Cloud hosting for eCommerce has a lot of benefits. In this article, we’ll be discussing several of those benefits. First, we need to make a distinction between SaaS, Paas and IaaS. Each of those can offer a different solution in the form of a service.
SaaS
With software as a service (SaaS) you’ll be receiving a ready-to-go software solution. Most of us use at least one SaaS product on a daily basis, think of applications like Gmail, Office 365, Dropbox or OneDrive. In short, SaaS allows users to connect and use cloud-based apps over the internet. Some apps may be free to use, others require a one-time purchase or make use of a subscription model. A SaaS product for eCommerce works on the same principle. Aspiring eCommerce merchants select a company with a licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed to a user and accessed via the internet. Some examples are Shopify, BigCommerce and 3dcart. With SaaS, customers don’t have to worry about any of the management or maintenance. The downside however is a lack of control and limited customization.
IaaS
With Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) eCommerce merchants no longer need to have their own physical computing resources. Instead, they rent those resources from a cloud provider. This grants them a cloud solution for storage, networking and servers, removing the need for big investments because you only pay for what you use. With IaaS you can simply scale up and down, depending on your needs. Overdependency can be a disadvantage if all your work is being handled through that one cloud provider. On top of that, you will be responsible for software upgrades, maintenance and other data systems.
PaaS
If developers are part of your eCommerce team then Platform as a Service (PaaS) is probably the best option for you. Developers spend a huge chunk of their time performing tasks that can be automated quite simply. Implementing PaaS means that you’ll be automating app lifecycle management, leaving your developers with more time to spend on creative solutions for your eCommerce business. PaaS often runs on top of IaaS. Selecting DeltaBlue as your PaaS means that you no longer have to worry about picking the right cloud vendor for your infrastructure. DeltaBlue can help by taking over that part, provisioning you with a tailor-made solution for application deployment and much more.