Cloud computing

More than just an industry buzzword, cloud computing offers businesses a chance to reduce costs, optimise resources and become more responsive to their users and customers. In the simplest terms, cloud computing describes a situation where computing resources are virtualised and accessed as a service on Internet. These computing resources are typically either software, platform or infrastructure.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

SaaS means you can rent software from a service provider rather than buying it yourself. The software is hosted on centralised network servers and made available over the web. SaaS can deliver a single application through the browser to thousands of customers. For customers, it means no upfront investment in servers or software licensing. For providers, with just one app to maintain, costs are low compared to conventional hosting. Well-known examples of SaaS applications include Salesforce.com and Google Apps.

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

PaaS offers an application development platform. Developers can write their own applications and the PaaS provider delivers them to users via the Internet. PaaS provides services to develop, test, deploy, host and maintain applications in the same integrated development environment. The PaaS provider manages upgrades, patches and other routine system maintenance. It's based on a subscription model so users only pay for what they use.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

If you've already written a lot of code or have a software package you want to install and run in the cloud, IaaS is for you. Operating on a pay-as-you-go model so users only pay for what they use, IaaS is the delivery of the computing infrastructure as a fully outsourced service. IaaS providers, like Amazon.com and Google, can offer almost unlimited instances of servers to customers. And IaaS users can enjoy access to enterprise-grade IT infrastructure and resources that would otherwise by very costly.