01-17-17 | Blog Post
More and more industries, from higher ed to transportation, are adopting the cloud and the endless number of possibilities it provides. This has led to the development of the next-generation cloud, known as X as a Service. XaaS, where X stands for anything, is a single service or collection of services that are delivered to the client over the internet. The most common examples are software (SaaS), infrastructure (IaaS), and platform (PaaS), but virtually every layer of the IT stack can be offered as a service.
How has this trend emerged? XaaS is cloud computing, so of course the cloud has been the biggest factor. The cloud makes IT more cost effective, making the technology more accessible to everyone, and because services are delivered over the internet, they are available to everyone.
What does this mean for the industry? It’s another sign of the operational model heading in a new direction. XaaS leans towards the consumption-based model and moves away from the traditional internal IT model. It represents the pinnacle of service-based IT, disrupting traditional IT model. XaaS can help businesses drive growth and revenue by allowing them to focus less on typical commodity services (email, software development) and focus more on services that do increase revenue. The service provider does all the work of managing, deploying, etc. for the services you are requesting, whether that’s software, desktop, or disaster recovery, meaning the client can focus on more core projects. In addition, XaaS delivers the benefit of offering services on demand, rather than in a confined amount of time or space.
Of course, with all the possibilities cloud computing offers, that means bad services are cropping up—truly lending Anything as a Service its name. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the financial benefits the cloud computing model offers, and ideas such as Ransomware as a Service (RaaS), DDoS as a Service (DDoSaaS or DaaS), and Malware as a Service (MaaS) have all become very real during the past year. Thanks to these bad services, anyone can become a bad actor with minimal or no background in programming and for little money.
With malware so easily and cheaply available, this means organizations across the globe will have to step up their cybersecurity procedures and make sure they are consistently aware of threats and have an emergency plan ready. In this day and age, it’s not a matter of if an attack will happen, but when.
Fortunately, this is where you can put XaaS to work by using Backup, Disaster Recovery and security as services to develop a strategy that will keep your data safe and available. These services and others are all managed by the provider, so there is no need for the client to spend additional time and resources managing and maintaining the infrastructure that comes with them. XaaS also allows you to pick and choose the services you need, when you need them.
The future of cloud-based services is bright and seems poised to be around for a long time. Organizations get the flexibility they seek to be more efficient and better drive revenue, but have to be wary of shady services emerging as well. Online Tech offers secure hybrid cloud, backup and disaster recovery solutions. Visit our website, www.otava.com, or email us to learn more.
