Wondering what PaaS is? We’ve got you covered. Find out here and read about the top PaaS companies in this industry.

“PaaS” is an acronym for “Platform as a Service” and is one of the many forms of cloud computing that allows developers to use pre-existing infrastructure in order to run their apps. This saves them from having to deal with heavy investments into server management, configuring networks, etc.

• aPaaS: Application Platform-as-a-Service e.g., Salesforce aPaaS built at a service level in which APIs provide access to certain functions, and integrate with other systems such as databases.
• BIaaS: Business Intelligence/Analytics as a Service e.g. Tableau

IaaS vs. PaaS

Infrastructure as a Service is the bottom of the cloud computing pyramid and provides an underlying infrastructure to run apps. The main difference between Infrastructure as a Service and Platforms as a service, however, is that if you choose IaaS, then it’s up to you how much work goes into managing this.

For example, IaaS is the easiest to use because it handles all of the data storage and servers. With PaaS, users don’t have to worry about any operating systems or middleware, while SaaS requires no configuration whatsoever.

One of the major benefits of PaaS is that it gives developers a framework to build and run their own apps without having to worry about setting up servers or dealing with related technologies. Click To Tweet

It also helps them provide direct control over resources because they are not limited by IaaS.

The way IaaS is structured provides the foundation for all other cloud services. PaaS can be seen as a platform that developers use to build and run their apps on top of the infrastructure provided by Iaas. SaaS has more in common with finished products that businesses sell to customers.

PaaS Advantages

The cloud computing pyramid has already been discussed, but I want to talk about the benefits of PaaS. This is an important layer in the technology stack because it offers a platform for app development and deployment that can deliver competitive advantages. There are three reasons why you should choose this type of service.

Cost

PaaS solutions reduce the costs and barriers of entry to cloud computing. This allows small businesses as well as large companies, even those without a dedicated IT department, to take advantage of these technologies.

The pay-as-you-go model has been gaining popularity in the enterprise world for a while now. It’s possible to rent just what you need without worrying about any other costs, and we’ve already written an article on how SaaS can help lower business overhead costs.

Scalability and Flexibility

In the  Top PaaS Companies 2017, their PaaS providers are able to scale their servers up and down easily in order to match the demands of developers. This means that they can bring products faster than ever before, as instead of spending time setting up infrastructure for development environments, all a developer has to do is upload code.

Capability to work across several platforms

When it comes to Top PaaS Companies 2017, PaaS providers give developers the opportunity to develop for multiple platforms, saving them a lot of time and effort. Pre-built tools make it easier than ever before to build applications that work on major operating systems without writing all the code from scratch. Building these sophisticated tools can take up an immense amount of development time if they are built by hand.

When choosing a PaaS provider, there are a few things to think about.

When it comes to business computing, one size does not fit all. Security and cost are two things that vary from company to company. But there is some common ground:

Technology

If you want to take advantage of the latest in software and technology, be sure that it matches your app’s needs. The software also includes programming languages supported, deployment systems, and scaling processes.

Security

The article says that enterprises prefer on-premises solutions because of the complete control they get over their data. However, cloud computing has matured and now offers top-notch security as well as a high level of uptime guarantee. When selecting a PaaS provider, make sure to read up about what is included in an SLA before signing anything.

Control

One of the things that businesses have a hard time dealing with is how much control they lose when their data and processes are moved to the cloud. Developers should be able to fully take advantage of an environment by having complete access, but different providers give you varying levels of control over your company’s system.

Fully-managed vs. Self-service

It’s much easier to work with a fully-managed cloud service provider because they take care of all the installation, configuration, and upgrades. It also saves developers time that can be spent on what matters most.

5 best Platform as a Service (PaaS) Providers

Some of the IaaS providers have PaaS solutions, which are listed in this article.

Top PaaS Companies 2017: AWS Elastic Beanstalk

Amazon Web Services Elastic Beanstalk is a user-friendly service that helps people deploy web apps and services using Java, PHP, .Net, Python, Node.js Go Ruby Docker, etc. on popular servers like IIS Ngnix Apache Passenger.

Elastic Beanstalk automatically deploys code after it is uploaded, including provisioning and scaling. The user has complete control over the resources that are allocated to their app, as well as the ability to store or run an application with Elastic Beanstalk’s help.

