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Why PaaS is the New Black

Updated 1 month ago

I had very interesting conversations and strategy sessions with my clients lately, and noticed peculiar things in the market as well — all of them around the same issue: Platforms.

No, I am not talking about the shoes of the 1970s we loved so much, I am talking about the intermediate layer of the cloud model – Platforms used to deploy applications.

I wrote about Chatter back in November, and Genesys couple of weeks ago — and in both I expressed my firm belief that ...

Platforms are going to be the issue that defines the cloud in the next few years. I also wrote about the cloud as being more than simply SaaS (Software as a Service) applications in my 2010 “predictions”. I truly believe this is going to be the issue that will define the next generation of enterprise applications (this whole SCRM v CRM v Enterprise 2.0 v Social Business has limited future — and even If I am wrong, they still need a platform to run on, right?).

Here is where I stand on this, an unedited version of my brain right now (careful, may scare you).

There are three layers to the cloud: IaaS (infrastructure), PaaS (platform), and SaaS (applications). They all ride on a universally known and publicly available network — they need it to exist (note: thus the impossibility of the “private cloud” — sorry, pet peeve). This network is controlled by — well, let’s face it Cisco and a couple of others that have some products here and there. OK, mostly Cisco. This “Mostly Cisco Network” supports the infrastructure layer which essentially handles the communications between the network and the platform, while providing some services (authentication, security, encryption, integration and links to database and legacy systems, and common protocols among others).

Right on top of the infrastructure is where the platforms live also interacting with the layer above: the applications. The platform is the management layer that connects the infrastructure with the logic and presentation layers provided by the applications. Here is where something like a community, a knowledge-base, and a rules engine (as examples) would exist in a cloud environment. Platforms provide an answer to the application on whatever information they needed, with the infrastructure and network supporting them.

Finally, the applications – the stuff that truly, honestly is the easiest of the three (complexity decreases as you climb the three layers of the cloud – or the seven layers of the OSI model in which it is modeled). As I used to say about survey software, anyone with a garage and a couple of weekends can build a cloud applications (as long as they have the platform and the infrastructure in place — otherwise is not a “cloud application”). Maybe more than a couple of weekends, but you get the idea..

This brings me back to my original point that platform solutions seem are emerging. A platform is what would make a call center (OK, contact center and we can accommodate several channels) flexible, dynamic, and able to add a new channel (say, like Social Channels) with relative ease. The social networks we talk about so much are all platforms (yes, Twitter, Facebook, Communities, etc.).

Why am I bringing this up?

I am sensing a rising problem: interconnecting the platforms. While ideally and in theory this would be handled by the cloud as long as the platforms support an underlying infrastructure, this is not the driving force for the design of new platforms. I am seeing platforms that MAY be open and easy to leverage and integrate, but with zero effort spent in trying to figure out how these platforms can and should work with each other. I am seeing half-baked efforts at platforms that don’t consider integration with infrastructure and other platforms as vital. This is not only bad, it makes the platforms not cloud-compliant and thus not very useful in the long-run.

I am trying to make sure that the new platforms are indeed open, integration-ready, and cloud-compliant. I want to raise the flag early on so we can actually leverage them, and make application development easier while making the problems they solve more complex. I want to make sure that this time around the cloud actually has staying power since my poor heart cannot take another CORBA-style disappointment.

Got it?

What do you think? Am I asking too much? Is the cloud even possible? Are platforms going to be the big thing for 2010? Would love to hear your thoughts on this…

More social media conversations about: platform, couple, infrastructure, application, v, layer, network, cloud, paas

37 comments on this story

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Showing 20 relevant reactions out of 37.

likes the PaaS concept and thinks it could be applied to online media as well. Hhmmm - http://bit.ly/cfWW9A

1 month ago by vadnu on Twitter

Craig,

Firsts, apologies for taking so long to reply — just saw this today.

While I agree with you, in principle, in the standard behavior for the vendors mentioned, I may be a bit more hopeful this time around. If what you say were to carry some weight, then Microsoft Azure would have already become the de-facto platform for cloud projects — which has not. I still believe ... See all content Hide content

1 month ago by Esteban Kolsky on Wordpress

Great article Esteban and what a great discussion!

You’re correct that the platform layer of the cloud will see much development in the near future. I fear that competitive pressures will create a world we’ve seen before… Several major platforms that don’t play nicely together – i.e. Windows vs. Mac

Microsoft, Salesforce, Google and Oracle are all creating ... See all content Hide content

1 month ago by Craig Klein on Wordpress

Nenshad,

Thanks for a great comment. Here is my position on the issue of database (I have been trying to raise this issue for a very long time now, few understand the issue of data storage and data management, and how complex it gets really quickly): I do believe we are at least 2-3 years from seeing the incipient ideas I highlighted above make it into the market somehow. I have began to see ... See all content Hide content

