Understanding Cloud Basics - PAAS

In the last entry we saw how IAAS is provided by the service provider and the agility it brings to IT infrastructure. In this post aim is to go a notch higher and see how platform as a service works and simplifies developers life.
One thing everyone should understand is its all about business, PAAS is important because developers can focus on building apps which is there core functions and not worry about the systems.
PAAS is platform as a service. It includes the following features -
a) Data management
b) Web management
c) Application Management
In essence all the development system stuff is encapsulated or automated and is fully transparent to the end developer.
Let's take an example to understand what goes in to building a PAAS
A typical 3-tier deployment to build a PAAS is as follows -


PAAS Providers -


However when you use PAAS provider like google app engine, windows Azure, these complexities are hidden from you.
All you have need to do is deploy your code. Ideally PAAS characteristics are as follows -
1) Auto Scale
2) Self Healing
3) Pay as you use
(Infact Amazon's beanstalk is free, you pay only for underlying resources)

Following are few the PAAS providers in cloud computing -
1) Cumulogic - Java PAAS
2) Cloud Bees - Java PAAS
3) OrangeScale - Google app engine, windows Azure
4) Amazon AWS - Beanstalk and RDS
5) Heroku - Ruby on rails PAAS
6) Google app engine - Python PAAS
7) CA 3tera applogic - PAAS enabling cloud software.

I hope this is easy to understand PAAS introduction, look out for SAAS in the next entry