Everything-as-a-Service originated as software-as-a-service (SaaS) and has since expanded to include services such as infrastructure-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service, storage-as-a-service, desktop-as-a-service, disaster recovery-as-a-service, roaming-as-a-service and even nascent operations like marketing-as-a-service and healthcare-as-a-service.

A Unified Workspace brings together all On-premises and Cloud-based services into a coherent whole whilst removing the need for specialised technical knowledge. Let’s look at each component individually before focusing on what a unified approach can do for you.

On-Premises refers to a usage and license model for server-based computer programs (software). Until about 2010, local use of software was the norm and therefore had no special designation. Only since local use has increasingly been replaced by software as a service (SaaS) or cloud computing has the term off-premises emerged as an antonym.

SaaS is the provision of third-party applications, usually via the cloud. As most SaaS applications run directly through a web browser, they do not need to be installed on the client side. This model is economical because it eliminates the need to maintain competent IT staff to download and install applications on each individual end-user device. With SaaS, all potential technical issues are abstracted up to the vendor, with enterprise clients left uninhibited by issues around protecting and accessing data, middleware, or servers.

PaaS is a cloud model to deliver a framework for developers that they can build upon and use to create customised applications. All server maintenance, storage considerations, and networking issues are left to the cloud-provider leaving developers to focus on the development of the applications. The PaaS delivery model resembles SaaS, with the platform being accessed via the Internet; with issues such as managing operating systems, software updates, storage, or infrastructure abstracted back to the PaaS service provider.

Cloud infrastructure services, often known as IaaS comprise a set of highly-scalable and automated compute resources. IaaS enables users to self-serve all aspects of access to and monitoring of virtual machines (VMs), networking, storage, and other services. The economic benefits leveraged from IaaS are myriad, with businesses empowered by the on-demand purchase of resources while abstracting away all issues that surround buying, maintaining, and replacing hardware. IaaS delivers users the infrastructure, including the servers, network, operating systems, and storage, through virtualisation technology. Managing such fine-tuned control over the entire infrastructure does, however, require that your business hosts some very competent cloud engineers. IaaS cloud engineers are required to manage components such as provisioning VMs, applications, managing run-times, choosing operating systems and middleware, and managing back up of, and control access, to data. Customisation is also required to ensure that load balancing is effective and latency free.

Focus on customer results Everything-as-a-Service

That continuous connection sets up a crucial feedback loop. Paying attention to outcomes means that vendors have an incentive to invest in customer success — and if they don’t, customers will walk. Nielsen sums up:

In the new services economy, customer retention is critical.

So if you don’t want to pay any more high roaming fees, get your Alertify SIM card and ‘roaming as a service’ service.

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