Computing as a service over the Internet

Cloud computing, often referred to as simply “the cloud,” is the delivery of on-demand computing resources—everything from applications to data centers—over the Internet on a pay-for-use basis.

Software as a service (SaaS)

Cloud-based applications—or software as a service—run on distant computers “in the cloud” that are owned and operated by others and that connect to users’ computers via the Internet and, usually, a web browser.

THE BENEFITS OF SAAS

• You can sign up and rapidly start using innovative business apps
• Apps and data are accessible from any connected computer
• No data is lost if your computer breaks, as data is in the cloud
• The service is able to dynamically scale to usage needs
• With SaaS, you no longer have to purchase, install, update and maintain the software.

Platform as a service (PaaS)

Platform as a service provides a cloud-based environment with everything required to support the complete lifecycle of building and delivering web-based (cloud) applications—without the cost and complexity of buying and managing the underlying hardware, software, provisioning and hosting.

THE BENEFITS OF PAAS

• Develop applications and get to market faster
• Deploy new web applications to the cloud in minutes
• Reduce complexity with middleware as a service
• Deploy and migrate applications to both public and private clouds.

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

Infrastructure as a service provides companies with computing resources including servers, networking, storage and data center space on a pay-per-use basis.

THE BENEFITS OF IAAS

• No need to invest in your own hardware
• Infrastructure scales on demand to support dynamic workloads
• Flexible, innovative services available on demand
• Get up and running more quickly while cutting costs.

Public cloud

Public clouds are owned and operated by companies that offer rapid access over a public network to affordable computing resources. With public cloud services, users don’t need to purchase hardware, software or supporting infrastructure, which is owned and managed by providers.

KEY ASPECTS OF PUBLIC CLOUD

• Innovative SaaS business apps for applications ranging from customer resource management (CRM) to transaction management and data analytics
• Flexible, scalable IaaS for storage and compute services on a moment’s notice
• Powerful PaaS for cloud-based application development and deployment environments
• Flexibility to access the resources you need, when you need them.

Private cloud

A private cloud is infrastructure operated solely for a single organization, whether managed internally or by a third party, and hosted either internally or externally. Private clouds can take advantage of cloud’s efficiencies, while providing more control of resources and steering clear of multi-tenancy.

KEY ASPECTS OF PRIVATE CLOUD

• A self-service interface controls services, allowing IT staff to quickly provision, allocate and deliver on-demand IT resources
• Highly automated management of resource pools for everything from compute capability to storage, analytics and middleware
• Sophisticated security and governance designed for a company’s specific requirements
• The additional level of security you want with the benefits of cloud

Develop, package, and deploy powerful applications and services to the cloud with Azure Cloud Services and the click of a button. Scale from 1 to 1000 in minutes. Once your application is deployed, that’s it: From provisioning, to load-balancing, to health monitoring, Azure handles the rest.

• Process data quickly with instant access to vast amounts of computing power designed to handle massive volumes of data.
• Build scalable, high performance websites with a broad set of services geared for modern web applications.
• Move your business into the cloud with secured, high-performance solutions for your common and custom business applications.
• Securely store your information with storage options that provide built-in encryption, designed for 99.999999999% durability.
• Protect your data and applications across data centers and the cloud with immediately available, scalable and durable disaster recovery.

Never worry about patching, faulty hardware, or network issues again. Cloud Services is designed to deploy your application and keep it continuously available during crashes and failures, redirecting traffic from troubled instances to ones running smoothly. Automatic OS updates mean your application is always secure, without maintenance windows or downtime.