You may have heard of Platform as a Service (PaaS), but you’re unsure what it is or how it can help your enterprise.
PaaS is a way for businesses to outsource their computing needs to focus on their core business.
Enterprise platform as a service means using Platform as a Service (PaaS) in enterprises.
This blog post provides details on Enterprise Platform as a Service and elaborates on how PaaS is used in enterprises.
What is Enterprise Platform as a Service?
First, let us understand PaaS.
What is PaaS?
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud computing service that enables customers to run, develop, and manage applications without worrying about building and maintaining their infrastructure typically associated with developing and launching an app.
Enterprise Platform as a Service is a complete platform that allows enterprise developers to create and deploy applications in the cloud. PaaS provides all the tools and resources required to build, test, and deploy enterprise applications, including the ability to scale those applications as needed.
PaaS is an excellent way for enterprises to outsource their application development needs. By using PaaS, enterprises can deploy applications quickly and easily.
Businesses can avoid the cost and complexity of owning and managing their servers and software. As a result, they can save time and money while also benefitting from the scalability and reliability of the cloud.
PaaS usually contains diverse application software infrastructure abilities, including integration platforms, application platforms, business analytics platforms, event streaming services, and mobile back-end services.
It also contains a set of management, monitoring, and deployment capabilities. It balances both developers and operation teams.
PaaS Examples
Cloud providers typically offer an enterprise platform as a service solution, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure.
Components of PaaS
PaaS contains the following components.
- Development Tools – These tools help software engineers to develop, deploy and debug the code.
- Middleware – It is hidden software that helps clients interact with the software. For example, software that understands the input the end-user gives with the mouse or keyboard clicks.
- Operating systems – All types of operating systems that developers must work on.
- Infrastructure – It includes servers and storage
- Database – developers can create and maintain the databases provided by PaaS.
PaaS providers manage all these components on behalf of their enterprise customers. This way, enterprises do not need to invest in building their development, testing, and deployment infrastructure.
Basic Cloud Service Models
Cloud computing must fulfill five crucial elements. They are
- On-demand service
- Access network
- Resource pooling
- Elasticity
- Measured services
Cloud computing offers three Basic service models to attain these elements or features. They are
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Things that have a major impact on PaaS adoption
Things that have a major impact on PaaS adoption are
- Cutting of Capex and Opex to deliver business services
- Decreasing IT costs by enhancing the delivery time and quality of the application development and delivery
- Improving the flexibility and integration between middleware components
Variations of PaaS
Simple PaaS
It is the begging point of PaaS that allows the furnishing of application services and automates the deployment.
Manage PaaS
It maintains the SLA QoS aspects of the furnished applications like resiliency, security, etc.
Programming PaaS
It integrates applications with external applications or public clouds.
Process-oriented PaaS
It enables the implementation of the DevOps process by designing a continuous delivery flow.
Apart from these, some other variations are
iPaaS
Integration Platform as a Service is a cloud computing service that develops, executes, and governs the integration flows by connecting on-premises and cloud-based processes, services, and applications across enterprises or multiple enterprises. MuleSoft CloudHub and BizTalk are examples.
mPaaS
Mobile Platform as a Service is a service of the interactive development environment (IDE) for designing mobile apps. It enables enterprises to work on multiple mobile operating platforms.
dbPaaS
Database Platform as a Service is a secure self-service database platform. It automates the administration and provisioning of databases.
IoT PaaS
It offers the usual infrastructure to enable communication, security, analytics, and management for heterogeneous IoT topologies.
bpmPaaS
Business process management PaaS is a pre-integrated BPM platform hosted in the cloud and delivered as a service.
Key Features of PaaS
Some key features of PaaS include
Rapid Application Development (RAD) Tools
PaaS has a suite of tools allowing you to develop and deploy applications quickly. That can include application frameworks, code libraries, and database management systems.
Integration Options
Most PaaS providers offer a wide range of integration options, which allows your applications to connect easily with other enterprise systems. That includes connectors for popular enterprise applications such as Salesforce and Oracle ERP.
Scalability and Elasticity
PaaS environments are designed to be scalable and elastic, meaning they can easily adapt to fluctuations in traffic or demand. That ensures your applications can handle any increase in load without issue.
