In my last post, I began dissecting cloud computing into its three primary components: infrastructure last week, platform this week and software as a service next week.

Platform as a service (PaaS) refers to the tools used to build software applications (software programs) in the cloud. Think of it as a cloud-based development environment for building and managing software applications. These custom-built applications are then hosted on infrastructure as a service (IaaS).

For example, whereas Microsoft .Net is a traditional type of development platform, a product like WorkXpress is a cloud-based development platform designed to accomplish similar goals. When you work in .Net, you are responsible for all the aspects of installing, managing and updating your tool set, the hardware it runs on, where it's deployed. When you work in PaaS, all of the management requirements are handled for you or are greatly simplified, leaving you free to simply build your application.

When considering PaaS offerings, it is important to understand that a range of key characteristics distinguishes them.

The first characteristic has to do with the knowledge required to use the platform. Some leverage a traditional development language and require a software developer. Others offer tools that can be used with a much lighter technical background by, for example, someone who is good with spreadsheets.

The second characteristic has to do with where the final application can be deployed. Some require deployment on a vendor's infrastructure, whereas others allow you to deploy applications on your own "private cloud" infrastructure (basically, on your own servers).

The final characteristic has to do with the degree of pre-built functionality you can leverage. Some tools have a lot of pre-built applications that you can run with, whereas others always require you to start from scratch.

There are, of course, many other distinguishing features and characteristics, but these three represent the most important.

If chosen well, PaaS can transform your organization. Businesses today are saving material amounts of money in software development costs while also deploying automation throughout their business to a degree they couldn't imagine just months ago. And they're doing it in record time. PaaS tools empower your organization to no longer be held back by technology, but rather to be enabled by it. It frees your team to imagine in the perfect world how they would like to leverage software to automate business operations without having to dwell on the possibilities or costs.

This was posted originally on the Central Penn Business Journal Gadget Cube.

• Hardware Scaling in the Cloud - Part 3 of 5
• Cloud Computing Adoption - Part 1 of 5
• Cloud Computing Adoption - Part 2 of 5