Platform-As-A-Service Is Here: How To Sift Through The Options

The term platform-as-a-service describes many different approaches to developing applications that run in Internet data centers, and each of these approaches is suited to a limited number of application scenarios. These scenarios are evident in the developer services each platform provides as well as in each provider's customers. For your experimentation with PaaS, select products that not only are well aligned with your shop's applications needs and skills but that also provide the facilities you'll need to create useful applications. Before selecting PaaS products to evaluate, consider two other approaches to developing applications using "cloud" architectures: direct use of an infrastructure-as-a-service product such as Amazon EC2, and development of your own data center based on "cloud" technologies and design principles. Lastly, temper your planning with a strong understanding of the potential rewards PaaS can bring your organization as well as the risks of these new products.