Data as a Service (DaaS) in cloud computing is similar to software as a service (SaaS) in that the data is the product serviced. In normal environments enterprises usually store data on their servers accessed through a software application. By leveraging the power of service oriented architecture and web services, data can be moved to a remote storage device through a cloud service provider and accessed from anywhere, at any time, typically using the internet, regardless of the platform or operating system. Even mobile devices can easily access data. DaaS can separate data from software and platform. It is cost efficient since users typically pay only for what they use or, in some models, on storage basis or according to the file format used.
Trends in 2013
Data includes all types of files including music, video, images and text. DaaS offers flexibility and access from anywhere from any device in the cloud environment in a greatly secure way. Services are growing in 2013 and security is an important consideration in cloud based DaaS. A majority of professionals consider that risks are not worth the effort of moving over to DaaS in present security levels as far as private clouds are considered but it varies in public clouds according to the levels each service provider offers. Users, they feel, need to be taught security aspects while using cloud based DaaS. In this light cloud data encryption is gaining in importance. One way this is done is through format preserving encryption technologies and the other is through cloud data protection gateway or a combination of both. Increasing use of DaaS will see a dynamic convergence of data centers as becoming integral to the package in a cloud environment. Given that DaaS is still evolving, people are moving cautiously in this direction.
Benefits of Data as a Service
DaaS brings in its wake quite a few benefits some of which are:
- Resolution of conflicts in cases of different versions of the same data in various locations;
- Easy to move data from one platform to another in a swift manner;
- The intermediate layer that presents data in a human recognizable form is handled by a third party and this reduces the cost of maintenance as well as access;
- Data encryption and data integrity at a higher level offered by service providers and freedom from being locked in by a particular vendor;
- Easy for end user to access, use, manage, move, update and administer from anywhere, at any time.
Data as a Service is all set to take off with the Microsoft Windows Azure Marketplace availability of suitable APIs and greater involvement of financial market data on demand services a well as Geo location services being but a few examples of how this is introducing a paradigm shift.
Data as a Service will empower better ways of managing, processing and distributing data in conjunction with storage as a service, analytic’s as a service and software as a service once the security bottlenecks and questions about access and privacy are resolved to a satisfactory level.
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