Cloud Computing: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

An Internet Connection and the Necessity of Cloud Computing

An internet connection is required to reach a cloud, which is a virtual location (Yu, Cao & Schniederjans, 2017). Organizations must invest time and money to scale up their IT infrastructure, including hardware, software, and services, in order to satisfy the always changing business needs. On-premises IT infrastructure, however, may be hard to scale and usually prevents enterprises from using their IT infrastructure to its full potential. Because it offers computation through the internet, cloud computing represents a paradigm change. A cloud computing service is made up of virtual data centers that have been highly optimized and offer a variety of software, hardware, and information resources for usage as needed. Companies can simply connect to the cloud and use the available resources on a paper-use basis. This helps companies avoid capital expenditure on additional on-premises infrastructure resources (Ecourse Review, 2017).

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

The “Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS),” is the cloud computing model that allows the client to run software without purchasing servers, data center space, or network equipment. IaaS and PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) are different in that IaaS model gives the organization the infrastructure components for instance computing power and storage capacity. In this case, the company controls the IT infrastructure, which includes the hosting environment and the applications. However, the company needs to acquire new staff to maintain and manage the infrastructure. The PaaS model provides firms with a runtime environment to create and deploy applications. Thus, organizations are only responsible with the development, maintenance, and management of the applications. Microsoft recommends remote desktops and virtual machines to Microsoft Windows Azure as IaaS and PaaS offerings (Ecourse Review, 2017).

Implementation of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

The two implementations available for SaaS include the “Proof-of Concept” and the “Best-of-Breed.” The first approach is simple and the approach is applicable to processes that are new to the company. The second one is the rapid deployment of the entire system in the organization so it saves on costs and time (Copithorne, 2015).

References

Copithorne, K.(2015, June 3). Choosing the Right Implementation Approach for SaaS.Hrizons. Retrieved from https://hrizons.com/choosing-the-right-implementation-approach-for-saas/

Ecourse Review (2017 April 5). Cloud Computing Services Models - IaaS PaaS SaaS Explained. video retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36zducUX16w

Yu, Y., Cao, R. Q., & Schniederjans, D. (2017). Cloud computing and its impact on service level: a multi-agent simulation model. International Journal of Production Research, 55(15), 4341-4353.