SaaS vs PaaS vs IaaS: What’s the Difference?

Did you know that small to medium-sized businesses accounted for almost two-thirds of private-sector jobs? Approximately 98% of exporters in the United States are small business enterprises. How can you support your small or medium-sized business as a managed service or IT provider?

IaaS, Paas, and SaaS are three types of cloud-based applications and services. They can help transition your company business from on-site data centers and improve your flexibility and scalability.

Luckily, we have put together a complete guide that breaks each service down and helps you decide which one is right for your business, so keep reading for more information!

What is SaaS?

SaaS is one of the more popular cloud application services. It stands for ‘Software as a Service’ and acts as software delivery. This model makes applications available to consumers after being hosted remotely by a service provider.

It is more like a rental than a purchase, and a good example of this is Gmail. Many people log onto the website, but Google hosts the server.

SaaS also gives clients more control over managing their apps and tasks. Most SaaS providers tackle the nitty-gritty details such as getting the app off and running and technical issues that arise.

SaaS is perfect for businesses and IT department managers who want to take the burden off app-creation and software development. Through this software, you have ready-to-go apps for business operations, and you can think of it as the most all-inclusive package when comparing it against PaaS and IaaS.

SaaS Protection+

When vendors control your software and app-creation, you want to ensure that your data and software are protected. Datto SaaS Protection+ helps solve the many disadvantages of SaaS, which is the risk of giving up control and autonomy with development. With SaaS Protection+, you get timely back-ups, recovery of lost data, and protection against ransomware attacks.

If you have a small business, choosing SaaS Protection+ can give you peace of mind for a managed service provider to access and control clients’ data. The main difference between SaaS and on premise third-party vendors is you eliminate the need for in-house staff, and everything is wholly controlled remotely and through the cloud.

Ultimately, this reduces the cost of additional IT support and improves user flexibility.

What is PaaS?

Platform as a Service is exactly like how the name sounds. It creates a platform for your business that you can run on a cloud-based format. You can do anything from developing, managing, or running your applications on the internet.

Experts predict that PaaS will grow by almost 20% by 2026. PaaS has four main types, including:

• Computing platforms
• Web applications
• Business application
• Social applications

The only real difference between PaaS and SaaS is getting the platform delivered to you versus the software. You have the flexibility and design creativity for creating the software under PaaS. This is the right service for you if you want to take the hassle and headache out of building a platform before starting app software design ideas.

What is IaaS?

What is IaaS? The acronym stands for ‘Infrastructure as a Service‘ and it uses virtual computing resources. With IaaS, cloud computing software helps manage your business’s infrastructure and IT, including:

• Storage
• Server
• Networking resources

In return, it can make your business more accessible on the internet for consumers. IaaS also reduces the burden on staff members and IT employees, boosting efficiency, productivity, and improving cost-efficiency. You can reduce costs of on-site data center maintenance and hardware, and it gives you more flexibility in the long-term for business growth.

You can utilize a computing service provider’s cloud software to reduce your need for physical servers for quicker, more reliable, and easier operating systems and software. While PaaS and SaaS act as software, IaaS is a cloud-based computing resource.

Clients have the most flexibility and control with IaaS, while vendors will only assist with basic infrastructure. It is a great starting point for small businesses who want to switch to cloud-based software or larger companies who want the most control.

While IaaS offers the most flexibility out of the three, it also requires the most upkeep, maintenance, and security by the client.

SaaS vs PaaS vs IaaS

You may wonder which of the three cloud services you need for your business. SaaS is ideal if you want everything covered and aren’t too picky about customization. If you need something customized that is not compatible with the software, you will likely have to negotiate a price and solution with the vendor.

For that reason – you should test any solutions before deciding on a vendor. When you don’t want an external provider to manage everything, you can choose between PaaS and IaaS.

PaaS is ideal for companies who want creative flexibility with developing software. When all you need is a vendor to install and maintain a platform, you might be better with PaaS.

IaaS is the bare bones of the three and only provides the most basic infrastructure. If you have a strong and creative IT department, IaaS could be a great solution for your company, and it provides flexibility on how customers pay for storage capacities.

Small To Medium-Sized Businesses

For small to medium-sized businesses, you may not have the IT strength for the flexibility of IaaS. Technology providers can help a managed service provider (MSP) with applications, networks, data security, and more.

They can also set your small or medium-sized business up with business continuity and disaster recovery plans. You can improve your revenue and reduce tech costs by opting for cloud-based technology service providers for your business.

Helping your business grow

Try Datto SaaS Protection for free. Start your 14-day trial today.

At Datto, we help your business grow with various products for IT MSPs. Choosing an IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS is made simpler through a reliable vendor who can help your business grow and provide you with the ultimate data protection.

Datto helps business growth through managing networks, simplifying operations, and backing up or restoring lost data. Everything is cloud-managed with 24/7 technical support.

What are you waiting for? Start expanding your business by checking out our website today!