WOLF WHITEPAPER -The Role of Platform-as-a-Service
Content
Whitepaper
The Role of Platform-as-a-Service
Moving from buzzword to mainstream
WOLF Frameworks
The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
Contents
Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................................3 Traditional model .......................................................................................................................................................3 The New Model ..........................................................................................................................................................3 What is SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS…..the cloud computing lingo? .....................................................................................3 Welcome to PaaS........................................................................................................................................................4 Types of PaaS ..............................................................................................................................................................4 Key Characteristics of PaaS.........................................................................................................................................5 Advantages of PaaS ....................................................................................................................................................5 What Makes PaaS Different?......................................................................................................................................6 Monetization of PaaS .................................................................................................................................................6 PaaS Service Levels .....................................................................................................................................................7 Why WOLF Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)? .................................................................................................................7 References ..................................................................................................................................................................8
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The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
Abstract
Platform-as-a-Service is an increasingly popular paradigm moving from just being a buzzword to the mainstream. A number of Startups, ISVs and Enterprises are now going directly to the cloud, bypassing traditional web hosting solutions, avoiding the need to own a server in-house, and shifting from the traditional model of software development to the new model offered by PaaS. This whitepaper talks about the shift from the traditional software development model to the new model offered by Platform-as-a-Service. It proceeds to discuss the various types of PaaS, key characteristics, advantages, monetization models to the service levels offered by PaaS providers.
The New Model
Just as Amazon.com, eBay, Google, iTunes, and YouTube made it possible to access new capabilities and new markets through a Web browser, PaaS offers a faster, more cost-effective model for application development and delivery. PaaS provides the entire infrastructure needed to run applications over the Internet. It is delivered in the same way as a utility like electricity or water. Users simply “tap in” and take what they need without worrying about the complexity behind the scenes. And like a utility, PaaS is based on a metering or subscription model so users only pay for what they use. With PaaS, ISVs and corporate IT departments can focus on innovation instead of complex infrastructure. By leveraging the PaaS, organizations can redirect a significant portion of their budgets from “keeping the lights on” to creating applications that provide real business value. This model is driving a new era of mass innovation. For the first time, developers around the world can access unlimited computing power. Now, anyone with an Internet connection can build powerful applications and easily deploy them to users wherever they’re located.
Traditional model
The traditional model of building and running on-premise applications has always been complex, expensive and risky. To deploy or use software we first needed the hardware which included servers from hardware vendors like Dell, HP, IBM or Sun. If we are intending to build a web application, we also required data center equipments like firewalls, switches, routers, VPNs etc for performance and security. Then it was bandwidth and hosting services. Once the hardware is in place; we required to purchase and install operating system, and subsequently an application server stack, such as Tomcat for Java, LAMP for PHP or Perl. Next we needed some database like MySQL or Microsoft SQL Server. Once the stack was assembled, a team of developers had to navigate complex programming models like J2EE and .NET. A team of network, database, and system management experts was needed to keep everything up and running. Inevitably, a business requirement would require a change to the application, which would then kick off a lengthy development, test, and redeployment cycle. Large companies often needed specialized facilities to house their data centers. Enormous amounts of electricity also were needed to power the servers as well as the systems to keep them cool. Finally, a failover site was needed to mirror the data center so information could be replicated in case of a disaster.
What is SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS…..the cloud computing lingo?
Figure 1: Cloud Computing Stack
SaaS, PaaS and IaaS are various segments of cloud computing.
