More businesses have been migrating their workloads to the cloud in recent years, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. With increasing cloud adoption came an expansion in the variety of solutions available to organizations, leading to the rise of Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS).
What is XaaS?
XaaS is a service model, in which solutions are delivered through the cloud instead of being installed or based on the user's premises. With Xaas, you pay third-party providers only for the services your business needs and for as long as you need these, giving you a lot of freedom with your tech budget.
The "X" in the acronym may be replaced by any letter to denote the type of solution being delivered. Some examples of XaaS include:
- Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) allows users to run applications through the internet without having to install any software on their computers.
- Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) provides a platform for developers to build, test and deploy applications in the cloud.
- Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) delivers on-demand computational resources like storage, networking, and computing power through the internet.
- Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) provides a customizable virtual version of a desktop computer that your staff can access anywhere to perform their tasks.
- Analytics-as-a-Service (AaaS) provides cloud-based data analytics tools that allow you to efficiently track your business's metrics.
Why are businesses shifting to XaaS?
There are many reasons why businesses are embracing XaaS solutions, the most common of which are:
Cost-effectiveness
On-premise solutions require businesses to shoulder significant upfront and long-term maintenance costs. Take storage servers, for instance. Not only do you have to buy these servers, but you also need to allocate space for them in your office. You must also set up cooling and power systems to keep the machines running optimally and hire IT staff to manage them.
With IaaS, on the other hand, you don't buy machines or worry about power, cooling, manpower, space, repair, and other costs associated with owning a physical server. You get a virtual server in which to store your files and pay only for the storage space you actually use. This greatly reduces your operating expenses and frees up cash that you can use to grow your business further.
Scalability
Your tech must adapt to your business's changing needs. With on-premise solutions, this means buying more hardware and software as your company grows or letting go of certain resources as your business's requirements shrink. And considering the time needed to procure, install, or decommission solutions, implementing necessary changes could take several days.
With XaaS, you can quickly add or remove services as your business needs change. For example, if you need more storage space for your data, you can simply sign up for a higher storage tier from your IaaS provider. When you no longer need that extra storage, you can just downgrade back to a lower tier or cancel the service altogether without wasting business resources or incurring additional costs.
Flexibility
On-premise solutions offer very limited access to users. Desktops, for instance, are incredibly bulky and can only be used within the office. Should any event prevent your staff from going to the office, your company will see a dramatic dip in productivity.
In contrast, XaaS solutions can be accessed through any internet-connected device anytime and anywhere. DaaS, in particular, allows your staff to access their office desktops, including their files and apps, through their personal laptops or smartphones. This allows them to finish their tasks even outside the office. XaaS is, therefore, crucial if you want your business to be more flexible and agile.
Security
Data breaches have become more common in recent years, and the consequences can be devastating to businesses. A single data breach can result in loss of customer trust, legal penalties, and reputational damage.
The good news is that XaaS solutions often employ state-of-the-art cybersecurity measures like encryption and multifactor authentication to protect your data. This gives you peace of mind knowing that your data is secure at all times.
XaaS is the way to go if you want top-notch solutions that will also help you save money, become more resilient, and keep your data safe. At Safebit we can help you determine the best XaaS solutions that match your company's unique needs. Contact our experts today to get started.
