SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS Comparison
What is SaaS?
SaaS, which stands for “Software as a Service”, is also known as web-based software. It is software delivery management that provides access to data via a web browser. Working for the interests of both users and businesses, SaaS contributes to the development and growth of small and medium-sized businesses today.
Some examples for SaaS:
- Hubspot: A Customer Relationship Management application.
- Slack: A Cloud-based Business Communication Network.
- MailChimp: Marketing Automation Platform and Email Service.
- Google Workspace: A Collection of cloud computing, software, and products developed by Google.
- Salesforce Customer 360: A Platform where customers can be managed from one place.
What is PaaS?
PaaS means Platform as a Service is a cloud computing service that provides hardware and software tools via the internet by a third-party provider. Generally, customers can pay a flat fee to give a certain amount of resources to a certain number of users or choose ‘pay-as-you-go’ pricing to only pay for their resources. Both options allow PaaS customers to build, test, run, update and scale applications faster and cheaper than they need to build and manage their own on-premises platform.
Some examples for PaaS:
- Google App Engine: A Cloud computing platform for developing and hosting web applications in data centers managed by Google.
- OpenShift: OpenShift is a collection of containerization software products developed by Red Hat.
- Salesforce Platform (Low Code Development): An application development platform where you can create applications faster and easier.
What is IaaS?
IaaS (infrastructure-as-a-service) is a cloud computing model that provides infrastructure resources to companies or individuals on demand. Self-service interfaces are presented directly to the customer. These include API and GUI (graphical user interface). Resources are hosted on-premises by the service provider, on a multi-tenant or single-tenant basis, or in the customer’s data center.
Some examples for IaaS:
- Google Compute Engine (GCE): The Infrastructure as a Service component of Google Cloud Platform, built on the global infrastructure that runs all Google’s services.
- Magento 1 Enterprise Edition: A B2B and B2C online sales platform.
- Digital Ocean: A cloud infrastructure provider organization.
What are the major differences between SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS?
| Usage | Access | Model | Technical Understanding | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SaaS | It is often used by end-users. | Provides access to end-user services. | In cloud computing, it is a service model that the host software makes available to the client. | There is no technical knowledge requirement. |
| PaaS | Often used by developers. | Provides access to the runtime environment, distribution, and development tools for the application. | It is a cloud computing model that provides tools used for application development. | Needs basic knowledge to understand technical setup. |
| IaaS | It is often used by network architects. | It provides access to resources such as virtual storage or virtual machines. | It is a service model that provides visualized computing resources over the internet. | Requires technical knowledge. |
We can consider the differences between all three in many ways. We can see the differences when we evaluate it in terms of usage, access, model, and technical understanding.
Each of them is preferred in different areas in terms of usage. For example, IaaS is frequently used by network architects, PaaS is used by developers, and SaaS is used by end-users. In terms of access, IaaS provides access to resources such as virtual storage or virtual machines. On the other hand, PaaS allows access to the deployment and development tools for the application. Finally, SaaS provides access to end-user services and B2B solutions.
When we consider it in terms of model and technical understanding, we see some differences again. IaaS is a service model that provides visualized computing resources via the internet. Paas is a cloud computing model that offers tools used for application development. In cloud computing, it is a service model that the host software makes useable to the client. In terms of technical understanding, IaaS requires technical knowledge, while PaaS needs subject knowledge to understand the technical setup. In SaaS, on the other hand, there is no obligation for the technical team to handle everything.
IaaS is popular with developers and researchers. It is also popular with developers who develop applications in PaaS. On the other hand, SaaS is popular with companies and end-users for its ability to perform actions such as email and file sharing.
Why Cloud?
PaaS is an emerging, low-cost cloud platform for enterprise applications to develop, run, and manage applications. PaaS is predicted to increase in popularity and grow over the next five years. Such expectations stem from the need for businesses to accelerate time-to-market, reduce complexity, get rid of local infrastructure, and streamline application management tasks. That’s why businesses of all sizes are trying to modernize, connect, and share data across different software applications and provide unified tools to their business and customer base. For this reason, the role of PaaS is expected to gain importance in the next five years.
The rapid popularity and easy use of cloud platforms provide great convenience to businesses. Contact us to switch to the cloud smartly taking comfort in Kartaca’s 10+ years of experience.
Sources:
https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/saas-10-faqs-software-service/https://www.techtarget.com/searchcloudcomputing/definition/Platform-as-a-Service-PaaS
IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS Enter the Ecommerce Vernacular: What You Need to Know, Examples & More
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/difference-between-iaas-paas-and-saas/
https://www.ticimax.com/blog/saas-software-as-a-service-nedir-ornekleri-nelerdir
https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/paas
https://www.gartner.com/en/information-technology/glossary/infrastructure-as-a-service-iaas
Author: İpek Mangtay
Published on: Apr 22, 2022
