The Cloud, SaaS and On-Demand

Research firm Ernst & Young projects that in the next two to three years, over 72 percent of India’s IT infrastructure companies will adopt cloud computing. With more and more Indian companies migrating to the cloud, it is vital to clarify the differences between cloud computing, SaaS and on-demand services. A recent article published in VAR India tries to get expert views on these three terminologies.

Cloud computing can be explained as a platform that renders services like software, infrastructure, data access, storage and computational abilities. All the services are delivered over the internet and the user can access it through a web browser. All relevant data and applications are stored in a server at a remote location and are connected to the internet. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a delivery model through which vendors render software and its features to remote users through the cloud.

Businesses utilizing Saas / IaaS / PaaS as and when required, can be termed as On-demand. Cloud and on-demand are very closely linked as cloud represents the platform and on-demand is a mode of consumption of the solution. According to Ramshankar, Head – Strategic Programs, Ramco on-demand ERP,

“On-Demand is one of the characteristics or properties of the cloud. Users expect that the cloud will enable on-demand delivery of any of the services such as SaaS, IaaS or PaaS.”

Click here to learn more about the comparative analysis provided by Industry experts about the Cloud, SaaS and On-demand.