Traditional Platform-as-a-Service, abbreviated PaaS, is a cloud-based service, which makes tools and resources available to users of a platform, which are required for the development of web-based apps and business applications. This provides application developers with a comprehensive development and runtime environment, in which they are able to develop and run new web-based applications. PaaS providers therefore make the required resources available to their customers, such as server, operating systems and networks as well as required development tools, middleware and libraries. Overall, it works like the conventional infrastructure on site, without the users having to look after installation or administration of the platform.
Advantages and Disadvantages of traditional Platform-as-a-Service Offers
With Platform-as-a-Service, users receive a comprehensive care-free service to completely focus their cognitive resources on projects. The service provider takes over installation, maintenance and care of infrastructure and software. Even back-up functions and security updates are carried out by the providers. This means for customers: No more investment in hardware, software and maintenance for the platform required, but the development environment as well as the infrastructure are continuously kept up-to-date.
Another advantage of Platform-as-a-Service compared with a local infrastructure is usage dependent payment. With a PaaS service provider such as Oracle or Microsoft, users only pay for the actually used resources. This means that when resource consumption is low, costs will also be lower. If more resources are required, these can be allocated dynamically to the customer and calculated as per actual consumption. The simple scalability of PaaS applications during operation guarantees quick adaptation to changing workloads. Often PaaS offers a tailored and cost-efficient environment.
Another advantage results from location-independent application development. Participating developers can access the data in the cloud from any location via the internet, communicate with each other and subsequently accelerate the development process within the team. The generally high time costs for code programming can be drastically reduced with development tools available with Platform-as-a-Service.
The absent configuration options of the development environment by users has, in general, been seen as a disadvantage. Usually, developers are not able to configure platforms individually or implement own features and therefore an adjustment process is often essential. Many consider it a disadvantage that PaaS always belongs to the service provider. Users face major problems when service providers discontinue their service unexpectedly or change usage. Therefore, it is very important when selecting a PaaS service to not only consider cost effectiveness, but also the reputation of the provider.
Platform-as-a-Service – Types
Application PaaS: Application PaaS (abbreviated aPaaS) describes the provision of a cloud environment on which business applications can be developed and operated.
Integration and Governance PaaS (iPaaS): iPaaS is a cloud environment, which serves as an intermediary between heterogenous cloud-based applications through interoperability, integration and governance.
Add-on development environments: so-called add-on development environments offer developers the opportunity to access existing Software-as-a-Service applications via an API and to tailor the SaaS application.
PaaS as pure application deployment: Most of the PaaS offers are limited to the provision of a scalable platform for the operation of applications. The only condition for use is an HTML5-supported browser.
Platform-as-a-Service – newly defined by oneclick: PaaS for SaaS
PaaS for Software-as-a-Service: The provider oneclick has established another solution in the market. With the solution offered by oneclick, users and businesses receive a PaaS by which Software-as-a-Service is made available. With the Multi-Stream-View, the provider creates a work-efficient view of several streams in one website, which facilitates barrier-free virtual working on all end devices and operating systems. On-premise and cloud-based applications as SaaS can be provided through oneclick. The deployment is 100% web-based.
IaaS, PaaS and SaaS – what are the Differences?
In connection with Platform-as-a-Service, the terms IaaS and SaaS are also mentioned. The abbreviation IaaS stands for Infrastructure-as-a-Service. An IaaS service provider makes IT resources available for their customers, such as computing power, memory and network capacities, which are located in the buildings of the service provider. The components of the infrastructure can, or generally have to be, put together by the users themselves. Platform-as-a-Service builds on IaaS. SaaS even goes one step further. SaaS stands for Software-as-a-Service. To a certain extent, SaaS is the third pillar of cloud services. Here applications and apps are hosted and provided for the users.
Provider oneclick offers users a scalable workspace for maximum application delivery based on a streaming platform for cloud-based applications. Through the platform, Software-as-a-Service can be used to enable location-independent availability of the virtual workspace with considerably reduced time and administration costs.
As a pioneer, oneclick continuously analyses the needs and wishes of their users to adapt the modern workplace to the growing requirements of digitalisation regarding performance, current trends as well as market demands and efficiency. The solution enjoys increasing popularity on business trips or in the home office, for example, and presents itself also in SMEs as future-oriented to enable a new prioritisation of software projects.
Data Analysis and Data Mining
The implementation of tools, such as analytics or business intelligence, with which developers can analyse data and execute data mining, is made available by providers. The knowledge gained from this serves businesses and developers to help make decisions regarding new products, process optimisation and can also make a substantial contribution to increase the yield of a business.
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