Often, when an enterprise initially embraces the cloud, they start off small. However, as they recognize the benefits of a cloud environment and get more comfortable using it, they go up the chain.
The starting point for most of the businesses is infrastructure as a service(IaaS). But IaaS isn't all the cloud has to offer; to understand what possibilities really exist, it's important to know what's available.
There are two general categories of cloud services: cloud platform and cloud application.
Cloud Platform
The focus of cloud platform is based more on software for application development and hardware that optimizes IT resources. It is deployed by IaaS and platform as a service (PaaS).
With IaaS, an enterprise can rapidly build their IT infrastructure. It provides a flexible way to provision computing resources, like networks, storage, and processing. It can also include the maintenance costs for applications and any operating systems.
PaaS, on the other hand, is more focused on the development side, creating an environment in which the enterprise can use platforms, programming languages, and other tools for developing and managing their applications. This can include such things as testing, services for team collaboration, and application design.
Cloud Application
While cloud platform is comprised of IaaS and PaaS, cloud application is software as a service (SaaS) combined with business practices as a service (BPaaS). This allows for a multitenant software and business process delivery.
Enterprises using SaaS can use applications such as monitoring, collaboration, and customer relations management without having to go through a configuration process or install. Furthermore, the enterprise can see a leverage economy of scale due to the fact that SaaS is generally employed using a multitenant environment.
BPaaS further increases an enterprise's cloud ability, allowing customers to use a web interface to interact with services or business outcomes. Often, this is used for human resources interaction and payroll processing.
By using SaaS or BPaaS, enterprises often find they can not only improve their efficiency and process but also reduce their overall operational cost.
The whole point of moving to the cloud is to be able to deliver the IT solutions a business needs in a dynamic and agile fashion. Using shared infrastructures and multitenant environments can drastically increase efficiency, reducing costs and providing better service without requiring as much maintenance.
Because using IaaS doesn't give an enterprise all the benefits of the cloud, they should take a moment to look and see if they're getting all the advantage of SaaS with their current system. If not, they should assess whether or not their cloud is large enough to support it.
Taking the next step and moving up the cloud chain can make a big difference, improving business overall.