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The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
Software as a Service (SaaS) is the service based on the concept of renting software from a service provider rather than buying it yourself. The software is hosted on centralized network servers to make functionality available over the web or intranet. Also known as “software on demand” it is currently the most popular type of cloud computing because of its high flexibility, great services, enhanced scalability and less maintenance. Yahoo mail, Google docs, CRM applications are all instances of SaaS. The service provider hosts both the application and the data so the end user is free to use the service from anywhere. With SaaS user need not worry about installation or upgrades. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) provides an independent platform or middleware on which developers can build and deploy customer application. Common solutions provided in this tier range from APIs and tools to database and business process management system, to security integration, allowing developers to build applications and run them on the infrastructure that cloud vendors own and maintains. The final segment in the cloud computing is the infrastructure. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is delivery of the computing infrastructure as a fully outsourced service operated in a pay-as-you-go model. Some of the companies that provide infrastructure services are Google, IBM, and Amazon etc. Managed hosting and development environments are the services included in IaaS. The user can buy the infrastructure according to the requirements at any particular point of time instead of buying the infrastructure that might not be used for months. Virtualization enables IaaS providers to offer almost unlimited instances of servers to customers and make costeffective use of the hosting hardware. IaaS users enjoy access to enterprise grade IT Infrastructure and resources that might be very costly if purchased completely. Thus dynamic scaling, usage based pricing, reduced costs and access to superior IT resources are some of the benefits of IaaS. IaaS is also sometimes referred to as Hardware as a Service (HaaS). An Infrastructure as a Service offering also provides maximum flexibility because just about anything that can be virtualized can be run on these platforms. This is perhaps the biggest benefit of an IaaS environment. For a startup or small business, one of the most difficult things to
do is keep capital expenditures under control. By moving your infrastructure to the cloud, you have the ability to scale as if you owned your own hardware and data center.
Welcome to PaaS
What makes PaaS unique? With so much buzz around Cloud Computing Services including Infrastructure-as-aService (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Softwareas-a-Service (SaaS), why PaaS stands out of this mix? Is PaaS simply a way of getting code up and running without having to requisition a server or there is more to it? In the words of Wikipedia, ‘Platform as a service (PaaS) is the delivery of a computing platform and solution stack as a service’. PaaS makes all of the facilities required to support the end-to-end life cycle of building and delivering web applications and services entirely available from the Internet with no software downloads or installation for developers or end-users.
Types of PaaS
Figure 2: Types of PaaS
Social Application Platforms – Social Application Platforms are used to develop applications on social networks. Platforms like Facebook, Orkut, Yahoo, and MySpace provide APIs for third parties to write new application functionality that is made available to all users. Computation Platforms – Computation Platforms are sort of hardware architecture and software framework
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The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
(including application frameworks) that allows software to run. Amazon Web services and Microsoft Azure provide storage, processor, and bandwidth as a service. Developers can upload their traditional software stack and run their applications on these infrastructures. Web Application Platforms – Web Application Platforms like Google provide APIs and functionality for developers to build Web applications that leverage its mapping, calendar, and spreadsheets plus YouTube and other services. Business Application Platforms – Business Application Platforms provide application infrastructure specifically for transactional business applications such as database, integration, workflow, and user interface services. For companies unwilling to compromise on scalability, reliability, and security, WOLF is a clear choice for a flexible platform that manages critical business processes and is a rapid online application development platform. Business Application platforms can also be used to build situational applications. Situational Applications do not replace core business applications. They address a different need — applications that are built for just a handful of users, applications that are used for only a few weeks or months, or applications that address a small piece of functionality. Situational applications are a potent combination of tools, mindset and methodology. They provide a formidable force that helps your organization meet today’s business challenges quickly and cost-effectively.
investing in expensive software licenses with its subscription model based on a pay-as-you-use basis. 5. Eliminates the overhead of buying, configuring and maintaining hardware such as database, middleware and server, which interact with each other as well as with the software, as these are all taken care of by the PaaS provider. 6. Instant deployment of your web application. 7. Inherent security provided by the PaaS provider. In addition to this, many PaaS providers give the option of enabling additional security features at a price. 8. Multi tenant Architecture 9. Faster ROI 10. Scalability 11. Integration with a host of software systems 12. Simultaneous upgrades or enchantments for SaaS applications or the PaaS system by the PaaS provider.
