WHAT’S NEW IN THE “AS – A – SERVICE” MOVEMENT?

As the ERP industry changes and evolves, so do the terms surrounding the technology. The latest acronyms that have been adapted to the cloud world are SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS. To better understand each platform and its nuances and benefits, we have broken them down by category. 

Before we discuss each acronym, here is the basic background on what As – A – Service movement looks like. 

What is aaS?

As – A – Service or aaS refers to something being presented to a customer, either internal or external or as a service. This acronym is used in the cloud industry.  The As A Service model is designed as a subscription based technology that reduces cost, enhances scalability and gives access to the newest technologies. These benefits are all maintained by the As A Service provider. The three most popular platforms for “As A Service” are SaaS, PaaS, IaaS and are explained below. 

Different As – A – Service  models

Software – as – a – Service (SaaS) 

 SaaS stands for “Software as a Service.” This “as a service movement” is where you pay a monthly or yearly subscription fee for a product that updates, maintains and monitors itself without you needing to touch it.  This model requires an internet connection and a web browser. 

Benefits of SaaS

• Access anywhere, any time: SaaS users are able to access their data from any device or location.
• Scalability: The SaaS provider can add more database space or more power as usage increases. Since the software is hosted externally, changing usage plans is easy and can be done quickly.
• Cost Savings: SaaS reduces internal IT costs. Since the provider maintains the servers and infrastructure that support the application, the only cost to the business is the subscription cost

Platform – as – a – Service (PaaS)

PaaS or Platform – as – a – Service is a complete development and deployment environment in the cloud, with resources that enable you to deliver everything from simple cloud-based apps to sophisticated, cloud-enabled enterprise applications. The provider hosts the hardware and software on its own infrastructure. This service is on a pay-as-you-go basis and is accessed through an internet connection. 

Benefits of PaaS 

• Time-Efficient: PaaS delivers instant access to a complete software development environment and tools which can cut the time it takes to code
• Cost Efficient: Since PaaS is a pay-as-you-go model, it allows its users to use sophisticated development software and business intelligence that they could not afford to purchase directly. 
• Software Maintenance: The PaaS platform vendor manages all updates for the hardware and software and also provides physical and software security for the automation of day-to-day tasks

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) 

IaaS or Infrastructure as a Service is a form of cloud computing that provides virtualized computing resources over the internet (TechTarget). IaaS provides data centers, the servers, storage and networking to a customer. Then, the customer decides how much resource it will require and then orders it based on need. It also includes the management of the actual infrastructure and other services like IP address, network connections, billing management and access management. Giving all this access will allow the users to install operating systems, assemble storage and install workloads as need be. When it comes to payment, IaaS is usually charged as a pay-as-you go either as an hourly, weekly or monthly subscription fee.  

Benefits of IaaS

• Security: IaaS CSPs make significant investments in their IT security operations to ensure that the data they manage is safe and secure. 
• Flexible and Scalable: Having IaaS can allow your business to scale up and down on an as-needed basis. As your business expands, you won’t need to repeatedly invest in extra infrastructure. IaaS promotes business growth.
• Increased Performance: With IaaS, your infrastructure is provided and supported by the IaaS provider of your choosing, A cloud provider typically has a more reliable and robust infrastructure set-up than what would be financially realistic in an office environment. You can save your business the upfront costs associated with purchasing, maintaining, and operating hardware, which decreases IT spend. 

Consider the As A Service movement as the future of the ERP industry, As technology evolves so does the way it is stored. This short breakdown is only the beginning of the digital transformation ERP has gone through. Are you ready to make the move to ERP? Contact us today at 856-335-1010 or email at info@4acc.com!