So you’ve decided to use the cloud to handle your basic storage needs, and it’s going well. But you’ve decided to take it a step further and deliver virtualized computing environments across one or more clouds. That’s where platform as a service (PaaS) comes into play.
Our own Arthur Cole has written about PaaS numerous times, including the importance of integrating with internal systems to handle cloud architectures. He’s also explored the drawbacks to PaaS — i.e. platforms are tied to a single IaaS environment — as well as the vendors looking to make the transition a smooth and worthwhile one.
Before you embark on a PaaS implementation, it’s critical that you determine if it’s right for your organization or worth the cost and effort. Below are few tools from the IT Downloads library to help you in that endeavor.
PaaS TCO Comparison Tool: While the cloud may provide a low-cost barrier to entry, the amount spent over time may reach in-house levels. This tool will help you calculate and compare in-house costs to cloud service costs.
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) Business Plan Template: This template helps you define a comprehensive corporate PaaS strategy, focus on the problems that the cloud platform service is supposed to solve and identify opportunities that PaaS may present to your business.
PaaS Appropriateness Assessment Tool: Use this assessment tool to determine how platform-as-a-service (PaaS) technology fits within your organization’s development strategy.