XaaS (Anything as a Service): Everything You Need To Know 

As the technology landscape continues to evolve exponentially, there is a need to better understand how various technologies fit into the equation. One such concept gaining momentum in the current shift is XaaS — or Anything as a Service. 

XaaS (Anything as a Service) technology is a concept offering enterprises access to software tools and services hosted on third-party infrastructure via cloud. In other words, with XaaS, businesses that rely upon a flexible consumption model no longer worry about managing their server hardware. In fact, they don’t even need to purchase or maintain software solutions anymore. This allows for greater data sharing, development capabilities, and more flexibility—all without upfront capital expenses tied to traditional hardware purchases. 

The global Anything as a Service (XaaS) market is projected to grow from $545.35 billion in 2022 to $2,378.07 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 23.4%. 

But how can businesses leverage this evolving trend in order to maintain their competitive edge?  

In this blog, we will explore what benefits XaaS offers and examples that fall under the broader umbrella — So that you have the information needed to make a strategically wise investment decision. 

Benefits of XaaS 

The most commonly-cited benefits of XaaS include the following: 

• Better Expense Model: 

XaaS is a cloud-based service that operates using a subscription model, which can be more cost-efficient and flexible for the end consumer. Further, XaaS can enable companies to scale faster; they don’t need to create their servers or initiate IT recruitment. They can rely on the XaaS company to play a crucial role in infrastructure and across-the-board success. 

With XaaS, businesses can access the latest technologies and services without significant upfront investments in hardware, software, servers, security, and other infrastructure. Instead, they can pay for the services they need on a pay-as-you-go basis and create networks, allowing for greater flexibility and scalability.  

21% of enterprises plan to allocate a significant portion of IT budgets for moving their resources on managed services in 2022, compared to 14% in SMBs. This can help businesses save IT costs and avoid considerable upfront investments in technology. Additionally, companies can better manage their budgets and operating cash flow by shifting to an operating expense model. 

• Accelerated Business Processes: 

XaaS provides businesses the flexibility and agility required to adapt quickly to dynamic market conditions and take advantage of new opportunities. Businesses can access new technologies and services quickly and easily by using multitenant approaches and leveraging the power of the cloud. Additionally, the ability to pool resources and scale infrastructure automatically allows businesses to respond to changing demand and user needs in real-time, enabling them to stay competitive in a rapidly-changing business environment. 

• Efficient IT Resources Management for High-Value Projects:

IT organizations are adopting the XaaS delivery model to simplify processes and free up resources for innovation. By turning to a subscription-based XaaS model, IT departments can better manage their budgets and focus on high-value projects that drive innovation and growth.  

The survey conducted by Deloitte found that 71% of companies now rely on XaaS for more than half of their enterprise IT needs. This explains the growing popularity of XaaS. Moreover, it lists the benefits of the XaaS model in front of businesses regarding cost savings and access to the latest technologies. By democratizing access, XaaS help enterprises to stay competitive and drive innovation across their organizations. 

• Businesses Receive More Technical Support: 

Imagine if your servers go down and your IT cannot solve it for some time. Do you know the average cost of IT downtime is $5,600 per minute?    

And those with big budgets and tight operating margins can weather a small loss. But what about the SMEs? These small losses can result in a substantial financial storm. Therefore, it’s critical to note that a round-the-clock support team should be there to manage your infrastructure at any time of the day.  

This can be especially helpful for businesses that may not have the necessary resources or expertise to handle certain technical issues on their own. The XaaS provider’s support team can help troubleshoot software issues, answer questions about the service, and guide how to best use the service to meet the needs of the business.  

For instance, if you hire ACE as your XaaS provider, you can leverage 365 days of support, even on public holidays. ACE support team addresses all your queries at any hour of the day.  

• Brings Scalability to Meet Business Dynamism: 

With on-premise IT systems, businesses often have to invest significant time and resources in order to add or remove capacity. This can be a slow and complex process that can require the development of detailed roadmaps and long-term planning.  

With Anything as Service (XaaS), businesses can adjust their subscription plan to add or remove capacity as needed. This allows companies to respond to changes in demand quickly and can help them avoid over or under-investing in IT infrastructure. It also enables businesses to easily experiment with new technologies and services without committing to long-term contracts or investments.  