Security
Security is one of the top priorities for any enterprise, and PaaS providers take security very seriously. All data stored in PaaS environments is encrypted at rest and in transit, and access is tightly controlled through role-based authentication schemes.
How does PaaS Benefit Enterprises?
It benefits enterprises in the following ways.
Faster Time-to-Market
The enterprise can drastically reduce the time it takes to develop and deploy new applications using PaaS. That can give your enterprise a significant competitive advantage.
Reduced Costs
PaaS can help reduce the overall costs of developing and deploying applications since you do not need to maintain on-premise infrastructure.
Increased Efficiency
PaaS allows enterprises to quickly provision new development and test environments, which can help increase the efficiency of their software development lifecycle.
Improved Collaboration
PaaS provides a central platform for collaboration, which can help improve communication and coordination between developers, testers, and operations teams.
Greater Flexibility
PaaS environments are highly flexible and easily customized to meet the enterprise’s specific needs.
Multi-Tenancy
PaaS providers offer multi-tenancy, which means your applications can be isolated from other tenants on the Platform. That provides an added layer of security and stability.
Global Reach
PaaS providers have data centers worldwide, allowing your enterprise to deploy applications globally.
Drawbacks of PaaS
Limited flexibility
PaaS is built on pre-defined platform templates; it can be less flexible than IaaS when customizing the environment to meet specific enterprise needs.
Lack of control over security
While PaaS providers offer a high level of security, enterprises may have concerns about relinquishing control over their data and applications to a third party.
Potentially higher costs
While PaaS can be more cost-effective than IaaS in some cases, it can also be more expensive due to the need for specialized skill sets to manage and operate PaaS environments.
Difficulty migrating applications
Often, migrating existing applications to a PaaS platform can be difficult and time-consuming.
Vendor lock-in
Because PaaS is built on proprietary technology platforms, enterprises may find themselves locked into using a single provider’s services.
List of PaaS Tools
- AWS Elastic Beanstalk
- Google Cloud
- Microsoft Azure Pipelines
- Heroku
- Engine Yard
- IBM Cloud
- Wasabi Cloud Storage
- Mendix aPaaS
Things to be Considered While Choosing PaaS Vendors
Consider enterprise size
When selecting a PaaS vendor, it’s important to consider the size of your enterprise. If you’re a small business, you might not need all the features that come with an enterprise-grade platform. But, on the other hand, if you’re a large enterprise, you’ll need a platform that can scale to meet your needs.
The type of applications you want to run
Another important consideration is the applications you want to run on the Platform. Some PaaS vendors specialize in certain types of applications, such as web or mobile apps. Others have more generalized offerings that can support various types of apps.
The level of support you need
Depending on your enterprise’s needs, you might require different levels of support from your PaaS vendor. For example, some vendors offer 24/7 support, while others have more limited hours. Finding a vendor that can provide the level of support you need is important.
The price point
Of course, price is always a consideration when selecting a PaaS vendor. Some vendors have enterprise-grade platforms with a hefty price tag, while others have more affordable options. Therefore, it’s important to find a balance between price and features.
Integration capabilities
One final consideration is the Platform’s integration capabilities. If you’re running legacy applications, you’ll need to ensure the PaaS can integrate with those systems. Otherwise, you’ll be left with siloed data and a lack of visibility into your enterprise’s operations.
Security features
Security is an important consideration when selecting a PaaS vendor. Ensure the vendor has robust security features to protect your enterprise’s data.
The flexibility of the Platform
enterprise needs are constantly changing, so it’s important to select a PaaS vendor that can provide the flexibility you need to adapt to those changes.
By taking these factors into account, you’ll be able to find the best PaaS vendor for your enterprise.
Conclusion
Enterprise Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a type of cloud computing that provides enterprise-level customers with the ability to build, deploy, and manage applications without the need for infrastructure.
As a result, the Enterprise platform as a service gives companies more flexibility and scalability regarding their IT needs, which can be important for businesses looking to grow or expand. The article covered important PaaS-related topics and disclosed how it could benefit enterprises.