Advantages of PaaS
Following are the some advantages of PaaS as a Customer point of view: 1. Low cost and lower total cost of ownership (TCO): Generally when customer wants to have a software business solution (IT enabled business solution), there are many factors for which cost have to be considered. The various types of costs involved are datacenter costs, setup costs, licensing costs, training costs, maintenance costs and support costs. When a customer uses PaaS as a business solution, then they don’t have to worry about this entire infrastructure and ultimately there is reduction in cost. Zero Infrastructure - Reduced Overheads: Customer not has to consider setup and maintenance so there is less overhead associated with PaaS model. On demand service: Customer can use a platform of their choice and requirement on a subscription basis and when there is no need for it they can discontinue the same. Lower risk - faster implementations and outsourced expertise dramatically lower risk A more powerful and secure IT infrastructure
Key Characteristics of PaaS
1. Simplified and reduced infrastructure - Build web applications using a browser and an internet connection. Work across boundaries - Collaboration of geographically distributed teams in development and maintenance of a software. PaaS keeps the focus on the design - PaaS takes care of configuring and maintaining the interoperability of individual components of the web application, enabling the focus to be on the design of the software. Removes the overhead of buying/installing additional software - PaaS works on an On-Demand Model. It further eliminates the overhead of
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4. 5.
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The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
6.
Cost-effective Infinite Scalability: Customer can Scale the no of user licenses as per their requirements. 7. Easy to implement: As there is no infrastructure setup associated with PaaS, it is easy to implement 8. Freedom of Choice: As there are many PaaS providers, customer can select according to their choice and requirement. 9. Centralized feature updating, which obviates the need for downloadable patches and upgrades 10. Per license cost has to give
PaaS platforms also have functional differences from traditional development platforms. These include: 1. Multi-tenant development tool: traditional development tools are single user – PaaS supports multiple users, each with multiple roles. Multi-tenant deployment architecture: scalability is often not a concern of the initial development effort and is left instead for the system administrators to deal with when the project deploys. In PaaS, scalability of the application and data tiers must be built-in (e.g., load balancing, failover need to be basic elements of the dev platform itself). Integrated management: traditional development solution usually does not concern them with runtime monitoring, but in PaaS, the monitoring ability needs to be baked into the development platform. Integrated billing: PaaS offerings require mechanisms for billing based on usage that are unique to the SaaS world.
2.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) help business users to minimize operational costs and increase their productivity. Some of the advantages to business users are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Time to Market Requires no up-front investments Minimize operational costs Centralized information management Enhanced productivity Access to information anywhere, anytime Easy collaboration Secured and customized access
3.
4.
Monetization of PaaS
The traditional licensing model of the on-premise platform or software is not the best idea for On-demand Platform. A subscription pricing model is the most suitable solution to PaaS monetization. Many PaaS providers face the problem of fixing the right price for its platform/services. There are many alternatives and factors that should be considered when dealing with this.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) enables developers to focus only on innovation that provide real business value instead of infrastructure set-up. Some of the advantages are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Zero Infrastructure Lower Risk Lower cost and improved profitability Easy and quick development Monetize quickly Reusable code and business logics Integration with other web services
Pay Periodically
Pay per User
What Makes PaaS Different?
The alternative to PaaS is to develop web applications using desktop development tools like Eclipse or Microsoft Access, and then manually deploy those applications to a cloud hosting provider such as Amazon EC2.
Pay for Resources
Pay per Features
Figure 3: Payment models of PaaS
Some of the pricing alternatives for Platform-as-a-Service are:
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The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
1. 2. 3.
4.
Pay Periodically: This means charging the customer on regular basis as a monthly subscription fees. Pay for each user: Charge the customer on the basis of the number of users for the platform. Pay for the resources: This means charging the customer for computing resources such as data storage. Pay for the features: The customer pays just for the features in the platform they really need. This can be based on the number of applications a customer can build on the platform.
2.
3.
PaaS Service Levels
4.
5.
Figure 4: Cloud Service Levels
6.
