All the As-a-services, Compared

Head spinning with all the “aaS” acronyms floating around these days? Our complete glossary will bring you up to speed.

We’re watching the world go as-a-service in real time, and it has made for some heated Reddit threads about how our existence is being monetized at every turn.

It’s difficult to refute that individual consumers should have the option to pay a one-off fee for software, platforms, and media as opposed to paying for temporary access. But in other areas, like business and technology, the as-a-service model makes perfect sense – and this is where it’s being embraced.

Take network connectivity, for example. Why would a small- to mid-size organization build a data center, deploy and maintain their own racks, and individually manage connections to their different regions and cloud provider on-ramps when they could just provision these connections on-demand with a connectivity provider that has done all the hard work for them?

For applications like these where the juice isn’t worth the squeeze, as-a-service models are by far the smarter options, and they’re only increasing in popularity.

But whether you’re all on board with the as-a-service revolution or still a skeptic, we can all agree on one thing – the number of acronyms floating around are dizzying. It’s almost as if a new acronym pops up every week, often to the reaction, “Who even decided that was a thing?”.

But it still helps to know your acronyms, and to understand what kind of new on-demand services are becoming available to your business so you can take advantage of the best ones for you. That’s why we’ve created this glossary of current aaS terms floating around, including what they actually mean – even if this may only be an exhaustive list until next week when the next acronym is invented.

Listed in alphabetical order, use this blog as a quick reference for when you see “aaS” terms in the wild.

Glossary of “as a Service” acronyms

AaaS: Analytics as a Service

• What it is: Cloud-based analytics platforms to extract insights from your data.
• Use it for: Running reports, dashboards, and visualizations on business or user data without in-house analytics infrastructure.
• Examples: Looker, Tableau Online.

AIaaS: AI as a Service

• What it is: AI tools (of any nature) offered via APIs and platforms.
• Use it for: Adding natural language processing, image recognition, or predictive analytics to apps without building your own AI models.
• Examples: OpenAI, Google Cloud AI.

BaaS: Back-end as a Service

• What it is: Provides back-end services like databases, APIs, and authentication for web and mobile apps.
• Use it for: Quickly building apps without needing to manage back-end infrastructure.
• Examples: Firebase, Parse.

BPaaS: Business Process as a Service

• What it is: Business operations (like payroll, HR, and finance) delivered over the cloud.
• Use it for: Outsourcing non-core business functions to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
• Examples: ADP, Workday.

CaaS: Container as a Service

• What it is: Cloud-based container orchestration and management platforms.
• Use it for: Running and scaling containerized applications using platforms like Kubernetes without managing any underlying infrastructure.
• Examples: Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Amazon ECS.

CCaaS: Contact Center as a Service

• What it is: Cloud-based customer service and call center operations platform.
• Use it for: Running scalable customer support and sales operations without on-premises call center infrastructure.
• Examples: Genesys, Five9.

DaaS: Desktop as a Service

• What it is: Virtual desktop infrastructure delivered from the cloud.
• Use it for: Enabling secure remote workforces with cloud-hosted virtual desktops accessible from anywhere.
• Examples: Amazon WorkSpaces, Citrix DaaS.

DaaS (alt): Data as a Service

• What it is: Data sets or data processing tools provided on demand.
• Use it for: Accessing real-time or curated data without needing to build or manage data pipelines.
• Examples: Snowflake, Domo.

DBaaS: Database as a Service (sometimes DbaaS)

• What it is: Managed database services for setup, operation, and scaling.
• Use it for: Running production databases without worrying about patching, backups, or scaling.
• Examples: Amazon RDS, Firebase.

DRaaS: Disaster Recovery as a Service

• What it is: Cloud-based backup and recovery systems to restore operations after outages.
• Use it for: Protecting business continuity by rapidly recovering systems and data after unexpected downtime.
• Examples: Veeam, Zerto.

EaaS: Everything as a Service

• What it is: The buzzier sibling of XaaS (Everything/Anything as a Service), used to describe the complete shift to service-based IT consumption.
• Use it for: Replacing traditional on-premises IT with a fully service-driven model for maximum agility.
• Examples: Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud Platform.

FaaS: Function as a Service

• What it is: Serverless computing that runs code in response to events without managing servers.
• Use it for: Executing lightweight back-end tasks like webhooks, data processing, or automation on-demand.
• Examples: AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions.

FWaaS: Firewall as a Service

• What it is: Cloud-based firewall delivered as a utility for network traffic inspection and policy enforcement.
• Use it for: Securing traffic between users, clouds, and data centers without physical firewall appliances.
• Examples: Megaport Virtual Edge FWaaS, Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access.

GPUaaS: GPU as a Service

• What it is: Cloud-based access to GPU resources for high-performance computing tasks.
• Use it for: Accelerating AI training, 3D rendering, scientific computing, and other GPU-intensive workloads without investing in hardware.
• Examples: NVIDIA GPU Cloud, Amazon EC2 P-series, CoreWeave.

HaaS: Hardware as a Service

• What it is: Physical hardware rented or leased as a subscription (e.g. desktops, routers).
• Use it for: Reducing capital expenditure by subscribing to hardware with ongoing support and maintenance.
• Examples: Dell APEX, HPE GreenLake.

