The following blog comes from an interview with Perficient’s Chief Strategist of IT Modernization and Integration, Eric Roch, and is part of a series on cloud trends with experts from within Perficient.
The cloud needs have changed for many enterprises. These enterprises have accepted they need the cloud. Now they aren’t just asking how to utilize the cloud or how to host on the cloud. These enterprises have moved to asking how to build apps on the cloud.
This ties in with other things enterprises are asking about: namely how to be more innovative, faster, and more agile. The benefits of this are obvious, allowing enterprises to meet demands in exciting ways.
Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) models are the way that many enterprises are turning to answer these questions and build apps. Providing a platform for collaboration and innovation, PaaS brings exciting opportunities. Not all businesses are ready for PaaS though, even if they would like to embrace it. Getting to that stage is a process.
Why companies are embracing PaaS
PaaS meets the needs of enterprises today – it promotes innovation, velocity, and agility. The software can be hosted by the provider, allowing IT teams to work together to design and build apps on the cloud. This allows enterprises to work faster and combine with other internal teams. As a result, enterprises are able to deliver apps quicker and engage with their market faster.
It is because of this that PaaS is seen as a great method for enterprises to undergo a digital transformation. For early adopters, PaaS presents the chance for enterprises build their own future and stay ahead of the game.
As well as that, PaaS presents an opportunity for revenue more than traditional IT ever has. Enterprises are able to build digital products, and even digital channels, that enable them to sell in places that they haven’t previously. It is because of this that PaaS spending is now third in public cloud categories and is expected to only be outpaced in growth by infrastructure as a service (IaaS) spending.
Are you ready for PaaS?
Despite enterprises embracing PaaS, not all businesses are actually ready to take a PaaS model on. The requirements in terms of people, practices, and technology are advanced.
IT departments have generally served as a support team for businesses in the past. PaaS demands that this no longer be the case. Instead, IT teams need to be proactive and think of themselves as a research and development team. As shown by the above revenue opportunities, the IT department plays a significant role in driving business on PaaS.
It is because of this that DevOps also plays a crucial role for businesses using PaaS. This should come as no surprise – collaboration is king, after all. Delivering in an agile method enables this.
There’s the issue of security too. While the cloud is generally more secure than other options, teams need to understand how that security works. This includes the ability to effectively monitor a PaaS model and understand when issues arise, as well as following best practices in setting up a secure cloud environment.
For some businesses, these requirements are too much. All signs indicate that many are working to get to the point that they’re ready for PaaS, though.
Is PaaS the future?
Some enterprises may see PaaS as a distant thought. They understand its capabilities, but don’t think they will be ready for it soon. And, as the above requirements show, they are correct – not everyone is ready for PaaS. Building apps on PaaS is still quite difficult for many.
That was the case for mainframes in the past too though. Now we have gotten beyond the stage where everyone had a mainframe and businesses are on the cloud. Those that aren’t ready for PaaS are there in some form.
Some enterprises have moved to PaaS early because they see the same pattern emerging for PaaS. They believe that everyone will be on PaaS eventually. These early adopters are ahead of the game now, building things and developing a big competitive advantage.
For those that are ready, PaaS isn’t just the future – it’s the here and now. For others who aren’t ready, PaaS is still likely to be the future. As it matures and becomes easier to master and businesses adapt, it is likely to become the standard for building apps.
