Introduction to Alternative New Approaches to IT Delivery

The concept of alternative IT delivery models has been popular for last several years. This isn’t a new concept. But the circumstances resulting from the Covid- 19 pandemic have underlined the importance of these models. During the last couple of years, businesses have realized how crucial these alternative approaches are. We get to see that companies are quick enough to adopt these new approaches were the ones that remained unaffected during the pandemic times. What are some of the significant alternate IT delivery models? Let’s look at the three most popular alternate models: • IaaS (Infrastructure as a service): The “Infrastructure as a service” model has immensely simplified things for businesses when compared to the corresponding scenario of the past. In the bygone era, companies were necessitated to maintain their exclusive servers for hosting IT infrastructure. But now, things have changed for the better! Business entities of modern times are enabled to store this infrastructure in the cloud. Also, they can do that without losing control over pivotal elements like operating systems and cyber security. And here, payment needs to be made only for cloud space that a company has used. There are no extra cost involved. • SaaS (Software as a service): In the SaaS model, the delivery of software takes place through the Internet. Here, there is no need to buy the software package. Under “Software as a service,” users have the choice of buying only those services they require. It is not mandatory to buy the entire package. With this delivery model, access is gained to numerous applications in the cloud, along with the convenience of automatic app updates. • PaaS (Platform as a service): “Platform as a service” provides a third-party platform where organizations can build and operate their applications. These platforms are inclusive of all apps and tools that are essential for present-day software development. This feature helps companies in saving costs, in a big way. Alternative IT delivery models- Key points At this point, it will be only appropriate to succinctly focus on some key points related to these new delivery models. • Increased dependence on alternative delivery models has become possible predominantly due to the advent of sophisticated and proven digital technologies. • As a result of these technologies, we can have unique ecosystems, which act as a unified platform to offer ranges of products and services to customers. • These innovative delivery models benefit in many unprecedented ways. Companies now has the ability to increase their capacities, within a short span of time according to market conditions. • However, these new delivery models are being viewed only as optional by many. The market experts are emphatically predicting that in the subsequent few years these alternative approaches are going to completely revolutionize the global business environment and associated IT portfolios. • We must understand that not all delivery models are suitable for every business. The most viable model for a given organization is dependent on factors such as the business itself, technologies involved, and user experiences preferred.