“Anything-as-a-Service (Xaas)”, also called “Everything-as-a-Service (also XaaS)”, can refer to any service, function or resource accessed over a network where the access methods used remain the same whether that network is a local network, wide area network, or the Internet. The article “Everything as a Service – Does it Really Work?” provides additional background information.
Consider the meaning of the term "as-a-Service" (aaS). While a few of the aaS examples listed below have been developed by a Standards Development Organization (SDO), the majority of them have multiple implementations, each developed by a separate Software Development Organization (SWDO). An SWDO is like an SDO in many organizational aspects, but its purpose is quite different. An SWDO is an organization formed by one or more interested individuals, non-commercial organizations and commercial companies. One purpose of an SWDO is to develop, publish, maintain and possibly even promote use of software (or devices and related software) within a defined scope of responsibility, and (for some SWDOs) another purpose is to function as an SDO for such software. An SWDO may even have additional purposes that are not limited to software development, such as hardware development. The scope of an SWDO may be self-defined or their scope may be defined by a higher-level organization.
Other than “Network-as-a-Service (NaaS)”, many XaaS offerings are beyond the scope of the Software-Defined Networking (SDN) knowledge base. It is worth noting that as is the case for SDN, such offerings are built with virtualization technology. It is also worth noting that use of the phrase "as-a-Service" has been coming for a long time (see this article), and may even have gotten out of hand long ago, as the article Is PaaS Passe yet? observed over fifteen years ago!! It is even being used to describe services provided by banking and construction companies, as shown by this article.
A partial list of services provided by computing hardware, computing software and computing services companies includes:
- Analytics-as-a-Service (AaaS),
- Application-Programming-Interface-(API)-as-a Service (APIaaS),
- Application-Delivery-as-a-Service (ADaaS, see Software-as-a-Service),
- Application-Platform-as-a-Service (APaaS),
- Artificial-Intelligence-as-a-Service (AIaaS),
- Authentication-as-a-Service (also AaaS),
- Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS),
- Backup-as-a-Service (also BaaS),
- Big-Data-as-a-Service (BDaaS),
- Blockchain-as-a-Service (also BaaS),
- Business-Process-as-a-Service (BPaaS),
- Cloud-as-a-Service (CaaS),
- Cloud-Network-as-a-Service (CNaaS),
- Communications-as-a-Service (CaaS),
- Communications-Platform-as-a-Service (CPaas),
- Compliance-as-a-Service (also CaaS),
- Connectivity-as-a-Service (also Caas),
- Containers-as-a-Service (also CaaS),
- Content-as-a-Service (also CaaS),
- Data-as-a-Service (DaaS),
- Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS),
- Data-Center-as-a-Service (DCaaS),
- Data-Center-Management-as-a-Service (DMaaS),
- Data-Lake-as-a-Service (DLaas),
- data-Platform-as-a-Service (dPaaS, see Big-Data-as-a-Service)
- Data-Protection-as-a-Service (also DPaaS)
- Data-Warehouse-as-a-Service (DWaaS),
- Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS),
- Device-as-a-Service (also DaaS),
- Disaster-Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS),
- Domain-Name-Service-as-a-Service (DNSaaS or DNS-as-a-Service),
- Early-Warning-as-a-Service (EWaaS),
- Edge-as-a-Service (Eaas)
- Email-as-a-Service (also called EaaS),
- Environment-as-a-Service (also called EaaS),
- Firewall-as-a-Service (also called FaaS),
- FortiGate-as-a-Service,
- Framework-as-a-Service (also called FaaS, which became Platform-as-a-Service [PaaS]. See PaaS),
- Function-as-a-Service (FaaS),
- Hadoop-as-a-Service (HaaS, see Big-Data-as-a-Service),
- Hardware-as-a-Service (also HaaS),
- Identity-and-Access-Management-as-a-Service (IAMaaS),
- Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS, also known as IaaS, see Identity-and-Access-Management-as-a-Service),
- Incident-Management-as-a-Service (IMaas),
- Information-Technology-as-a-Service (ITaaS),
- Information-Technology-(IT)-Service-Management-as-a-Service (ITSMaaS),