The above diagram shows the service levels associated with the various segments of cloud computing. In a Platform-asa-Service model it is the just the application that you need to manage, the rest is taken care of by the PaaS vendor. The PaaS manages the runtimes, security & integration, database, servers, virtualization, server HW, storage and networking making it much simpler for you and allows focusing on your business and the application you use.
7.
Why WOLF Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)?
8. 1. Reduced time-to-market and faster ROI o Reduce the time & cost for developing custom web-based software by more than 70% as compared to any standard software development cycle. o Clicks instead of code – design all the way! o Business Rules engine to define custom workflow o Ready chart and report templates
9.
Customized SaaS solutions for every customer o WOLF’s unique technical architecture allows customers to develop and enhance custom features and processes within days with minimal investments. o You have freedom to white label your solutions – custom branding, personalized URL and custom UI. Easily embed WOLF functional widgets in your website, portal or blog. Intuitive Business Rules Engine o Ready-to-use Business Rule Actions to fire & map complex business processes. Draw complex analysis from data and represent it in the form of reports, graphical charts and dashboard items within minutes. Interoperable & Mashable SaaS Applications o Ready actions to interact with on-premise or other Cloud based software systems. No need to deal with APIs– use configurable business rules. Secure o Built-in User/Role Management module, supports highly secured 128-bit encryption enabled URL, SSO authentication & AD integration. The End of IT Maintenance o Focus on your business application functionality/core competency while WOLF maintains and upgrades the underlying technology & infrastructure and manages your business solution. Flexible Deployment Options o Hybrid & flexible deployment models. Host the application in your preferred server: Private Cloud or just run it from the WOLF On Demand Public Cloud or a third party hosting provider Reduced Vendor Lock-in o Own the Business IP via paper license, extract & save data in your private database & also extract application design in a portable XML format with a single click. Cost Effective, Scalable and pay as you earn o Monthly subscription fee on per user / per month basis ranging from USD $ 7 to $ 10. o Scale your application cost-effectively with your business.
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The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
10. Leverage the WOLF Partner Ecosystem o The Partner Model is targeted to drive idea partners, SI’s, ISV’s, and Consulting firms to rapidly commoditize and commercialize their business processes and offer them as Software-
as-a-Services within days. WOLF also has specialized channel partners delivering these SaaS applications to customers across regions.
References
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_as_a_service [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing [3] http://www.wolfframeworks.com/ [4] http://www.keeneview.com/2009/03/what-is-platform-as-service-paas.html [5] http://crmhelpdesksoftware.com/what-is-saas-paas-iaas-understanding-cloud-computing-lingo/ [6] http://cloud-computing.learningtree.com/2010/08/25/comparing-paas-and-iaas/ [7] http://www.slideshare.net/AspireSystems/going-ondemand-iaas-paas-or-solution-accelerators [8] http://www.slideshare.net/jcleblanc/foundations-of-a-social-platform [9] http://www.zdnet.com/blog/saas/a-plethora-of-paas-options/472 [10] http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/21078/1/2010_-_21078.pdf [11] http://vlele.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/platform-as-a-service-when-it-comes-to-the-cloud-paas-is-the-point-2/ [12] http://devcentral.f5.com/weblogs/macvittie/archive/2010/02/11/return-of-the-web-application-platformwars.aspx [13] http://www.asp-toolkit.com/tag/pricing-models [14] http://cioresearchcenter.com/2010/12/107/ [15] http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/bookworm/building-information-systems-at-the-edge-of-chaos/ [16] Jonathan Sapir, “Power in the Cloud”, Using Cloud Computing to Build Information Systems at the Edge of Chaos, 2009 [17] http://www.cloudcomputinglive.com/mea/paas.html
[18]http://cloudpulseblog.com/2010/02/the-essential-characteristics-of-paas
For More Information For more information about WOLF products and services, call the WOLF Sales Information Center at +91 98865 46085. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: http://www.wolfframeworks.com
© 2006-2011 WOLF Frameworks India Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved.
