What Is XaaS? Everything as a Service Explained

The “as-a-Service” model of cloud computing, providing services over the internet, is a trend that continues to gain traction across the globe. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings are becoming the de facto method for users to access services and products like Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office. Other kinds of offerings are being made available in the same pay-as-you-go business model. You’ve seen the terms SaaS, PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service), and IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) plenty of times. Now, a newer concept encompasses these ideas—and more: everything as a service, or XaaS. In this article, we’ll: Look at XaaS and servitization Share real-world examples Explore the best way to make XaaS work What is XaaS? XaaS is short for Everything-as-a-Service and sometimes Anything-as-a-Service. XaaS reflects how organizations across the globe are adopting the as-a-Service method for delivering just about, well, everything. (That’s why we’re seeing services like FaaS, BPMaaS, ITaaS, and even ransomware as a service!) Initially a digital term, XaaS can now apply to the real, non-digital world, too. Many B2B organizations provide as-a-Service offerings. These offerings are neatly sliced up and portioned out to create customized services that meet the specific needs of each client at a price that makes sense for them. In this way, XaaS could be simply thought of as a combination of SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS offerings.