Popular cloud computing services: the PaaS (Platform as a Service)

One model for many developing companies, particularly those who are developing new software is Paas.  Paas or Platform as a Service is somewhere in between Iaas and Saas services because while it is not as restrictive as Saas it also is not as flexible as Iaas.  Paas lets the customer scale their operations according to their growth, and helps with development by having a consistent platform for a group of developers.

One use for Paas is for developing programs from multiple remote locations, because its services streamline the programing side.  By standardizing the available products or tricks in the bag, multiple people can remotely add to the programs being designed by the engineers without stepping on each others toes.  It is often used by companies that offer specialized services to other companies.  A company offering these services will often rent a cloud platform that gives them tools to then design programs for other companies to use.  The service is the platform like a Windows or Mac platform, except not as simple and customized by the Cloud providers themselves.

Paas is a convenient tool for developers and others who wish to coordinate their projects onto interpretable software.  A developer of some sort often needs to be working in the same language as their coworkers, to be able to integrate their particular designs with each other.  And for many companies that have developers working remotely this helps keep their work on the same level.  Paas works for other types of structures as well, a company that provides a software service to other companies may use Paas system to supplement their own servers.  The cloud is often used as a way for start-ups to avoid many of the costs associated with owning a server.  Paas is often a ‘pay as you go’ platform, meaning you can pay as your need arises.  If you need to rent more space you can pay according to your needs.  This helps young start-ups get costs associated with initial investments down.  Though by no means is a Paas provider limited to a start-up as their customer base.  A more developed company might want to use a Paas system to streamline operations.

Though the customer base for Paas is generally designers who offer applications for consumption, the advantage to using a platform specific Cloud service is that the customer can write all the code, and not be tied down to creating up the entire infrastructure of Iaas.  Saas services just wouldn’t work for developers.  The platform provided by the cloud services frees the developers up to work on more necessary tasks.

Paas customers can be varied, not limited to software developers alone.  A Paas provider might simplify their platform to provide more basic services that allow a company to have many built-in features.  While Saas and Iaas have elements of this, Paas is more variable in what it offers from provider to provider.  The Paas system is not as simple as a Saas system or an Iaas system.  The Iaas systems tend to be more hardware oriented, where the platform and software are already developed; in this way it is generally utilized by companies that already have a product to push out.  The Paas while solely for developing companies enables a developer to utilize the Cloud offering at all ends of their development process.

Paas in this way really enables new ideas and new developments in the tech world. Essentially keeping an application or web developer set from the beginning to the end. Though as the company grows they may want to consider hosting their own servers or depending on their needs renting out an Iaas host down the road.  But having the availability of the Paas enables young companies to begin and sell their products by saving them from hardware and various software development tools needed to really make excellent products.

The Federal Risk Management and Accreditation Program

FedRAMP (Federal Risk Management and Accreditation Program) is an accreditation process through which the cloud provides align their security policies to those that have been stated by the U.S government. Although this process is new, it has brought a number of improvements to the cloud security and is expected to being more improvements. With the approach, standardisation is provided for both cloud services and products.

It is aimed at accelerating the rate at which secure cloud solutions for the government agencies are adopted, and the security of cloud products and services is improved. FedRAMP also ensures that consistent security is achieved across all the government agencies, automating the services and ensuring that there is continuous monitoring.

FedRAMP helps us implement a framework in with a standardised processes for the purpose of security assessments which can leverage the path for the ongoing authorisation and assessment and as well as the initial P-ATO. With a unified approach to the idea of cloud computing, you will experience a decrease in time, cost and the resources which be needed in architecting the cloud solution and the security will be improved while creating uniform standards across all the government agencies. This will make it easy for the agencies to update their IT infrastructure so as to make an improvement so as to provide services and protect their data in an efficient manner.

Although the FedRAMPO will provide us with the framework, agencies will be tasked with looking for the cloud service provider (CSP) having P-ATO and meting all the needs of the FedRAMP. The agency will also be tasked with taking a good inventory of the cloud services, which will help us develop a good cloud strategy, and report on the cloud service infrastructure on an annual basis. This task can be tiresome and this is why agencies usually choose CSP who not only satisfies the needs of the FedRAMP but has a complete understanding of the whole FedRAMP process and has the necessary resources so as to continue supporting the agency.

As government agencies continue to adopt cloud computing, quality CSPs are a necessity as they can help the agencies to reduce the risk they face in cloud adoption strategies. Since each agency is unique in this case, each may have its own requirements. Also, CSPs are not the same. However, the best thing is for the agency to look for a CSP which is much flexible. This will make it possible for the specific security controls of the agency to be layered to be layered on top of our base FedRAMP infrastructure. Each agency will want to get a CSP formed by a team of professionals who are experienced and willing to listen to the agency and understand its specific needs. The CSP should also help the agency in achieving their unique objectives.
For some enterprises, FredRAMP will have two meanings: a mechanism for measuring the success of security, and a way for selling the cloud services to the government agencies under the command of migrating to the cloud.

Some of the organisations which run clouds and adhere to the FredRAMP standards include Akamai, Amazon Web Services, Lockheed Martin and the U.S Department of Agriculture. Both the private industry representatives and governmental stakeholders took part in developing the FredRAMP standards in 2012. They were geared towards reducing costs, increasing efficiencies and increasing the level of safety in the cloud. In case you are not a CSP, there are several avenues for you to get involved. You can take advantage of a FredRAMP provider, which will help in sending messages of seriousness. You can also apply for a Third-Party Assessment Organisation.