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The Role of Platform-as-a-Service
Moving from buzzword to mainstream
WOLF Frameworks
The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
Contents
Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................................3 Traditional model .......................................................................................................................................................3 The New Model ..........................................................................................................................................................3 What is SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS…..the cloud computing lingo? .....................................................................................3 Welcome to PaaS........................................................................................................................................................4 Types of PaaS ..............................................................................................................................................................4 Key Characteristics of PaaS.........................................................................................................................................5 Advantages of PaaS ....................................................................................................................................................5 What Makes PaaS Different?......................................................................................................................................6 Monetization of PaaS .................................................................................................................................................6 PaaS Service Levels .....................................................................................................................................................7 Why WOLF Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)? .................................................................................................................7 References ..................................................................................................................................................................8
2|Page
The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
Abstract
Platform-as-a-Service is an increasingly popular paradigm moving from just being a buzzword to the mainstream. A number of Startups, ISVs and Enterprises are now going directly to the cloud, bypassing traditional web hosting solutions, avoiding the need to own a server in-house, and shifting from the traditional model of software development to the new model offered by PaaS. This whitepaper talks about the shift from the traditional software development model to the new model offered by Platform-as-a-Service. It proceeds to discuss the various types of PaaS, key characteristics, advantages, monetization models to the service levels offered by PaaS providers.
The New Model
Just as Amazon.com, eBay, Google, iTunes, and YouTube made it possible to access new capabilities and new markets through a Web browser, PaaS offers a faster, more cost-effective model for application development and delivery. PaaS provides the entire infrastructure needed to run applications over the Internet. It is delivered in the same way as a utility like electricity or water. Users simply “tap in” and take what they need without worrying about the complexity behind the scenes. And like a utility, PaaS is based on a metering or subscription model so users only pay for what they use. With PaaS, ISVs and corporate IT departments can focus on innovation instead of complex infrastructure. By leveraging the PaaS, organizations can redirect a significant portion of their budgets from “keeping the lights on” to creating applications that provide real business value. This model is driving a new era of mass innovation. For the first time, developers around the world can access unlimited computing power. Now, anyone with an Internet connection can build powerful applications and easily deploy them to users wherever they’re located.
Traditional model
The traditional model of building and running on-premise applications has always been complex, expensive and risky. To deploy or use software we first needed the hardware which included servers from hardware vendors like Dell, HP, IBM or Sun. If we are intending to build a web application, we also required data center equipments like firewalls, switches, routers, VPNs etc for performance and security. Then it was bandwidth and hosting services. Once the hardware is in place; we required to purchase and install operating system, and subsequently an application server stack, such as Tomcat for Java, LAMP for PHP or Perl. Next we needed some database like MySQL or Microsoft SQL Server. Once the stack was assembled, a team of developers had to navigate complex programming models like J2EE and .NET. A team of network, database, and system management experts was needed to keep everything up and running. Inevitably, a business requirement would require a change to the application, which would then kick off a lengthy development, test, and redeployment cycle. Large companies often needed specialized facilities to house their data centers. Enormous amounts of electricity also were needed to power the servers as well as the systems to keep them cool. Finally, a failover site was needed to mirror the data center so information could be replicated in case of a disaster.
What is SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS…..the cloud computing lingo?
Figure 1: Cloud Computing Stack
SaaS, PaaS and IaaS are various segments of cloud computing.
