Classification of Oracle Cloud services
All services are built based on a set of functionalities that describes how they work based on the structure delivered by Oracle. We can see any cloud service as a software in Oracle Cloud, classified in two main categories: applications – which refers to Software as a Service (SaaS) and Data as a Service (DaaS), and platforms – which refers to Platform as a Services (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
SaaS – Oracle delivers software in the cloud on a subscription basis. This means that everything from updates to back-ups is covered and maintained by Oracle and all you have to do is log-in. When it comes to SaaS or applications deployed in the cloud, Oracle offers plenty of solutions. Depending on your needs, these include Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Human Capital Management (HCM), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Marketing or Sales.
DaaS – Besides the three main cloud categories (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS), Oracle is offering a special application service type which provides access on demand to data, without any influence from the organizational or geographical separation between the consumer and the provider.
If you have other requirements that cannot be found through the multitude of standard solutions offered by Oracle, it might be better to opt for a PaaS model and start building your own application on top of the platform provided by Oracle.
PaaS – Through this model, Oracle is providing the platform that will allow you to manage your third-party or in-house developed applications. It will be Oracle’s responsibility to take care of all complex buildings on the infrastructure and any other functionalities on the platform developed to sustain your application(s) installation.
IaaS – When you’re deploying Oracle’s IaaS, you’ll have access to computing infrastructure and hardware components from the vendor’s side through a public connection, but you’ll have to take care of the platform, data and applications, including therefore the operating system and middleware components. Oracle hosts and manages the physical servers and the networking infrastructure and the customers receive access to this “cloud” infrastructure.