Cloud services

In next chapter we present cloud services stack. Most important are:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) – the most basic level of Cloud Services, provides virtualized computing resources that looks like a network connected computer with storage and an installed Operating System (Windows, Linux, UNIX, AIX, etc.). Cloud Services Consumers will typically access their IaaS instance using Remote Desktop Program, Telnet, SSH, Putty, etc and then install and configure the software they need.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) – adds properly configured standardized middleware (e.g., WebSphere App Server, DB2, MQ Series, Rational Software Developer, etc) to the infrastructure. Cloud Services Consumers make use of the standardized platform to create applications, build operational management systems, perform batch processing, etc.
Software as a Service (SaaS) – provides a full blown properly configured application software stack. Cloud Services Consumers utilize the software to accomplish their desired objectives. The entire application runs in the cloud – the Cloud Services Consumers do not have to procure, install and configure any hardware or software. Gmail is an example of SaaS.