What is cloud computing? Simply put, cloud computing is the delivery of applications, platforms, data storage, operating systems, and other computing resources over the Internet instead of over on-premise infrastructure.

With cloud, companies don’t need to make large upfront investments in hardware or IT staff. Instead, they can subscribe to the computing resources they need, access them almost instantly, and only pay for what they use.

Benefits of cloud computing

Elasticity

 Scale up or down quickly to meet fluctuating workload requirements

Affordability

Only pay for what you use, and minimize hardware and IT costs

Availability 

Get 24/7 cloud system access from anywhere, on any device

Security 

Improve compliance, protect data, and mitigate risk with continuous security updates

Innovation 

Rapidly adopt new technologies to innovate faster while simplifying IT’s role

Agility 

Set-up and react quickly to changing market conditions and business needs

Types of cloud computing services

Cloud computing is divided into three main service categories: SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS. Some providers combine these services – and others offer them independent of each other.

What is SaaS?

With SaaS (software-as-a-service), software is hosted on a remote server and customers can access it anytime, anywhere, from a Web browser or API. The SaaS provider takes care of backups, maintenance, and updates.

What is PaaS?

Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) is a cloud-based, application development environment that provides developers with everything they need to build and deploy apps. With PaaS, developers can choose the features and cloud services they want on a subscription or pay-per-use basis.

What is IaaS?

Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) lets companies “rent” computing resources such as servers, networks, storage, and operating systems on a pay-per-use basis. The infrastructure scales – and customers don’t have to invest in the hardware.

IaaS vs. PaaS vs. SaaS

Compare SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS and find out what you can expect from each “as-a-service” model. Most companies now use a mix of the three – and the lines between them can sometimes blur.