1 month, 1 week ago by Esteban Kolsky on Wordpress

Venky,

Thanks for the read and comment. I am not sure how the industries will react — but i’d prefer not to ask them I’d prefer to do what needs to be done and if someone needs to use stronger security or better collaboration tools they can find it. The main message I had was about leveraging the platforms instead of re-inventing the wheels each time. I sure hope ti happens ... See all content Hide content

1 month, 1 week ago by Esteban Kolsky on Wordpress

Hi Esteban,

Great post, but I never expect less from you. I have mentioned to people multiple times that without forethought, what is happening in the cloud looks EXACTLY like what happened in the early 2000’s: customers bought PeopleSoft for HR, Siebel for CRM, SAP for ERP, and none of it worked together, so then they used duct tapes and band-aids to try to turn the point-to-point mess ... See all content Hide content

1 month, 1 week ago by Nenshad Bardoliwalla on Wordpress

Well thought post, Esteban.

In all the scary thought of security on the cloud, the open source app call is well thought. I really wonder how the different industries that this platform will have to serve really react. Businesses need to understand the pains of IT but will IT be able to live up to business expectations vis-avis its painpoints? That remains to be seen.

Though SFDC – ... See all content Hide content

1 month, 1 week ago by venkataramanr on Wordpress

Phil,

Been working on that “simple chart” for about 4 months now It is part of a report called “The cloud for CRM Dummies” (working title, be glad to change it).

Problem is time available… will see if i can take one of those charts and make a post out of it quickly.

Stay tuned! (thanks for the twitter follow and the read here)

1 month, 1 week ago by Esteban Kolsky on Wordpress

Posted: Why PaaS is the New Black - I had very interesting conversations and strategy sessions with my clients late... http://ow.ly/16xuPG

1 month, 1 week ago by ekolsky on Twitter

Esteban

Interesting post. In a follow up, any chance that you can provide a diagram that lays all of these out? Just curious.

Thanks. I’m following you on Twitter now.

1 month, 1 week ago by Phil Simon on Wordpress

Ryan,

Yes, absolutely, 100% you cannot just say web services. Actually, you can — as long as you have the proper infrastructure (the three layers of the cloud) leveraging them in an open, dynamic, and flexible model to develop against.

Thanks for the kudos, but more important for validating my point that this is something that others are seeing / experiencing.

Thanks ... See all content Hide content

1 month, 1 week ago by Esteban Kolsky on Wordpress

Robbert,

First, when you say “I hope other are vendors have been doing their homework in this area” in regards to integration, all I can say — that is my most sincere hope. Without the easy, open integration provided by leveraging the three layers of the cloud, there is not much benefit of using a cloud (other than marketing prowess of not having to call it on-demand). I ... See all content Hide content

1 month, 1 week ago by Esteban Kolsky on Wordpress

Sameer,

Now, if you are truly going to push for a cloud-centric model the least you could do is warn the vendors what they are going to have to deliver. Oh, wait… I am going to do my part of pushing for this “glue” to bring it all together to be open and to follow the rules of the cloud model as much as possible. I hope others do the same.

And, btw, I agree with ... See all content Hide content

1 month, 1 week ago by Esteban Kolsky on Wordpress

Not asking too much – v legitimate concern.

I’ll up the ante though:

This time around, lets please not have the platforms/infrastructure figure out how people need to work together. One ERP-gestapo’d interaction model per century is enough. -)

Lets make sure that these platforms/infrastructures are open (embrace APIs and Plugins) and let the coming convergence ... See all content Hide content

1 month, 1 week ago by Sameer Patel on Wordpress

Integration? A problem in the cloud? Excellent post by @ekolsky: Why PaaS is the New Black - http://bit.ly/9rQaRe #SocBiz #Cloud #PaaS

1 month, 1 week ago by jilldyche on Twitter

Dear Esteban,

Rightly sad. There are interesting benefits in deploying your platforms and applications from the cloud, be it a public cloud, a private one or a combination of both. Either way, for any corporation using IT there will always be a need for integration between the various applications and data sources.

By experience I know that Salesforce is very keen on making integration ... See all content Hide content

1 month, 1 week ago by Robbert Bouman on Wordpress

I think you may be right about another “CORBA-style disappointment.” I’m not sure what the right solution is – you can’t just say web services.

At NetQuarry, this is something we discuss and struggle with daily, so thanks for the article – very smart in our opinion. The platform is the missing link in the current SaaS conversation.

Ryan Reid´s ... See all content Hide content

1 month, 1 week ago by Ryan Reid on Wordpress

Why PaaS is the New Black: http://bit.ly/9rQaRe (build platforms right, pls) | Interesting thoughts by @ekolskly on platform trends...

1 month, 1 week ago by ciboodler on Twitter

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by ekolsky: Posted: Why PaaS is the New Black – http://bit.ly/9rQaRe #SocBiz #Cloud #PaaS…

1 month, 1 week ago by uberVU - social comments on Wordpress

#Cloud #CloudComputing Why PaaS is the New Black: I had very interesting conversations and strategy sessions with my cl http://url4.eu/1LCl6

1 month, 1 week ago by CloudBlogs on Twitter

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