 Welcome to Understanding Cloud Service Types. In this learning object, you will learn about the three main services of cloud computing, software as a service, platform as a service, and infrastructure as a service. We will look at the pros and cons of each as well as explore real-world examples. We all know what computing is, but what does cloud mean in cloud computing? The cloud refers to the Internet. Cloud computing allows you to access your data and uploaded files at any time. This can be done via the Internet with most any device that is used to upload the data and files. Cloud computing can also give you access to software applications you might need for personal or work use. In other words, instead of storing data on your hard drive, you are storing it in a cloud on the Internet. Cloud computing is a transition away from a business data center or classic data center, CDC, to a virtual data center. Let's review what a classic data center or CDC is. CDCs have physical computing machines that run operating systems, applications, and databases. A CDC might include servers, networks, and software applications. Let's take a moment to better understand these components. A server is essentially a computer that facilitates multiple connections and may or may not store data. Networks are data paths that enable communication between clients and server systems or between servers and storage. Applications are software programs that run on the server. Cloud computing replicates each of these components. The biggest difference is that these components are virtualized in the cloud. There are three main categories of cloud computing services. They are SAS, PAS, and IAAS. In other words, software as a service, SAS, platform as a service, PAS, and infrastructure as a service, IAAS. Let's take a closer look at these three options and how they are used in business. Let's begin with software as a service or SAS. SAS provides software on a licensed basis that's centrally hosted. SAS is referred to as on-demand software because anyone can use the software from anywhere. All that is required is a network connection. One of the advantages of the SAS model is the reduced cost. Both hardware and software maintenance are provided by the SAS provider and no in-house IT support is needed. On the flip side, many SAS solutions are not free. Users can only access the software as long as they pay for the subscription service. There is no true program ownership and users may find it difficult to open documents without access to the cloud service. Why would someone choose to use SAS versus more traditional software? Let's look at the pros and cons and see if we might get a better idea. Here are the pros, automatic updates, built-in support, and available upgrades. And here are the cons, potential security issues, frequent unanticipated changes and updates, eternal dependence on a subscription service. What happens if the service provider goes out of business or ends the service? What happens if the service provider raises the fee beyond what you are willing to pay? Netflix is a great example of SAS. Netflix is software as a service. The movies that you watch in Netflix are not stored on your local computer or mobile device. They're stored in the cloud. SAS enables Netflix to quickly deploy thousands of servers and terabytes of storage within minutes. Users can stream Netflix television shows and movies from anywhere in the world, including on the web, on tablets, or on mobile devices. There is no need to install software or manage updates on your computer. However, if Netflix were to end the service, you would no longer have access to your favorite movies. The second cloud service type we will look at is PAS or Platform as a Service. PAS provides a cloud-based setting with everything necessary to support the complete development of building and delivering cloud-based applications without the potentially enormous costs and complexity of buying and managing the essential hardware, software, and hosting services. Businesses are the most likely users of PAS. PAS allows a business to leverage existing frameworks to build the application they need to support business services. Let's look at the pros and cons. Pros are rent storage space on a server. Also rent space to run programs operating systems and software. Easy to set up test environments. Automatic updates mean you have the latest system, software and driver updates. Cons are may potentially be locked in to the specific software environments or languages. No insight into software vulnerabilities. It's always good to think about real-world examples. Take AccuWeather, for instance. PAS allows AccuWeather to handle more than 12 billion data requests per day. The flexibility of a platform as a service allows AccuWeather to keep pace with demands as it continues to grow and innovate. By leveraging platform as a service, AccuWeather does this without increasing infrastructure costs. Their quality standards aren't compromised either. This is all done by bringing real-time life-saving information to people worldwide. The third cloud service type is Infrastructure as a Service, or IAAS. Infrastructure as a Service provides access to a virtual server room and is capable of hosting hardware, software, servers, and even storage on behalf of users. Unlike traditional storage, Infrastructure as a Service offers highly scalable resources like hardware and software. On-demand software applications, desktop virtualization, policy-based services, and no capital expense to purchase equipment because it's a pay-per-use service. However, Infrastructure as a Service may have some downsides. Anyone using the service should be aware of potential charges for unauthorized services, such as bandwidth consumed by denial-of-service attacks, more complex system management, and an inability to control the host downtime and outages. Let's look at a real-world example. The Red Roof-In is a great example of a business that successfully uses infrastructure as a service. The Red Roof-In required an organization-wide property management system to be used across more than 360 locations for reservations, booking, checking guests in and out, and processing credit card payments. The infrastructure as a service system is used primarily by the Red Roof-In's call center personnel when they take phone reservations. Red Roof-In was able to efficiently virtualize its IT infrastructure, maintain comprehensive front-end and back-end guest services while allowing for the flexibility to scale up and down as demanded by the market. Today, we covered the three main types of cloud services, software as a service, platform as a service, and infrastructure as a service. We saw some advantages and disadvantages of each service and an example of how each one is used in business. You have completed Understanding Cloud Service Types.