Software as a Service Explained

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When learning about cloud computing, there are a few important terms to remember. These include Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service. First, let's talk about information technology or IT. Its infrastructure can be likened to a vehicle. When you buy a vehicle, you're responsible for its maintenance and you can buy a new one if you wish to upgrade. Infrastructure as a Service is like leasing a car. When you lease a car, you choose the car you want and drive it wherever you wish to, but the car isn't yours. Want an upgrade? Just lease a different car! Infrastructure as a Service offers organizations the use of a basic computing platform. In other words, it is a virtual data centre that generally includes the following features: Website or application hosting: You can run your website or application with the help of Infrastructure as a Service. Virtual data centres: Infrastructure as a Service is the best solution for building virtual data centres for large-scale enterprises that need an effective, scalable, and safe server environment to store data. Data analysis: Analyzing huge amounts of data requires incredible computing power; Infrastructure as a Service is the most economical way to get it. Infrastructure as a Service provides major advantages, such as no need to buy hardware infrastructure. Vendors provide and maintain hardware infrastructure: servers, storage, and networking resources. This means that organizations don't need to invest in expensive hardware. It's scalable, reliable and secure. Although all cloud-based solutions are scalable, this is particularly true of Infrastructure as a Service, as additional resources are available in case of higher demand. Apps can also be scaled down if demand is low. Vendors need to provide infrastructure that ensures the security of their cloud service. Major Infrastructure as a Service providers used by the Government of Canada include the following: Amazon Web Services, Google Compute Engine, IBM Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Oracle, Salesforce, ServiceNow and ThinkOn. In our government context, who does what in Infrastructure as a Service? The government manages hosted applications, development and management tools, and the operating system. The vendor or cloud service provider manages servers and storage, networking resources, and the data centre. Platform as a Service is like taking a taxi. You don't drive the taxi yourself, but simply tell the driver where you need to go and relax in the back seat. Platform as a Service precludes the need to manage the underlying infrastructure, usually hardware and operating systems, and allows you to focus on the deployment and management of applications. Platform as a Service examples used in the Government of Canada include Salesforce and Google App Engine. As cloud providers are adding new features, the differences between Platform as a Service and Software as a Service are becoming increasingly blurred. Who does what in Platform as a Service in government? The government manages hosted applications. The vendor or cloud service provider manages development and management tools, the operating system, servers and storage, networking resources, and the data centre. Software as a Service is like traveling by bus. Buses have assigned routes, and you share the ride with other passengers. Software as a Service is also known as "software on demand" and provides you with a completed product that is run and managed by the service provider. You don't have to think about how the service is maintained or how the underlying infrastructure is managed, but only about how you will use the software. Software as a Service is a subscription service, making it more affordable than purchasing licenses. And it's usually fast, with the application ready to go as soon as you get your login and password. However, buyer beware! It is important to know the boundaries, protocol, and who to talk to before signing up for any Software as a Service. For example, your Software as a Service may require Infrastructure as a Service, and some may be a security risk. Email services like Gmail are a familiar example of Software as a Service. Microsoft 365 is one example that is being implemented across the Government of Canada. Who does what in the Software as a Service in our government context? The government (which might mean you as an individual employee) manages software setup, including user IDs, passwords and access control. The vendor or cloud service provider manages hosted applications, development and management tools, the operating system, servers and storage, and networking resources. Let's summarize. In all service models, the management of where you want to go is your responsibility. You plan your route and stop or get on and get off as you please. So before planning your "as a service" trip, be sure to know your destination and map out how you want to get there. One final note. If the vehicle analogy doesn't work for you, take a few minutes to search online for an analogy that resonates. Pizza as a Service is a popular one but be forewarned that it just might make you hungry!