In today’s digital landscape, cloud computing has become a cornerstone for development efforts across various applications, including the burgeoning Internet of Things (IoT). Instead of relying on traditional on-premise infrastructure, cloud computing offers access to a vast array of hardware, software, databases, and applications directly from the “cloud.” While hybrid cloud solutions exist, the core principle revolves around accessing resources remotely, fundamentally changing how applications are built and deployed.
There are three primary models of cloud computing: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). To understand the benefits of the cloud, let’s first consider the traditional approach to on-premise application development.
Historically, setting up an application development environment involved procuring and managing servers, storage, and the networks to connect them. Teams required virtualization of servers for independent work and virtual machines (VMs) for actual application development. For companies managing this infrastructure locally, a dedicated team of experts was necessary for installation, updates, maintenance, growth planning, and even the physical real estate to house it all. This substantial investment in both resources and personnel often proved to be very expensive.
As a more cost-effective and scalable alternative, many companies are turning to Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) for their storage needs. Providers like IBM offer IaaS solutions where companies can utilize storage, servers, and networks for their data and even host their VMs and applications on infrastructure managed remotely by the service provider.
However, while IaaS offloads the management of the underlying infrastructure, users still retain responsibility for managing everything related to virtualization. This includes managing the VMs, selecting the operating system and software, handling patches and licensing, and of course, developing the application, managing instances, brokers, and other components. This level of management can still be complex and costly, potentially diverting resources from the core innovation process of developing the applications themselves.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) offers a significant step forward. With PaaS, the service provider offers a complete development environment that they manage. Developers are provided with a ready-to-use platform on which they can build and deploy their applications. PaaS simplifies the deployment and hosting process, abstracting away complexities like load balancing between application instances. Developers can then focus primarily on the application’s logic, its development, and data management. IBM Bluemix is a prime example of a Platform as a Service offering, providing a comprehensive environment for development and deployment.
Finally, Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers ready-to-use applications to end-users. Examples include email applications, IBM Bluemix developer services, and Citrix GoToMeeting. These services are readily accessible to companies, each offering distinct advantages and disadvantages.
While managing everything on-premise offers the greatest degree of customization and control, leveraging cloud services provides a faster time to value and greater control over operational expenditure. By abstracting away the complexities of infrastructure management and providing scalable, on-demand resources, cloud computing empowers development teams to focus on innovation, ultimately driving efficiency and accelerating the delivery of valuable applications.