Types of XaaS That Businesses Can Leverage 

There are many different types of XaaS services that businesses can use. Some of the most popular ones include: 

• Software as a Service (SaaS): 

Software as a Service (or SaaS) is a delivery model that is based on offering applications over the internet—as a service. This means hosting web-based software on the internet rather than installing and procuring software on your in-house servers. 

The SaaS provider hosts applications on their servers, and they have access control for the application, including security, availability, and performance. SaaS is a multitenant architecture where the entire code base is maintained centrally, saving the development time of IT administrators.  

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): 

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is based on the cloud delivery of compute and network resources to users. This service gives businesses access to computing infrastructures, such as servers, storage, and networking, over the internet. IaaS allows companies to scale their infrastructure on demand and pay only for the resources they use.  

IaaS fosters scalability on an as-required basis, downsizing the demand for up-front capital expenses or “held” infrastructure, particularly regarding “seasonal” workloads.   

• Desktop as a service (DaaS): 

The growth of the cloud has been significant in recent years as more and more businesses have begun to adopt cloud services. The global cloud computing market is expected to proliferate. Some estimates suggest that 50% of all corporate workloads are predicted to run in the cloud by 2023, increasing from 40% in 2021.   

Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is a XaaS model that leverages the cloud to deliver virtual desktops to end users hosted on public or private cloud, licensed with a pay-per-use subscription. This multitenant model is hosted on a third-party cloud service provider’s data center, which takes care of the desktop environment’s technical aspects, including updates, backups, and security. 

The DaaS provider takes care of the backend management and maintenance, allowing users to focus on their work without worrying about the technical details of the infrastructure. This enables users to focus on their work and applications rather than worrying about the underlying infrastructure. This allows the workforce to be productive across geographies while keeping security in check. 

• Platform as a Service (PaaS): 

Platform as a Service (PaaS) is an infrastructure that delivers users with hardware and software tools via the network. You gain a fully managed platform comprising computing and storage resources to build applications. PaaS solutions meet the business dynamism while greatly diminishing the complexities and IT budget of buying, establishing, and procuring in-house hardware and software.  

PaaS enables developers to access the platform on any device via an internet connection, even when they are spread out across different locations. It works well for firms with high scalability needs in development, as the mentioned service eliminates the need for developers to build, test, and maintain applications from scratch. 

Need help with what to choose? Read DaaS vs. PaaS: Understand the differences. 

• Security as a Service (SECaaS): 

Security as a Service (SECaaS) is a cloud-based security solution that provides organizations with a way to safeguard their networks and data from cyber threats. With SECaaS, the security services and technologies are delivered over the internet, generally on a subscription basis. This entitles enterprises to access the latest security technologies and services without holding on to expensive hardware and software.  

SECaaS typically includes various security services, such as firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention, and antivirus protection and monitoring security. By outsourcing security needs to a Managed security service provider, enterprises can better focus on their core business activities while maintaining strong security for their networks and data. 

ACE and Anything as a Service (XaaS) 

Many enterprises benefit from Anything as a Service (XaaS) because it streamlines IT management, enhances data protection, enables remote access from any device, and cuts costs. 

ACE is an all-in-one application virtualization and Desktop as a service (DaaS) solution that stimulates remote work from anywhere, anytime. 

• Delivers a cost-effective and high-performing virtual desktop solution that allows authorized users to access digital workspaces. 
• Safeguards data by consolidating, monitoring, and limiting access to applications and desktops with end-to-end encryption, firewalls, and more. 
• Provides business a solution to meet seasonal spikes with an easy-to-scale workspace solution 

• Fosters secure a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy and flexible working 
• Provides flexibility to leverage hybrid cloud by moving workloads to on-premises, hybrid, or public cloud deployments 

By understanding what XaaS is and how it can benefit your business, you can make an informed decision about whether or not it is the right solution for you.  If you would like to learn more about XaaS or get a demo of our services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Our consultants would be happy to answer any of your questions. 

To know more, get in touch with our solution consultants.