If you’re not currently tapping into one of the most disruptive movements in the IT industry and, in fact, in the entire business services sector, then perhaps it’s time to take a closer look.
The one-time download or shipment of a static digital or physical product is 
transforming into a perpetual relationship with your provider. Just like your favorite craft brew, you can enjoy your services “on tap” via the cloud with continuous access and a flow of features and functionality that are adjustable to your taste or demand.
From its early origins of software-as-a-service (SaaS), the cloud-based on-demand services category has evolved into anything- and everything-as-a-service that isn’t nailed to the floor. XaaS is the essence of cloud computing – a smorgasbord of utility-based offerings that can be consumed on a per-seat, per-month model, depending on usage.
And what savvy cost-conscious and future-focused business owner wouldn’t want to invest in services that can:
- Scale up or down according to your strategic or business needs
- Be maintained and kept up to date by your service provider and not you
- Free up your resources to allow you to focus on what you do best
- Reduce capital expenditure on hardware & software
- Enable the debut of new business services within weeks rather than months
Another string to the XaaS bow is its ability to enable the IT team as a whole to rebrand itself into an “as-a-service” offering. ITaaS is a next generation model for delivering services that are tightly coupled with the needs and timeframe of the target customer.
This model is not only limited to online services. Bricks-and-mortar businesses are also being transformed through digital connectivity. Transportation-as-a-service is being fulfilled by companies like Uber and Lyft; grocery-as-a-service is being offered by chains such as Safeway and Whole Foods; and accommodation-as-a-service is a lodging rental service provided by airbnb. This is just the tip of the iceberg with many more on their way.
As XaaS evolves, we have an opportunity to permanently redefine the computing industry and create an expanding universe of services that enrich our everyday lives and improve our business efficiency. Many EMC customers are already benefitting from their ITaaS journey and the levels of automation, flexible policy management, scalability and performance provided by EMC storage as a service (STaaS) and EMC data protection as a service (DPaas). Equipped with new levels of agility and flexibility, IT has an unprecedented opportunity to transform its role as a valued business partner and fulfill the full spectrum of storage and data protection SLAs.