What are the different layers of cloud computing?

In this article, you will learn about-

- Layers of cloud based on service

- Cloud layers based on demand

- Table summarizing all the layers

The cloud technology has been gaining great momentum. There are a series of layers that are interconnected and exist based on the previous layers. Cloud computing has three different service layers that are offered as services. These are:

- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): The first is the infrastructure layer that is developed on the virtualization technology where the service providers offer virtual machines as a service to the end-users. It allows the IaaS customers to create and discard virtual machines and networks as per their business requirements. They pay for the services they consumed. IaaS removes the necessity for the consumer to invest on procuring and operating physical servers, data storage systems and other networking resources.

- Platform as a Service (PaaS): PaaS is the second layer. Here the customers do not manage the virtual servers but rather create the applications within the programming language. They host the programs on the platform services which they pay for. The management and maintenance of the operating systems and other hardware are done by the providers.

- Software as a Service (SaaS): Applications that do not need to be installed come under this layer. CRMs, email and other office applications come under SaaS. Some services are free while some are billed monthly or per usage.

In addition, there is the hardware and virtualization layers that are owned and managed by the cloud hosting providers and the Client layer which is the end user's hardware on which the services are delivered.

What is the demand of the market?

Though there are numerous advantages associated with all the three layers of cloud computing i.e. SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS, the market does not demand them equally. According to some of the previously collected data, IaaS shows the fastest market growth. But when the infrastructure layer in cloud computing is compared in terms of users of SaaS and PaaS, users of IaaS found to be happier and satisfied with its services. IaaS alone is expected to reach $ 72.4 billion worldwide by 2020.

Although they all come with different sets of advantages what specific features and functionalities your company requires that should be the priority. As some of the businesses require cloud-based software for storage or a smooth platform that allows you to create customized applications or simply you want complete control without physically managing it. So it would be best to first get to know about the layers of cloud computing properly as selecting one of them is quite a challenging task.

Summarizing Table -

Infrastructure	Bottom-most layer	Service dealing in infrastructure is called IaaS	IaaS is deployed by enterprises that need their own cloud deployment
Platform	Third layer	Cloud platform is dealt with in a service called PaaS	Deployed by software developers who are not concerned with underlying infra and only need the platform
Software	Second layers	Software as a service deployed in the cloud is called SaaS	Web-based applications that are designed to work regardless of the
BPO	Top layer	The same as SaaS.	Some applications are further inherited from cloud software and comprise the business process outsourcing (BPO) layer of cloud computing.

Which one is for you?

Each of the layers of cloud computing is gaining importance in the market of cloud services. There is no organization left that might be working on a non-cloud deployment. Development in the cloud computing layers contributes a lot to this success but also leads to confusion to choose which one out of them. Each of the cloud layers is unique in its way and can be differentiated once known properly.

What are the different layers of cloud computing? Is a question that is of the past. Now it�s time to know the one which is suitable for your business.

So if you are looking out for a model that can allow your software to be accessed over the internet through third parties. Whereas PaaS provides all those tools and platforms which are available on the internet. Last but not least of the layers in cloud computing i.e. IaaS offers you the cloud services for storing payments, networking, and for virtualization.

You don�t need to own an IaaS but one can anytime upgrade it and change its specifications. But PaaS is like a model wherein you need not take care of the upgrades or any other details. On the other hand, SaaS has its pre-defined way of working but also takes care of the changing demands and upcoming technologies.

CloudOYE is a leading cloud computing solutions on Cloud Server Hosting & Dedicated Servers Hosting. Call our technical experts at +91-120-6025102 or mail us at sales@cloudoye.com.

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