3|Page
The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
Software as a Service (SaaS) is the service based on the concept of renting software from a service provider rather than buying it yourself. The software is hosted on centralized network servers to make functionality available over the web or intranet. Also known as “software on demand” it is currently the most popular type of cloud computing because of its high flexibility, great services, enhanced scalability and less maintenance. Yahoo mail, Google docs, CRM applications are all instances of SaaS. The service provider hosts both the application and the data so the end user is free to use the service from anywhere. With SaaS user need not worry about installation or upgrades. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) provides an independent platform or middleware on which developers can build and deploy customer application. Common solutions provided in this tier range from APIs and tools to database and business process management system, to security integration, allowing developers to build applications and run them on the infrastructure that cloud vendors own and maintains. The final segment in the cloud computing is the infrastructure. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is delivery of the computing infrastructure as a fully outsourced service operated in a pay-as-you-go model. Some of the companies that provide infrastructure services are Google, IBM, and Amazon etc. Managed hosting and development environments are the services included in IaaS. The user can buy the infrastructure according to the requirements at any particular point of time instead of buying the infrastructure that might not be used for months. Virtualization enables IaaS providers to offer almost unlimited instances of servers to customers and make costeffective use of the hosting hardware. IaaS users enjoy access to enterprise grade IT Infrastructure and resources that might be very costly if purchased completely. Thus dynamic scaling, usage based pricing, reduced costs and access to superior IT resources are some of the benefits of IaaS. IaaS is also sometimes referred to as Hardware as a Service (HaaS). An Infrastructure as a Service offering also provides maximum flexibility because just about anything that can be virtualized can be run on these platforms. This is perhaps the biggest benefit of an IaaS environment. For a startup or small business, one of the most difficult things to
do is keep capital expenditures under control. By moving your infrastructure to the cloud, you have the ability to scale as if you owned your own hardware and data center.
Welcome to PaaS
What makes PaaS unique? With so much buzz around Cloud Computing Services including Infrastructure-as-aService (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Softwareas-a-Service (SaaS), why PaaS stands out of this mix? Is PaaS simply a way of getting code up and running without having to requisition a server or there is more to it? In the words of Wikipedia, ‘Platform as a service (PaaS) is the delivery of a computing platform and solution stack as a service’. PaaS makes all of the facilities required to support the end-to-end life cycle of building and delivering web applications and services entirely available from the Internet with no software downloads or installation for developers or end-users.
Types of PaaS
Figure 2: Types of PaaS
Social Application Platforms – Social Application Platforms are used to develop applications on social networks. Platforms like Facebook, Orkut, Yahoo, and MySpace provide APIs for third parties to write new application functionality that is made available to all users. Computation Platforms – Computation Platforms are sort of hardware architecture and software framework
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The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
(including application frameworks) that allows software to run. Amazon Web services and Microsoft Azure provide storage, processor, and bandwidth as a service. Developers can upload their traditional software stack and run their applications on these infrastructures. Web Application Platforms – Web Application Platforms like Google provide APIs and functionality for developers to build Web applications that leverage its mapping, calendar, and spreadsheets plus YouTube and other services. Business Application Platforms – Business Application Platforms provide application infrastructure specifically for transactional business applications such as database, integration, workflow, and user interface services. For companies unwilling to compromise on scalability, reliability, and security, WOLF is a clear choice for a flexible platform that manages critical business processes and is a rapid online application development platform. Business Application platforms can also be used to build situational applications. Situational Applications do not replace core business applications. They address a different need — applications that are built for just a handful of users, applications that are used for only a few weeks or months, or applications that address a small piece of functionality. Situational applications are a potent combination of tools, mindset and methodology. They provide a formidable force that helps your organization meet today’s business challenges quickly and cost-effectively.
investing in expensive software licenses with its subscription model based on a pay-as-you-use basis. 5. Eliminates the overhead of buying, configuring and maintaining hardware such as database, middleware and server, which interact with each other as well as with the software, as these are all taken care of by the PaaS provider. 6. Instant deployment of your web application. 7. Inherent security provided by the PaaS provider. In addition to this, many PaaS providers give the option of enabling additional security features at a price. 8. Multi tenant Architecture 9. Faster ROI 10. Scalability 11. Integration with a host of software systems 12. Simultaneous upgrades or enchantments for SaaS applications or the PaaS system by the PaaS provider.