- Information-Technology-Monitoring-as-a-Service (ITMaaS, see Monitoring-as-a-Service),
- Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS),
- Infrastructure-Management-as-a-Service (IMaaS), also called Remote-Infrastructure-Management (RIM),
- Integration-Platform-as-a-Service (iPaaS),
- IoT-as-a-Service (IoTaaS),
- Knowledge-as-a-Service (KaaS),
- Machine-Learning-as-a-Service (MLaaS),
- Managed-Cloud-as-a-Service (MCAAS)
- Managed-Content-as-a-Service (see Content-as-a-Service),
- Market Research-as-a-Service (MRAS),
- Metal-as-a-Service (MaaS),
- Middleware-as-a-Service (MWaaS),
- Mobile-Backend-as-a-Service (MBaaS), see Backend-as-a-Service),
- Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS),
- Monitoring-as-a-Service (also MaaS),
- Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), also called Networking-as-a-Service or Network-as-a-Subscription,
- PC-as-a-Service (see Device-as-a-Service),
- Personal-Computer-as-a-Service (PCaaS, see Device-as-a-Service),
- Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS),
- Quantum-as-a-Service (QaaS)
- Rapid-App-Platform-as-a-Service (APaaS, see Application-Platform-as-a-Service),
- Recovery-as-a-Service (RaaS, see Disaster-Recovery-as-a-Service),
- Robot-as-a-Service (also RaaS),
- Robotics-as-a-Service (see Robot-as-a-Service),
- Search-as-a-Service (SaaS),
- Security-as-a-Service (also SaaS),
- Security-Monitoring-as-a-Service (SMaaS, see Security-as-a-Service),
- Software-as-a-Service (also SaaS),
- Storage-as-a-Service (STaaS, also SaaS, a type of Cloud Storage),
- Technology-as-a-Service (TaaS)
- Test-Data-as-a-Service (TDaaS),
- Testing-as-a-Service (TaaS), also called On-Demand Testing,
- Time-as-a-Service (TaaS),
- Training-as-a-Service (also TaaS),
- Unified-Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS),
- Windows-as-a-Service (WaaS),
- Workplace-as-a-Service (also WaaS),
- Workspace-as-a-Service (also WaaS), and
- eXtended Detection and Response (XDR).
Additional examples of “XaaS” offerings are described here, including the following:
- Beaconing-as-a-Service (also BaaS),
- Biometric Authentication-as-a-Service (BioAaaS),
- Business Integration-as-a-Service (BIaaS),
- Business Intelligence-as-a-Service (also BIaaS),
- Cashier-as-a-Service (also CaaS),
- Climate Analytics-as-a-Service (CAaaS).
- Confidentiality-as-a-Service (also CaaS),
- Content Distribution-as-a-Service (CoDaaS),
- Cooperation-as-a-Service (also CaaS),
- Crimeware-as-a-Service (also CaaS),
- Data Integrity-as-a-Service (DIaaS),
- Data Mining-as-a-Service (DMAS, also DMaaS),
- DDoS-as-a-Service (DDoSaaS),
- Description-as-a-Service (DESCaaS),
- Digital Forensics-as-a-Service (DFaaS),
- Digital Intellectual Property Resources-as-a-Service (DIPaaS),
- Disaster Tolerance-as-a-Service (DTaaS),
- Education and learning-as-a-Service (ELaaS),
- Energy-as-a-Service (also EaaS),
- Exploits-as-a-Service (also EaaS),
- Failure-as-a-Service (also FaaS),
- Failure Scenario-as-a-Service (FSaaS),
- Fault Masking-as-a-Service (FAS, also FMaaS),
- Financial Modeling and Prediction-as-a-Service (FMPaaS),
- Forensics-as-a-Service (FRaaS),
- Gaming-as-a-Service (GaaS),
- Handwritten Character Recognition-as-a-Service (HCRaaS),
- HPC-as-a-Service (HPCaaS),
- Intrusion Detection-as-a-Service (also IDaaS),
- Laboratories-as-a-Service (LaaS),
- Manufacturing-as-a-Service (MFGaaS),
- Mobility Prediction-as-a-Service (MPaaS),
- Object-as-a-Service (ObaaS),
- Ontology-as-a-Service (OaaS),
- Policing-as-a-Service (PolaaS),
- Policy Management-as-a-Service (IPMaaS),
- Proximity-as-a-Service (ProxaaS),
- RAN-as-a-Service (RANaaS),
- Risk-Assessment-as-a-Service (RAaaS),
- Routing-as-a-Service (also RaaS),
- Secure Logging-as-a-Service (SecLaaS),
- Sensing and Actuation-as-a-Service (SAaaS),
- Sensing-as-a-Service (also SaaS),
- Smart City-as-a-Service (SCaaS),
- Social Context-as-a-Service (SoCaaS , also SCaaS),
- Software Development-as-a-Service (SDaaS),
- Supply Chain-as-a-Service (also SCaaS),
- Test-Bed-as-a-Service (TBaaS, also TaaS),
- Things-as-a-Service (ThiaaS),
- Threat-as-a-Service (ThraaS, also TaaS),
- Ticketing-as-a-Service (TicaaS, also TaaS),
- Trust-as-a-Service (TraaS, also TaaS),
- Variability-as-a-Service (VaaS), and
- Virtual cluster-as-a-Service (ViteraaS).
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