Just what we need, another acronym. Business technology changes so fast, you don’t have enough hours in a day to wrap your head around it. The cloud has accelerated business tools and the adoption of the cloud has only increased the number of tools available to you, that new categories just seem to sprout like weeds. XaaS is just the latest addition. You might have heard of the As-A-Service industry; Software as a Service (SaaS), Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), and other as-a-service businesses. Have you heard XaaS?
It sounds overwhelming, but it really isn’t. This will cover what XaaS is and the types of XaaS companies.
What is XaaS?
XaaS is Everything-as-a-Service or Anything-as-a-Service and includes all the software, tools that tech vendors are offering as solutions over the Internet. XaaS is the umbrella that covers anything that can be a service, even Ransomware as a Service. XaaS takes advantage of cloud computing instead of on-premises software that you’re installing on local machines.
It allows more flexibility for your workers to be able to work and access powerful business software from anywhere with an Internet connection and login. The software is run on servers in data centers from all over.
Adopting an XaaS solution removes the need to worry about buying new software yearly, web services, on-site storage, or other hardware. Instead of doing anything in-house, you’re paying a monthly subscription fee per user.
Now that we’ve defined XaaS, here are a few of the types of XaaS companies.
1. Software as a Service (SaaS)
This might be the most common type of XaaS company. Most businesses implement a SaaS into the technology stack and use the software for various business purposes. Companies like Salesforce, HubSpot, Dropbox, and RingCentral (just to name a few). These SaaS businesses improve efficiency and streamline businesses process and functions.
It’s estimated that by 2025, 85% of business apps will be SaaS-based. These software companies aren’t going anywhere soon. Even Microsoft has migrated Office into the cloud with their subscription-based Microsoft 365.
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Platform as a Service (PaaS) refers to a cloud-based service that allows business to develop applications, software, or other software engineering projects on their cloud platform as opposed to building out. PaaS companies offer storage, servers, databases, and any other hardware the user needs.
PaaS vendors house everything, and all the hardware is owned by the company. The users build their projects and products, which eliminates the need to purchase expensive hardware. This also means the provider pays for the maintenance.
IBM Cloud is one such PaaS company. IBM Cloud allows companies to develop software applications and spin up servers for hosting.
3. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
IaaS companies provide companies with the infrastructure, usually computing power to develop, execute and quickly scale products. They can use the company’s infrastructure to grow quickly, as opposed to building out.
A PaaS solution is what a company would use to build their software, and an IaaS is what they would use to power and scale the software.
IaaS is typically pay-as-you-go and businesses will pay for what they use over time. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the most well-known IaaS company.
4. Analytics as a Service (AaaS)
Companies are taking advantage of AaaS companies to turn their data into valuable insights and using those insights to make actionable business decisions. With companies digitally transforming, it allows businesses to get a handle on their data and track their KPIs more effectively.
5. Unified Communicatons as a Service (UCaaS)
Unified Communications as a Service is the integration of multiple communication platforms and services into one single platform. UCaaS incorporates business telephone, text messaging, audio and video conferencing, and collaboration tools.
UCaaS providers own, run, and maintain the infrastructure and will license the service for a monthly fee and they handle the maintenance, reliability, and updates and upgrades of the technology and features.
Greenstar Understands the XaaS Landscape
At Greenstar Solutions, we understand the XaaS landscape and will provide a consultative approach to learn about your specific business needs and how an as-a-service can help streamline and improve your business processes. Contact us today and let’s get the conversation started. It’s a great time to transition to cloud-based software.
