Cloud Delivery Models

Question 1

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

Answer 1

• Delivery model that provides a self-contained IT environment comprised of infrastructure-centric IT resources.
• This environment can include hardware, network, connectivity, operating systems, and other “raw” IT resources.
• IT resources are typically virtualized and packaged into bundles that simplify up-front runtime scaling and customization of the infrastructure
• IT resources provided by IaaS are generally raw and not pre-configured, placing the operational responsibility upon the cloud consumer
• Used by cloud consumers that require a high level of control over the cloud-based environment thay intend to create

Question 2

Platform-as-a-Service

Answer 2

• Provides a pre-defined cloud environment with already deployed and configured IT resources suitable for the development and deployment of applications
• Three common reasons cloud consumers use PaaS:
  
  • The cloud consumer wants to extend on-premise
    environments into the cloud for scalability and
    economic purposes
  • The cloud consumer uses the ready-made
    environment to entirely substitute an on-premise
    environment
  • The cloud consumer wants to become a cloud
    provider and deploys its own cloud services that are
    made available to external cloud consumers

Question 3

Software-as-a-Service

Answer 3

• The SaaS delivery model generally represents a product that exists as a shared cloud service offered by a cloud provider to cloud consumers
• The cloud consumer leases the cloud service from the cloud provider, who is responsible for maintaining the cloud service’s underlying IT resources
• SaaS offerings are typically provided so that cloud consumers can gain access to the cloud service with minimal up-front effort.