PaaS Deployment Model Options

The PaaS computing model is usually thought of as being deployed in a public cloud, e.g., computing services provided over the Internet by third-party providers. For example, customers subscribing to NetSuite or Salesforce usually access these applications over the public cloud. But this is not the only model. 

Public cloud 

A public cloud is the provision of computing services over the public Internet. Public cloud services are usually sold on-demand and help companies avoid the high cost of purchasing and maintaining an on-premise data center. 

> Shifts CapEx to OpEx and supports multiple tenants 

> Offers a Pay-as-You-Go Model 

Private cloud 

A private cloud is provided to a single organization rather than the general public. It offers the same advantages of scalability, resource utilization, and self-service as the public cloud, but is provided in a data center operated either by the organization itself or a third party.

> Leverages existing CapEx and can help reduce OpEx 

> Intended for a Single Tenant 

Hybrid Cloud 

Hybrid deployments are a combination of on-premise, private cloud, and third-party public cloud services. Resources are orchestrated between the two clouds by management and automation software. > Bridges one or more private, public, or community clouds > Supports resource portability

> Allows manipulation or CapEx and OpEx to reduce costs 

Community Cloud 

The community cloud is a recent variation of public cloud that provides a cloud platform for specific business communities. It is particularly useful for highly-regulated industries like health care, financial, or legal entities with a strong need to share resources.

> Allows sharing of CapEX and OpEx to reduce costs 

> Supports resource portability 

> Brings together groups or organizations with a common goal/interest

Implications for Buyers 

Most PaaS software can run on-premise, hosted in a private environment or natively in the major IaaS public cloud. The PaaS automatically configures infrastructure resources across these environments, making them a platform for hybrid cloud. However, not all products will be able to handle all three environments with equal ease. Ask vendors to demonstrate their platforms operating in each scenario. 

Community Cloud PaaS is only relevant to buyers operating in specific communities. For example, a healthcare community cloud, tailored to provide specific security and regulatory requirements compliant with HIPAA data protection regulations, is of interest only to healthcare organizations.