XaaS

"XaaS" is an acronym for "Anything as a Service". These service based models represent a shift in how software is delivered and consumed.

We will look at a few examples of XaaS in this module.

The Cloud

The cloud is a model for delivering computing services over the Internet.

SaaS (Software as a Service)

What is SaaS?

Software as a Service is a model where software is delivered to the user as a service.

In the past:

Perpetual vs Subscription Software Licenses

Perpetual licenses are purchased for a fixed price and the software is owned by the user.

Subscription licenses are purchased on a recurring basis and the software is not owned by the user. Examples may include annual or monthly subscriptions.

Pay-as-you-go licenses are another option and are purchased on a usage basis.

With SaaS:

Who uses SaaS?

SaaS Examples

Thin vs Thick Client

Many software vendors offer two versions of their software:

A couple of examples include Microsoft Office and Spotify.

SaaS can refer to either thin or thick clients.

Critical Thinking Exercise:

For the two examples above, why might a user choose one (thin or thick) over the other? Consider:

PaaS (Platform as a Service)

What is PaaS?

From Google: What is PaaS?:

Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a complete cloud environment that includes everything developers need to build, run, and manage applications—from servers and operating systems to all the networking, storage, middleware, tools, and more.

From Microsoft: What is PaaS?:

Platform as a service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model that provides developers with a platform to build, deploy, and manage applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. It allows developers to focus on writing code, while the cloud provider handles the infrastructure, maintenance, and scalability.

PaaS includes everything needed for application development, including operating systems, runtime environments, databases, development tools, middleware, and hosting and scaling capabilities.

With Paas:

Who uses PaaS and what for?

Development Teams:

Operations Teams:

PaaS is designed for technical professionals, not end-users of software applications.

With PaaS, users don't typically "log in" to a machine. Instead, they use the platform to build, test, and deploy their applications automatically.

PaaS Examples

The "big three" cloud providers offer PaaS:

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)

What is IaaS?

From Google: What is IaaS?:

IaaS, or Infrastructure as a Service, is a cloud computing model that provides on-demand access to computing resources such as servers, storage, networking, and virtualization.

From Microsoft: What is IaaS?:

IaaS is a cloud computing model that delivers on-demand servers, storage, and networking, allowing businesses to rent resources, scale flexibly, and reduce hardware costs.

With IaaS you can rent:

Main benefits are:

Where is my data stored?

As with all XaaS models, the user doesn't know or need to know anything about the underlying infrastructure.

The cloud provider may have many data centers around the world, and abstracts the user from the physical location and hardware of the infrastructure.

A better question would be: "Who currently has ownership of my data?"

IaaS Examples

Case Study: AWS

Amazon has invested heavily in Internet and data hosting infrastructure. Let's take a closer look:

Watch the video below. As you are watching:

Remote students - if you want to mute and watch on your local computer while we watch here you can do so, but you must watch it right now while we watch it here.