There are several reasons for this development. Companies and organizations no longer want to invest in IT infrastructure. They want to take advantage of platforms and services to increase their profits and reduce time for business. General market uncertainty also plays a role: companies are becoming more cautious and less inclined to invest.
And the increase in remote work due to the pandemic has made moving to the cloud easier and more secure. IaaS is much better suited for remote work and distributed operations than traditional solutions.
Digital transformation, driven by the rapid evolution of the As-a-Service model, has changed the way we do business. All companies need to be flexible, fast and responsive to customer and market demands—otherwise, competition will disappoint them.
Digitization has happened so fast that it's hard to imagine any other way to consume – as if individuals would go back to buying CDs instead of listening to music from streaming services or as if all the companies in the world were managing their own central server with their own staff.
As-a-Service can be said to have "democratized infrastructure" because, currently, it does not require large investments or extensive skills to access modern, secure, and up-to-date IT.
Top 10 "As-a-Service" offerings
In our digital age, almost anything can be added with these three words, which is why we also have the term XaaS: the mysterious "X"-as-Service!
But "everything" is the broadest definition, so here are the top 10 "aaS" offerings:
IaaS (infrastructure)
IaaS is one of the top three cloud computing services and allows you to lease basic computing infrastructure—such as servers, firewalls, and data centers—from cloud service providers.
Its main benefit is easy scalability—you only pay for what you need for as long as you need it.
PaaS (Platforms)
The second of the top three cloud services, PaaS, takes the IaaS offering and goes one step further by providing services such as operating systems, development tools, and database management.
The big advantage is that you can grow your business without having to hire people with new IT skills; they are there for you.
SaaS (software)
The third cloud service, SaaS, includes both PaaS and IaaS services and adds the icing on the cake: hosted applications. A common example is an email service, which resides on your service provider's network but retains all of your information and gives you—and often your customers—access to premium online software.
DBaaS (database)
Reliable databases are essential for business in the era of Big Data. A reliable database not only has minimal downtime—it is also easy to access and navigate.
DBaaS provides off-premises storage for your data that is easy to use and generally much less expensive than investing in the necessary equipment and infrastructure.
DaaS (desktop)
DaaS is a form of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and delivers a full suite of desktops to your devices without the need to purchase and install the individual suites of software and applications that most businesses require. Big advantages include access by employees and contractors from anywhere in the world, as well as built-in security and updates.
CaaS (communication)
Communication is clearly essential to any business and is constantly evolving – think email, instant messaging (IM), video conferencing, standard phone calls, and voice-over IP (VoIP).
With an ever-evolving suite of tools, CaaS ensures you have the software and hardware to stay on top of communications.
HaaS (hardware)
Like your traditional lease, HaaS requires the company to lease the hardware instead of buying it, but it usually comes with a vendor guarantee to maintain and upgrade the hardware over the life of the contract.
It can also be used remotely—for example, with storage hardware via the cloud.
SECaaS (Security)
Instead of your IT department installing, updating, and maintaining your IT security-including antivirus software, firewalls, and spam filters-SECaaS see the full suite of modern security delivered over the Internet.
This means your security is overseen by a dedicated team that keeps it up-to-date, keeping you and your valuable data safe.
HaaS (Health Care)
Healthcare is in the midst of a revolution as mobile devices and teleconferencing make "visiting" a doctor more convenient and less time-consuming.
HaaS is seen as a big part of the future of healthcare and is expected to reduce waiting times by handling less urgent cases remotely or even with chatbots.
TaaS (Transportation)
The rise of ride-sharing platforms like Uber and the impending boom in autonomous vehicles is fueling the rise of TaaS (though as electric cars become more common, fuel will actually be a small part of the service).
It is hoped that this will result in more users but far fewer vehicles on the road as parked cars and hours will be a thing of the past.
The on-demand economy has seen consumer patience slump to record lows, meaning fast, reliable service delivered in real-time over the Internet is no longer the future – it is the present.
However, a solid understanding of the power and potential of XaaS ( Anything | Everything As-a-Service) is essential for any business.
What are the benefits of XaaS (As-a-Service)?
- The company can retain ownership of the product and remove it when it is no longer needed.
- It offers a service model that reduces costs and simplifies IT implementation.
- Lack of on-site IT reflects less physical overhead in space for IT equipment, power, and staff resources, thereby reducing capital expenditures on operational costs.
- IT staff can use their time to improve business efficiency.
- XaaS providers offer most of the technologies and services one needs instead of looking for them individually.
- XaaS offers a subscription-based business model, monthly payments, no long contracts, and easy cancellation.
- With the elasticity that the cloud offers, XaaS offers an ever-expanding range of solutions that allow businesses to choose what they want.
In a highly connected world and competitive landscape, technology leaders understand the importance of XaaS and that its adaptability will be key to achieving digital transformation goals.
The Future of As-a-Service
We live in a technologically evolving world where the pace of innovation makes it difficult for us to keep up. Purchasing a product means the immediate risk of having outdated technology with unpredictable maintenance and service costs and the inability to change according to customer demand.
The enterprise IT landscape has been shifting to As-a-Service for some time, and this transition has been accelerated by changes in IT and workforce requirements caused by the pandemic – effects that may be with us for the foreseeable future. Adopters believe that service-based IT will help them achieve workforce efficiency and business agility, including easy experimentation with advanced technology and accelerated innovation. For many, these benefits represent a competitive advantage—which may prove more difficult as As-a-Service becomes more common.
To survive, software companies must think of what they offer not as a product with great features but as a solution to their customers' problems. From this perspective, the As-a-Service model only makes sense because it meets the needs of today's customers—without costly and time-consuming implementations—while also adapting to new requirements of the future.
As-a-Service offers high scalability, multi-tenant and location independence that can propel businesses of all sizes to greener pastures. The more the public knows about As-a-Service and its importance to a particular hierarchical group, the more likely it will become embedded in the core business. After all, what is As-a-Service if not a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experiment without sacrificing your most valuable resource?