Advantages of PaaS
Following are the some advantages of PaaS as a Customer point of view: 1. Low cost and lower total cost of ownership (TCO): Generally when customer wants to have a software business solution (IT enabled business solution), there are many factors for which cost have to be considered. The various types of costs involved are datacenter costs, setup costs, licensing costs, training costs, maintenance costs and support costs. When a customer uses PaaS as a business solution, then they don’t have to worry about this entire infrastructure and ultimately there is reduction in cost. Zero Infrastructure - Reduced Overheads: Customer not has to consider setup and maintenance so there is less overhead associated with PaaS model. On demand service: Customer can use a platform of their choice and requirement on a subscription basis and when there is no need for it they can discontinue the same. Lower risk - faster implementations and outsourced expertise dramatically lower risk A more powerful and secure IT infrastructure
Key Characteristics of PaaS
1. Simplified and reduced infrastructure - Build web applications using a browser and an internet connection. Work across boundaries - Collaboration of geographically distributed teams in development and maintenance of a software. PaaS keeps the focus on the design - PaaS takes care of configuring and maintaining the interoperability of individual components of the web application, enabling the focus to be on the design of the software. Removes the overhead of buying/installing additional software - PaaS works on an On-Demand Model. It further eliminates the overhead of
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4. 5.
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The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
6.
Cost-effective Infinite Scalability: Customer can Scale the no of user licenses as per their requirements. 7. Easy to implement: As there is no infrastructure setup associated with PaaS, it is easy to implement 8. Freedom of Choice: As there are many PaaS providers, customer can select according to their choice and requirement. 9. Centralized feature updating, which obviates the need for downloadable patches and upgrades 10. Per license cost has to give
PaaS platforms also have functional differences from traditional development platforms. These include: 1. Multi-tenant development tool: traditional development tools are single user – PaaS supports multiple users, each with multiple roles. Multi-tenant deployment architecture: scalability is often not a concern of the initial development effort and is left instead for the system administrators to deal with when the project deploys. In PaaS, scalability of the application and data tiers must be built-in (e.g., load balancing, failover need to be basic elements of the dev platform itself). Integrated management: traditional development solution usually does not concern them with runtime monitoring, but in PaaS, the monitoring ability needs to be baked into the development platform. Integrated billing: PaaS offerings require mechanisms for billing based on usage that are unique to the SaaS world.
2.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) help business users to minimize operational costs and increase their productivity. Some of the advantages to business users are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Time to Market Requires no up-front investments Minimize operational costs Centralized information management Enhanced productivity Access to information anywhere, anytime Easy collaboration Secured and customized access
3.
4.
Monetization of PaaS
The traditional licensing model of the on-premise platform or software is not the best idea for On-demand Platform. A subscription pricing model is the most suitable solution to PaaS monetization. Many PaaS providers face the problem of fixing the right price for its platform/services. There are many alternatives and factors that should be considered when dealing with this.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) enables developers to focus only on innovation that provide real business value instead of infrastructure set-up. Some of the advantages are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Zero Infrastructure Lower Risk Lower cost and improved profitability Easy and quick development Monetize quickly Reusable code and business logics Integration with other web services
Pay Periodically
Pay per User
What Makes PaaS Different?
The alternative to PaaS is to develop web applications using desktop development tools like Eclipse or Microsoft Access, and then manually deploy those applications to a cloud hosting provider such as Amazon EC2.
Pay for Resources
Pay per Features
Figure 3: Payment models of PaaS
Some of the pricing alternatives for Platform-as-a-Service are:
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The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
1. 2. 3.
4.
Pay Periodically: This means charging the customer on regular basis as a monthly subscription fees. Pay for each user: Charge the customer on the basis of the number of users for the platform. Pay for the resources: This means charging the customer for computing resources such as data storage. Pay for the features: The customer pays just for the features in the platform they really need. This can be based on the number of applications a customer can build on the platform.
2.
3.
PaaS Service Levels
4.
5.
Figure 4: Cloud Service Levels
6.
