Whenever I write about the cloud, I tend to break it down into three categories: software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), and platform as a service (PaaS). As I was working on a cloud performance management ebook, a coworker suggested that I also include function as a service (FaaS) and containers as a service (CaaS) in the definitions. I’ll admit, I had never heard of these categories so after these suggestions were made, I went to do some research.
SaaS was one of the first cloud solutions to hit the market. It provides the ability to consume information through a browser or API. IT teams don’t have to manage applications, hardware, security, or storage; everything is managed by the vendor. Users subscribe to a SaaS service on a recurring basis and can easily scale. The uses of SaaS include business productivity, business management, tools, and customer relationship management.