What is a PaaS model in cloud computing?
Are you wondering what is the PaaS model in cloud computing (Platform-as-a-Service) and whether it’s the right option for your organisation? It’s a good question — choosing the wrong model is often the reason behind failed Cloud deployments.
In this article, we’ll go over how PaaS works and how it differs from other models for Cloud computing. More importantly, we’ll look at the specific pros and cons that you can expect when choosing PaaS for cloud migration. Only then can you decide whether or not PaaS is the right fit for your organisation.
What is a PaaS model in Cloud Computing: How It Works
Businesses that use the PaaS model in cloud computing are essentially leasing access to hardware and software from a third-party vendor through the Internet. Unlike other cloud computing models, PaaS resources are primarily used by developers for creating and managing applications.
When switching to PaaS model in cloud computing, businesses swap or forgo a physical IT infrastructure to a cloud-based one usually for software development. The PaaS vendor hosts all the necessary hardware and software on their end. This spares the organisation using their service from having to deal with the capital expense of acquiring on-premise software and hardware.
Right off the bat, we can identify the following advantages:
- Significant cost savings; In most cases, organisations need only pay for the computing resources offered by the cloud vendor on a per-use basis.
- Tools and resources in a PaaS model are mainly geared towards app development. This includes code compiling and app testing systems that enable businesses to launch new software faster and more effectively.
- PaaS provides a shared and safe environment where developers can work on projects together regardless of their actual location.
Of course, the PaaS model has its share of downsides which include the following:
- Developers solely rely on their PaaS vendor to get anything done. This means that in the event of an outage, the disruption and loss of productivity can be significant. For this reason, it is essential to choose a vendor with near-perfect uptimes.
- Vendor lock-ins can be a nightmare for businesses looking to transfer all of their data and services from one PaaS vendor to another. Hence, it’s a good idea to carefully review the terms of a lock-in before signing off on a particular vendor.
- Organisations have no control over the internal changes implemented by the Paas vendor, and that can be a big problem for businesses. For example, the vendor might stop supporting a particular programming language. In this case, developers would have no choice but to follow suit undoing months (if not years) of hard work.
One of the more popular examples of vendors that offer the PaaS model in cloud computing is Amazon Web Services (AWS). As the name implies, it’s a subsidiary IT management company owned by Amazon that offers on-demand cloud computing on a per-usage basis.
Conclusion
So there you have it — what you need to know about choosing PaaS as a cloud computing model for your organisation. As you may have already realised, it’s an efficient and cost-effective solution, particularly for organisations that have a strong focus on app/software development.
More reading on other cloud computing models:
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