IaaS: Infrastructure as a Service

• What it is: Virtualized computing resources provided over the internet (e.g. servers, storage, networking).
• Use it for: Spinning up scalable infrastructure for hosting websites, apps, or running workloads in the cloud.
• Examples: AWS EC2, Google Compute Engine.

IDaaS: Identity as a Service

• What it is: Cloud-based identity and access management, including single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Use it for: Managing user identities and access to apps securely across hybrid and multicloud environments.
• Examples: Okta, Azure AD.

ITaaS: IT as a Service

• What it is: General delivery of IT services as a utility model. Covers infrastructure, operations, and support.
• Use it for: Outsourcing day-to-day IT needs like help desk, infrastructure, and app support to focus internal teams on strategic goals.
• Examples: HPE GreenLake, IBM ITaaS solutions.

ITSMaaS: IT Service Management as a Service

• What it is: ITSM platforms offered as fully managed cloud services.
• Use it for: Delivering IT service desk functions and ITIL workflows without hosting tools in-house.
• Examples: ServiceNow, BMC Helix.

LaaS: Logging as a Service

• What it is: Cloud-hosted log management and analysis tools.
• Use it for: Collecting, storing, and analyzing logs across distributed systems for security, performance, and troubleshooting.
• Examples: Loggly, Splunk.

MaaS: Monitoring as a Service

• What it is: Cloud-based IT monitoring, logging, and analytics tools.
• Use it for: Gaining visibility into application performance, infrastructure health, and system logs in real time.
• Examples: Datadog, New Relic.

MaaS (alt): Mobility as a Service

• What it is: Integrated transport services available via a single digital platform.
• Use it for: Planning, booking, and paying for transport options (like ride share, public transport) through one app.
• Examples: Whim, Moovit.

MLaaS: Machine Learning as a Service

• What it is: Cloud platforms offering machine learning model building, training, and deployment.
• Use it for: Training and deploying machine learning models without managing infrastructure or frameworks.
• Examples: AWS SageMaker, Azure ML.

NaaS: Network as a Service

• What it is: Provides virtualized network services (connectivity, bandwidth, routing, etc.) on-demand.
• Use it for: Connecting to clouds, data centers, and services quickly and flexibly without owning physical infrastructure.
• Example: Megaport!
• Also note: CaaS – Connectivity as a Service. CaaS heavily overlaps with NaaS, often combining multiple networks or cloud services.

ObsaaS: Observability as a Service

• What it is: Monitoring of systems, apps, and infrastructure with metrics, traces, and logs in one platform.
• Use it for: Gaining deep visibility into the performance and health of applications and systems in complex environments.
• Examples: Datadog, Honeycomb, New Relic.

PaaS: Platform as a Service

• What it is: Provides a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications without dealing with infrastructure.
• Use it for: Building and deploying applications faster without worrying about servers, storage, or OS management.
• Examples: Heroku, Google App Engine.

RaaS: Recovery as a Service

• What it is: Disaster recovery solutions. See DRaaS.
• Use it for: Minimizing downtime and data loss in the event of a system failure or disaster.
• Examples: Veeam, Zerto.
• Also note: Can sometimes mean “Ransomware as a Service”, referring to ransomware kits sold on the dark web.

SaaS: Software as a Service

• What it is: Software applications delivered over the internet and accessed via a web browser.
• Use it for: Managing everyday business functions like email, CRM, and collaboration tools from any device.
• Examples: Google Workspace, Salesforce.

SaaSOps: SaaS Operations as a Service

• What it is: Management of SaaS apps at scale—license tracking, security, and automation.
• Use it for: Streamlining the admin and security of large SaaS portfolios across an enterprise.
• Examples: BetterCloud, Torii.

SECaaS: Security as a Service

• What it is: Outsourced security services such as firewalls, antivirus, intrusion detection, and identity management.
• Use it for: Protecting networks and data without managing security infrastructure in-house.
• Examples: Zscaler, Cloudflare.

STaaS: Storage as a Service

• What it is: Cloud-based, pay-as-you-go data storage solutions.
• Use it for: Storing unstructured data, backups, and archives without managing physical storage systems.
• Examples: Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage.

STaaS (alt): Software Testing as a Service

• What it is: On-demand access to testing tools, frameworks, and environments in the cloud.
• Use it for: Automating software quality assurance without needing on-prem testing infrastructure.
• Examples: Sauce Labs, BrowserStack.

UCaaS: Unified Communications as a Service

• What it is: Integrated communication services like voice, messaging, and video conferencing.
• Use it for: Enabling distributed teams to collaborate across devices and locations using a single communication platform.
• Examples: RingCentral, Microsoft Teams.

VaaS: Video as a Service

• What it is: Video streaming, conferencing, or processing provided over the cloud.
• Use it for: Hosting live video calls, embedding video in apps, or processing video content at scale.
• Examples: Zoom, Vimeo.

XaaS: Anything (or Everything) as a Service

• What it is: A catch-all for any service delivered over the internet. Often refers to the broader trend of service-based delivery models.
• Use it for: Consolidating IT functions and operations into flexible, cloud-delivered services.
• Examples: Salesforce (SaaS), AWS (IaaS), Megaport (NaaS).