Cloud Service Model – Basics of Google Cloud Platform

by Ali Axelrod Exams of Google Cloud, Google Cloud Certification Exams, Kubernetes Configuration, New Project Creation, Reintroducing Terraform

The cloud platform offers a variety of services, all of which may be roughly placed into one of three distinct categories:

  • Infrastructure as a service (IAAS)
  • Platform as a service (PAAS)
  • Software as a service (SAAS)

The difference between cloud service models is illustrated in the Figure 1.9

Figure 1.9: Cloud Service Model

Let us imagine we are working on an application and hosting it at the same time on a server that is located on our premises. In this particular circumstance, it is our obligation to own and maintain the appropriate infrastructure, as well as the appropriate platforms, and of course, our application.

  • Infrastructure as a service: In the case of IAAS, it will be the cloud’s obligation to provide the necessary infrastructure, which may include virtual machines, networking, and storage devices. We are still responsible for ensuring that we have the appropriate platform for development and deployment. We have no other option for exercising control over the underlying infrastructure but to make use of it. One example of an infrastructure as a service provided by Google with its compute engine and Kubernetes engine.
  • Platform as a service: In the case of PAAS, the responsibility for providing the appropriate platform for development and deployment, such as an operating system and tools for the environment in which programming languages are used, lies with the cloud service provider. This responsibility exists in addition to the infrastructure responsibility to provide such things. One example of a PAAS platform is Google App Engine.
  • Software as a service: In the instance of SAAS, a cloud service provider will rent out to their customers apps that are theirs to run on their infrastructure. The maintenance of the software applications will also fall within the purview of the cloud service provider, in addition to the platform and the underlying infrastructure. These software programs are accessible to us on whatever device we choose by way of web browsers, app browsers, and so on. Email (Gmail) and cloud storage (Google Drive) are two excellent instances of SAAS.
  • Data as a service (DAAS): DAAS is a service that is now starting to gain broad use, in contrast to the three service models that were mentioned before, which have been popular for more than a decade. This is partly owing to the fact that general cloud computing services were not originally built for the management of enormous data workloads; rather, they catered to the hosting of applications and basic data storage needs (as opposed to data integration, analytics, and processing).

SaaS eliminates the need to install and administer software on a local computer. Similarly, Data-as-a-Service methodology centers on the on-demand delivery of data from a number of sources using application programming interfaces (APIs). It is intended to make data access more straightforward, and provide curated datasets or streams of data that can be consumed in a variety of forms. These formats are often unified via the use of data virtualization. In fact, a DaaS architecture may consist of a wide variety of data management technologies such as data virtualization, data services, self-service analytics.

In its most basic form, DaaS enables organizations to have access to the ever-growing quantity and sophistication of the data sources at their disposal in order to give consumers with the most relevant insights. The democratization of data is something that is absolutely necessary for every company that wants to get actual value from its data. It gives a significant potential to monetize an organization’s data and acquire a competitive edge by adopting a more data-centric approach to the operations and procedures.