How is Cloud Computing different from 'Software as a Service' model?
Answers (9)
Very simply said, Cloud Computing is a new way or a new business model of how infrastructure (Haas/Iaas) and higher level services (PaaS and SaaS) are delivered. It is a rather 'broad' term and covers a very wide specturm of services. As regards to SaaS, this is just ONE area that Cloud Computing enables and often powers.
It has to be noted though that there are still vendors out there that deliver SaaS (we used to call it ASP a few years back) that is NOT based on a Cloud Computing platform.
My 2c's.
Cloud computing allows you to deploy your own software (either home grown or purchased) and run it in the cloud. You also manage the application (performance, access , security ) and you maintain the software install (patches, upgrades etc).
With SaaS you rent a finished product , ie the software application service and typically you have no responsibility for maintenance of any type. Its also a pay by use model and typically charged on per user per month basis .
Mike K
CTO/ChiefArchitect at MDot
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Cloud Computing is computing off-premise or in other words, on other peoples infrastructure. There are several different types of computing within the cloud. There is software as a service (SaaS) where you use applications or services provided externally and hosted externally like Salesforce.com, GMail, Mapquest, etc. Platform as a Service (PaaS) is the combination of infrastructure and a proprietary development platform to build and launch applications/services from. Examples of this are Google Apps Engine (Python), Microsoft's Azure (.Net), Force.com(Appexchange), etc. Then there is Infrastructure as a Platform (IaaS). This is infrastructure in the cloud with no restrictions of the platform. Amazon's is the leader is this space with EC2( computing power) and S3 (disk storage).
I attached two links. The 2nd is a presentation on Slideshare. Slides 30-35 clearly show the difference between these terms.
Hope this helps.
Links:
- http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/madgreek/the-future-is-in-the-clouds-25369
- http://www.slideshare.net/madgreek65/agile-architecture-presentation
Clarification added 7 months ago:
I wrote this blog post tonight to help clarify the terms since there is so many people asking questions about it,
http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/madgreek/cloud-computing-demystifying-the-terminology-28748
It helps to distinguish between cloud computing and cloud services. Cloud computing is a form of utility computing. It represents the storage, servers and network resources to deliver a cloud service. Cloud services are a special form of SaaS. Cloud services the automated processes developed internally or externally and used by the business community outside of the cloud. So, if a SaaS company deploys a software service it could choose to deploy one customer per instance via a utility computing model or it could choose to deploy many customers per instance via a cloud computing model.
Links:
These were all good discriptions of the disparate models and artifacts. The essential question really boils down to your perspective for the question. There is an actionable difference depending upon whether you are a *consumer* of compute services or a *provider* of compute services. As a consumer of SaaS or Cloud Services it only boils down to defining what you need and understanding what you'll be charged, not too much different than choosing between cellular providers. If you want to provide SaaS, or Cloud, your economics have to include the disparate infrastructure costs required to make each happen, the talent it takes to make it happen, and understanding in your ROI the revenue streams you expect them to generate. This, of course, goes down into the weeds around stack selection, hardware, the whole ecosystem.
Geoff F
"Hands-on" Software Architect and Senior Developer
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It allows salesmen to make n+1 cold calls without bugging you about SaaS like last year or ASP or SOA. I think it will also allow lawyers to defend against QOS complaints since no jury will decide for someone complaining about the performance of a cloud.
James D
President at Flatiron Solutions, Inc.
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Our company has been offering application solutions using the SaaS model for eight years. To us this means that we provide internet-hosted licensed software applications on a subscription basis. Cloud computing (to us) refers to things like internet-hosted storage (Amazon Simple Storage Service S3 for example) and other (generally non-application) web services.
Links:
Josh C
General Manager at Web Industries; Itinerant Writer; and Decent Little League Coach
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Hi Rahul,
"Cloud computing" refers to the generic ability to do work on the internet or on internet-based servers. This can also include storage of data.
SaaS refers to specific applications, such as CRM, that are offered and hosted by web-based servers and companies.
It is confusing, and these terms mean something different to everyone.
Josh.
Santosh Kumar R
Infrastructure Architect, ABInBev / Consultant Global Consulting Practice, TCS
To add another perspective: I simply see it this way:
Cloud computing is an architectural term - referring to the implementation of an IT solution on an infrastructure cloud of shared IT resources.
SaaS: Software as a service is a revenue model, where an IT solution or software is sold as a utility service with its own measurement methodology.