The above diagram shows the service levels associated with the various segments of cloud computing. In a Platform-asa-Service model it is the just the application that you need to manage, the rest is taken care of by the PaaS vendor. The PaaS manages the runtimes, security & integration, database, servers, virtualization, server HW, storage and networking making it much simpler for you and allows focusing on your business and the application you use.
7.
Why WOLF Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)?
8. 1. Reduced time-to-market and faster ROI o Reduce the time & cost for developing custom web-based software by more than 70% as compared to any standard software development cycle. o Clicks instead of code – design all the way! o Business Rules engine to define custom workflow o Ready chart and report templates
9.
Customized SaaS solutions for every customer o WOLF’s unique technical architecture allows customers to develop and enhance custom features and processes within days with minimal investments. o You have freedom to white label your solutions – custom branding, personalized URL and custom UI. Easily embed WOLF functional widgets in your website, portal or blog. Intuitive Business Rules Engine o Ready-to-use Business Rule Actions to fire & map complex business processes. Draw complex analysis from data and represent it in the form of reports, graphical charts and dashboard items within minutes. Interoperable & Mashable SaaS Applications o Ready actions to interact with on-premise or other Cloud based software systems. No need to deal with APIs– use configurable business rules. Secure o Built-in User/Role Management module, supports highly secured 128-bit encryption enabled URL, SSO authentication & AD integration. The End of IT Maintenance o Focus on your business application functionality/core competency while WOLF maintains and upgrades the underlying technology & infrastructure and manages your business solution. Flexible Deployment Options o Hybrid & flexible deployment models. Host the application in your preferred server: Private Cloud or just run it from the WOLF On Demand Public Cloud or a third party hosting provider Reduced Vendor Lock-in o Own the Business IP via paper license, extract & save data in your private database & also extract application design in a portable XML format with a single click. Cost Effective, Scalable and pay as you earn o Monthly subscription fee on per user / per month basis ranging from USD $ 7 to $ 10. o Scale your application cost-effectively with your business.
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The Rol e of Platform -as-a-Service
10. Leverage the WOLF Partner Ecosystem o The Partner Model is targeted to drive idea partners, SI’s, ISV’s, and Consulting firms to rapidly commoditize and commercialize their business processes and offer them as Software-
as-a-Services within days. WOLF also has specialized channel partners delivering these SaaS applications to customers across regions.
References
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_as_a_service [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing [3] http://www.wolfframeworks.com/ [4] http://www.keeneview.com/2009/03/what-is-platform-as-service-paas.html [5] http://crmhelpdesksoftware.com/what-is-saas-paas-iaas-understanding-cloud-computing-lingo/ [6] http://cloud-computing.learningtree.com/2010/08/25/comparing-paas-and-iaas/ [7] http://www.slideshare.net/AspireSystems/going-ondemand-iaas-paas-or-solution-accelerators [8] http://www.slideshare.net/jcleblanc/foundations-of-a-social-platform [9] http://www.zdnet.com/blog/saas/a-plethora-of-paas-options/472 [10] http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/21078/1/2010_-_21078.pdf [11] http://vlele.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/platform-as-a-service-when-it-comes-to-the-cloud-paas-is-the-point-2/ [12] http://devcentral.f5.com/weblogs/macvittie/archive/2010/02/11/return-of-the-web-application-platformwars.aspx [13] http://www.asp-toolkit.com/tag/pricing-models [14] http://cioresearchcenter.com/2010/12/107/ [15] http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/bookworm/building-information-systems-at-the-edge-of-chaos/ [16] Jonathan Sapir, “Power in the Cloud”, Using Cloud Computing to Build Information Systems at the Edge of Chaos, 2009 [17] http://www.cloudcomputinglive.com/mea/paas.html
[18]http://cloudpulseblog.com/2010/02/the-essential-characteristics-of-paas
For More Information For more information about WOLF products and services, call the WOLF Sales Information Center at +91 98865 46085. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: http://www.wolfframeworks.com
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