AppyPie is a platform that makes it easy to deploy your app. You can upload the application through their Console, IDE, or Git repository and then just wait for Appy Pie to do its thing.

Ease-of-use allows developers to spend more time writing quality code instead of spending a lot of their own personal time configuring and managing different aspects, such as servers, load balancers, databases, or networks.

Cloud computing in general and PaaS solutions are highly scalable. Elastic Beanstalk can scale apps up or down automatically through auto-scaling settings that use metrics like CPU utilization to trigger the scaling process. Users get complete control over their resources by managing them with management capabilities.

Elastic Beanstalk is a service that provides on-demand computing resources for running applications in the cloud. It does not have any additional or separate charges associated with it, and users only pay for what they use without any upfront fees.

Key features

• Easy deployment
• Wide selection of app platforms and deployment options
• Unified interface for management and monitoring
• Over 40 key metrics in the Health Dashboard
• Integrated with AWS X-Ray and Cloudwatch
• Automatic updates and notifications
• Auto-scaling and load balancing
• Multiple availability zones
• Complete control over resources and customization
• ISO, SOC1/2/2, and PCI compliant

Top PaaS Companies 2017: Microsoft Azure

Microsoft is one of the providers that offer IaaS and PaaS offerings. With their platform, customers can choose what best suits their requirements or workload.

If you want to try Azure for a month, get $200 credit and 12 months of free popular services. There are also 25+ other free options that can be used at any time if the pay-as-you-go plan is chosen.

The free account is a great way to test and deploy new apps, create custom experiences for your customers and get valuable insights. The products available in the 12-month period are:

• Linux and Windows Virtual Machines
• Managed Disks
• Blob and file storage
• SQL database
• Computer vision
• AI+ Machine Learning
• Anomaly Detector
• Text analytics
• Translator text and form recognizer
• Language understanding and Ink recognizer

You can find these free products in the following regions and with this resource:

• Databases: DataAzure Cosmos DB, Data Factory
• Compute: Functions, App Service, AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service), Batch
• Developer tools: DevTest Labs, Azure DevOps, Visual Studio Code, Machine Learning Server, SQL Server 2017-Developer Edition
• Integration: Event Grid
• Identity: Active Directory B2C
• Containers: Service Fabric, Search, Notification Hubs
• Security: Security Center
• Management and Governance: Advisor, Automation
• Networking: Load Balancer, Virtual Network, Inter-VNET data transfer
• Analytics: Data Catalog

Top PaaS Companies 2017: Red Hat OpenShift Container

OpenShift is a Red Hat Linux-based application development and hosting platform that combines the features of OpenStack IaaS with automated installation, management, upgrades. It also offers security at all levels, in addition, to support for multiple languages.

Red Hat OpenShift Dedicated provides private and hosted options on Google Cloud or AWS. The support is provided by RedHat.

IBM and Red Hat have joined forces to create a public cloud service that is jointly operated, engineered, and supported. This self-managed container platform will run on Kubernetes with the help of IBM’s expertise.

Critical apps and enterprise products include:

• Red Hat + Microsoft Azure: Virtual Network, unlimited projects, jointly supported
• Red Hat Hosted Dedicated: Virtual private cloud, unlimited projects, supported by Red Hat
• Self-hosted Container Platform: Runs on any infrastructure, complete admin control
• For individuals: Red Hat OpenShift online is offered as a Starter (Public cloud, one project, community support) and Pro (public cloud, 10 projects and basic support)
• Users can also opt for running OpenShift Online (for development/testing/production workloads), Container and Dedicated platforms together (for greater flexibility and resources) 

