Why CaaS? Discover the Benefits for your IT Architecture

In order to provide applications quickly, flexibly and scalably, more and more companies are moving part of their IT to a container infrastructure. To do this, they are booking Container as a Service - CaaS for short - from a provider. We show you how CaaS works, how you can benefit from it and which providers are available on the market. We also explain when a self-managed CaaS solution is the better choice.

Are you looking for alternatives to CaaS solutions? Then we recommend our articles on On-Premise and Cloud hosting.

The most Important in a Nutshell

• Among other things, CaaS is suitable for the rapid provision of microservices and machine learning applications that require scaling.
• CaaS provides companies with scalability, flexibility and portability of their applications, among other things. 
• Self-managed containers are the right solution if companies have to meet special compliance or security requirements.
• Konfuzio is your contact for a secure container environment in a public cloud. Talk to one of our experts now!

What is CaaS? 

Container as a Service (CaaS) is a cloud service model that allows companies to use containers without having to worry about managing the underlying hardware or network infrastructure. Instead, a service provider takes care of this. This offers companies numerous advantages. For example, containerized applications are flexible and easily scalable. Companies also save resources and time by outsourcing container management tasks to the CaaS provider. 

How does CaaS work?

A CaaS provider hosts the infrastructure for the container services provided. To use these, companies access them via container-based virtualization, web interfaces or API calls. The basis of every CaaS platform is the orchestrator. This takes over the entire management and coordination of the container applications. For example, it coordinates tasks such as starting, stopping, scaling and load balancing containers to ensure efficient and seamless execution of applications. 

CaaS vs. PaaS vs. IaaS

Compared to container services Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offers basic virtual machines and computing resources, while Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides a complete development environment, including databases and middleware, but without direct server management.

CaaS lies between IaaS and PaaS in that it uses the flexibility of containers but, unlike PaaS, also allows control over the operating system and the underlying infrastructure. Developers can therefore use containers without having to worry about the entire infrastructure. They are thus able to concentrate on application aspects.  

CaaS Examples from Practice

CaaS plays a central role in modern cloud infrastructures and offers a wide range of possible applications. The following 4 CaaS examples are classic areas of application:

Provision of microservices

Container as a Service is particularly suitable for the provision of Microservices architectures. Microservices are independent, lightweight services that divide an application into small, independent components. CaaS enables the containerization of these microservices. In practice, this means that companies are able to easily create, provide, manage and scale the services. This improves the agility and flexibility of applications.

Migration of applications to the cloud

Container as a Service provides a consistent environment for running applications, making it easier to migrate them to the cloud. It enables companies to containerize existing applications and migrate them to well-known CaaS platforms such as Microsoft Azure Container Service, Google Container Engine or Amazon ECS. This simplifies the operation and scalability of programs.

Machine learning applications and web services with scaling requirements

The ability to quickly create and scale containers allows organizations to efficiently provision resources for intermittently intensive workloads. This is particularly relevant for Machine learning-applications and AI Clouds, where companies process large amounts of data, as well as for web services that experience high traffic for short periods.

Operation of cloud-native applications

Cloud-native applications are developed from the ground up for use in the cloud. CaaS platforms provide the ideal environment for running such applications as they support the fundamental principles of scalability, resilience and flexibility. In addition, containers enable the portability of applications across different cloud platforms, which increases flexibility in the selection of the Cloud providers on the market.

CaaS Providers

Many common cloud infrastructure providers also offer container services. Well-known container as a service providers include these:

Microsoft Azure Container Service (ACS)

The Azure Container Service from Microsoft offers a flexible platform for simple deployment, management and scaling of container applications. It supports various orchestration tools such as Kubernetes, Docker Swarm and Mesosphere DC/OS. Through integration with other Azure services, developers are able to seamlessly access functions such as Azure Active Directory and Azure Monitor.

Google Container Engine (GCE)

Google Container Engine is Google's container hosting service and is based on the widely used Kubernetes orchestration system. GCE enables the simple management of container applications on the Google Cloud Platform. Among other things, it offers automatic scaling, load balancing and integration with other Google Cloud services. 

Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS)

The Elastic Container Service is a container hosting service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It enables the simple provision and management of containers on the AWS platform. ECS supports Docker container and integrates seamlessly with other AWS services such as Amazon EC2 and Amazon VPC. 

In addition to these large providers, there are also some niche providers for containers as a service. These include Rancher Labs and Giant Swarm, which focus on the provision and management of Kubernetes clusters.

Are you still looking for the right setup for your container infrastructure? Then let one of our experts advise you now!

Advantages of CaaS

If companies use Containers as a Service, they can act more flexibly and quickly with their applications. What are the benefits in detail? 

Portability

CaaS enables the portability of applications across different platforms. For example, companies are able to easily move containers from one development computer to the cloud or from one cloud platform to another.

Scalability

Container as a service allows applications to be scaled efficiently and automatically. The ability to quickly create and delete containers allows companies to provide resources as needed and in real time. In this way, they are able to respond to variable workload requirements.

Resource optimization

Containers share the operating system kernel and use resources more efficiently compared to virtual machines. This leads to an optimized use of hardware resources. Companies therefore need fewer physical servers, which reduces the acquisition, maintenance and operating costs for the hardware. 

Saving time and minimizing errors

CaaS platforms offer built-in tools for the automation and orchestration of containers. This makes it easy to configure, deploy and manage applications. Organizations save time and minimize human error. 

Flexibility and agility

A container hosting service enables a flexible application architecture, as containers can be scaled and updated independently of each other. This promotes agility, facilitates integration into databases, authentication services and monitoring tools, for example, and simplifies the transition to new technologies.

High availability and reliability

The distribution of applications in containers across multiple servers or data centers improves reliability and ensures high availability. In the event of a failure, companies are able to seamlessly redirect traffic to other containers.

CaaS in the private Cloud

Despite the obvious advantages of CaaS in a public cloud, this form of container hosting is not always the right choice for companies. In some cases, it makes sense to manage containers yourself in your own cloud or on-premise.

This variant, sometimes also referred to as Internal CaaS Deployment, requires a highly competent IT unit to provide the container service in-house.

This solution is cloud-independent and supported by all major cloud providers, enabling easy migration of workloads between public and private clouds and/or data centers. CaaS in the private cloud offers companies the following benefits and challenges:

Advantages of a self-managed CaaS solution

Full control

Self-managed CaaS solutions offer full control over configuration, security and performance. This means that organizations are able to design, adapt and expand their container platform according to their specific requirements and guidelines. This also enables the integration of specific tools, security mechanisms and additional services.

Security check

The ability to manage security aspects themselves allows companies to implement their specific security policies and practices. This is particularly important in industries with strict compliance requirements, such as finance and Public health.

On-premises operation

Companies can also operate self-managed CaaS solutions locally. This is important, for example, if they need to keep data on site for compliance or data protection reasons.

Challenges of a self-managed CaaS solution

Expertise

Managing your own CaaS platform requires in-depth expertise in the areas of container orchestration, network configuration, security and scaling. Depending on your level of knowledge, this can prove to be a complex challenge.

Operating expenses

Operating and maintaining a self-managed CaaS infrastructure requires considerable effort. This includes software updates, security patching and troubleshooting.

Costs

Operating your own CaaS solution can be expensive. In addition to the cloud or hardware costs, there are also expenses for training, support and regular updates, depending on the expertise already available.

What does this mean in practice? 

CaaS in a private cloud is the right solution, especially when companies have to meet specific security requirements or adhere to compliance guidelines. Containers in your own cloud then offer a great deal of flexibility, scalability and availability and are also particularly secure.

Konfuzio - Manage Containers securely in any Infrastructure

Konfuzio provides a powerful and secure container platform that enables organizations to flexibly deploy, manage and scale applications - at scale and across any infrastructure.

Contact us now and let us work together to find the ideal container setup for your individual requirements.