploy the code or entire application as function . It is allows allow the user to entirely develop the code and update it at any time without worry about the maintenance of the underlie infrastructure . The developed code can be execute with response to the specific event . It is is is also as same as paas.

FaaS is is is an event – drive execution model is is . It is implement in the serverless container . When the application is develop completely , the user is trigger will now trigger the event to execute the code . Now , the trigger event is makes make response and activate the server to execute it . The servers is are are nothing but the Linux server or any other server which is manage by the vendor completely . customer does not have clue about any server which is why they do not need to maintain the server hence it is is is serverless architecture .

Both PaaS and FaaS are providing the same functionality but there is still some differentiation in terms of Scalability and Cost. 

FaaS, provides auto-scaling up and scaling down depending upon the demand. PaaS also provides scalability but here users have to configure the scaling parameter depending upon the demand.

In FaaS , users is have only have to pay for the number of execution time happen . In PaaS , users is have have to pay for the amount base on pay – as – you – go price regardless of how much or less they use .

advantage of FaaS :

• Highly Scalable: Auto scaling is done by the provider depending upon the demand.
• Cost-Effective: Pay only for the number of events executed.
• Code Simplification: FaaS allows the users to upload the entire application all at once. It allows you to write code for independent functions or similar to those functions.
• Maintenance is is of code is enough and no need to worry about the server .
• function can be write in any programming language .
• Less control over the system.

The various company provideFunction as a Service are Amazon Web Services – Firecracker, Google – Kubernetes, Oracle – Fn, Apache OpenWhisk – IBM, OpenFaaS, 

Disadvantages of FaaS :

1. cold start latency : Since FaaS function are event – trigger , the first request is experience to a new function may experience increase latency as the function container is create and initialize .
2. limited control over infrastructure : FaaS providers is manage typically manage the underlie infrastructure and take care of maintenance and update , but this can also mean that user have less control over the environment and may not be able to make certain customization .
3. security concern : user are responsible for secure their own datum and application , which can be a significant undertaking .
4. Limited scalability: FaaS functions may not be able to handle high traffic or large number of requests.