Key features

• OpenShift Dedicated: Pricing starts from $16,000/year (bring-your-own-cloud)
• Fully managed on Google/AWS cloud
• A variety of instance types, including compute/memory optimized
• Option to bring own cloud
• Multi-zone availability, multi infrastructure nodes, and masters
• VPC peering and integration
• Premium support
• Flexible authentication, LDAP/GitHub/OpenID
• Integrated container registry
• Azure-RedHat: Pricing starts from $0.761 per hour
• Self-service deployment or CRDs
• Cluster node scaling to match demand
• Global availability
• PCI/DSS/HITRUST/FedRAMP High compliant
• RedHat-IBM
• Fully managed clusters-as-a-service
• Automated provisioning
• Automatic upgrades
• FIPS 140-2/Type 4 encryption
• Security patch management
• Enterprise isolation
• Metered billing
• Integration with RedHat middleware and other advanced services such as Watson
• Native OpenShift dashboards
• PCI/GDPR/HIPAA/SOC 1/SOC 2 Typ 2 compliance
• OpenShift Container
• Enterprise Kubernetes
• Automated operations, including installation and updates
• Hybrid cloud
• Centralized policy management
• CNCF Certified

Top PaaS Companies 2017: Salesforce aPaaS

Salesforce offers a wide range of services for businesses, including servers and other technology.

The aPaaS runs on Heroku and the lightning platform, which allows developers to get started quickly. The real-time collaboration features are really great for development as well.

Heroku is a cloud computing platform that helps developers build and manage scalable web applications. With Heroku, you can use open-source languages like Java, Python, Node.js, or Ruby to create apps for any device type – desktop computer browser extension mobile app.

Private spaces allow developers to build custom environments and compute runtimes for improved privacy and security. This also allows them to scale instantly in response to sudden surges of demand or a workload that requires more resources.

Heroku is a container-based platform that provides developers with an easy way to code, deploy and manage their apps. The platform allows for the use of open frameworks and languages including Java, PHP, Ruby Python, Nodejs Scala Go Clojure, among others.

The lightning platform is designed to help developers build low-code apps more efficiently. The time saved on coding allows them to create marketing, legal, and HR mobile-ready apps in less time.

Salesforce PaaS has a steep learning curve, but it offers quick app development and automation of different business processes.

Key features

• A consistent leader in the aPaaS Magic Quadrant
• Lightening platform
• Blockchain app/networks building
• Branded apps for different departments
• Easy app publishing on Google and Apple app stores
• Prebuilt templates and ready-to-use components
• Centralized app management
• Predictive insights
• AI-powered analytics
• Development sandbox
• Environmental data analysis and tracking
• Business process digitization
• Predictive capabilities
• Easy data integration from ERPs, databases, and IoT
• Salesforce Heroku Platform
• Single-command code deployment
• App compilation and building
• Dependency and asset handling
• Vertical and horizontal app scaling
• Automated health checks
• Performance optimization and monitoring
• Heroku Elements for extending the functionality of apps
• 30-minute SLA
• Private Spaces

Top PaaS Companies 2017: Google App Engine

Google offers a wide range of cloud services, including computing and hosting (serverless, managed application), databases (both SQL and NoSQL), storage networking big data machine learning.

App Engine is a platform that allows developers to create apps without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure. The ability for devs to not have to configure, manage and deploy their app saves them time because they can instead focus on making better products.

Developers can use tools such as Cloud Source Reps, SDKs for multiple languages, and IDEs to develop backend servers. This allows them to focus on the code while a provider handles automatic scaling, managed patching, and server management.

Companies and developers can avoid worrying about under/over provisioning with per-second billing. The platform scales automatically depending on resource consumption or app traffic, so there are no upfront costs or termination fees. Additionally, a 30% discount is available for sustained use (Cloud SQL and Compute Engine).

Key features

• Server-less, fully managed
• No configuration deployment
• No server/infrastructure management
• Command-line resource management
• Source code debugging in the production environment
• API backends
• Automatic scaling
• Managed patching
• IAM and firewall capabilities
• SSL/TLS certificates
• Per-second billing, consumption-based
• Custom runtimes
• App diagnostics
• App versioning
• Traffic splitting
• Sustained use committed use discounts
• Rightsizing recommendations
• Google Cloud Platform integration (the same infrastructure as Google’s search engine)

Bottomline

The benefits of cloud computing are immense, but the playing field is not level. It offers equal access to businesses regardless of size and provides SMBs with infrastructure that was once reserved for Fortune 500 companies.

Platform as a service can provide developers with the resources they need to build and run their apps without having to worry about complicated infrastructure.

The projected growth of this market from $0.7 billion in 2012, up until 2026, is an indication that more people are looking for PaaS solutions because it gives them access to established computing infrastructures. Click To Tweet