Platform as a Service (PaaS) - What is it, Market Size, Pros and Cons

The Internet can be considered as a miracle in our life, which changes the outlook of our world. Thanks to the internet, our life has become much easier. It wouldn’t be wrong to call the internet the greatest invention of the modern world. The internet has connected everyone and converted this huge world into a small global village.

In this technologically advance and IT-dominated world, cloud computing is the new player. The days are long gone where you only have computer hard drives, where we used to store data and run programs. Now, because of the internet, we have the cloud computing system to do that.

Cloud computing enables us to store, manage and process data through the internet. Basically, it is a prototype that provides on-demand network access to shared computing resources.

Now to be specific, there are three delivery models of cloud computing and they are: SaaS, IaaS and PaaS

Today, in this article we are going to discuss PaaS and the market size of the PaaS industry. So, let’s get started.

“With the cloud, individuals and small businesses can snap their fingers and instantly set up enterprise-class services.”

- Roy Stephan

What is Platform as a Service (PaaS)?
How does Platform as a Service (PaaS) Work?
Pros and Cons of Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Market Size of the Platform as a Service (PaaS) Industry
Best Platform as a Service (PaaS) Providers
FAQ

What is Platform as a Service (PaaS)?

The first question that arises in our mind when we hear PaaS is, What is PaaS?. To be specified PaaS also known as Platform as a service is one of the delivery models of cloud computing that deals with application development with the hardware and software tools provided by the third party.

This model gives the user a free pass to develop and run the new applications without installing any hardware or software and also provides the necessary components needed for the deed.

How does Platform as a Service (PaaS) Work?

PaaS is provided through public, private, and hybrid clouds. They mainly provide an infrastructure for the development of an application. One can just have their access through a web browser.

This is mostly a pay per use basis service, although there is an option of the monthly fee as well, where the users have to pay the provider per month for the service.

A PaaS provider offers operating systems, database management tools, infrastructure, development tools, middleware, and other important equipment needed in the cloud environment.

Pros and Cons of Platform as a Service (PaaS)

PaaS as a service is gradually becoming a very significant part of the cloud computing industry.

There are many reasons why people prefer it, some of them are:

Pros

• The first and foremost reason would be cost-saving; it is probably the most important one. The pay per use basis barred the enterprise to use more expenses, this cannot be possible if in-house hardware and software are used.
• The user can access it from anywhere and at any time, thus giving a free pass to people from all around the world to collaborate in the development of an application.
• Using in-house resources and managing can take a lot of time which may result in delays. Developing application tends to be faster with the help of PaaS as the resources are managed automatically here.
• Any kind of device, mobile desktop, laptop can be used to develop applications through PaaS, unlike an on-site development platform that enables only one specific device.
• The web-based nature of PaaS helps in getting updated tools automatically. While in-house technology tends to get out of date

Just like the advantages, everything has its disadvantages as well, nothing is perfect. There are challenges that are needed to be solved and they are:

Cons

• Public PaaS products are not appropriate and are a basic concern for security as there are many people using the product and sharing the space with others.
• PaaS products are made by the providers, so there is no say of the users here. They have to use what they are being provided with. Therefore compatibility issues can arise.
• Moving from one platform to another can be a little tricky.

Market Size of the Platform as a Service (PaaS) Industry

The main reason for the growth of PaaS industry is because of the rise of cloud-based business. Many industries are adopting cloud services as they are able to meet their business goals at a minimal cost. With Covid-19 still looming over our heads, big businesses are opting for PaaS for developing and managing applications.

The growth of PaaS industry is because of the minimal cost required for application development with that the time that is given during the procedure is much lesser than what the users give during the onsite application development. Although, security issues can be a hinder to the growth of this market.

As per the reports, the market size of industry is 56.2 billion as of 2020 and it is expected to grow to 164.3 billion by 2026. The IT industry is looking forward to getting more involved with PaaS.

Best Platform as a Service (PaaS) Providers

There are various vendors who provides some of the best PaaS services and they are:

• Amazon Web Services - Elastic Beanstalk
• IBM - Bluemix
• Microsoft - Azure
• Red Hat - OpenShift
• Google - App Engine
• Microsoft - Azure
• Engine Yard
• Heroku
• Pivotal
• Mendix

Conclusion

Technological advancement has taken the world to a different level.  Thanks to that, humans are innovating things that are making life much easier than one could ever imagine. A thing can be developed with minimal cost is not time-consuming anymore.

PaaS industry will only rise with time and with the existence of on spot infrastructure and tools that are needed for the development and managing of applications. It is just a matter of time before every kind of business will pick the side of cloud computing and will involve itself in the PaaS industry.

FAQ

How Big is the Cloud Services Industry?

The market size of the global cloud industry is expected to reach $791.48 billion by 2028.

What is the main function of PaaS?

The main function of Pass is to develop, update, test, and host applications all in the same domain.

Which is the biggest PaaS Provider in the World?

Amazon Web Services is one of the biggest and best PaaS providers in the world.