IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) is a cloud computing model that provides virtualized computing resources over the internet. IaaS offers the most flexible category of cloud services, allowing users to rent IT infrastructure such as virtual machines, storage, and networks from a cloud provider.
Core Components
- Virtual Machines: Virtualized server instances
- Storage: Block, object, and file storage services
- Networking: Virtual networks, load balancers, and DNS
- Security: Firewalls, encryption, and identity management
- Compute Resources: CPU, memory, and processing power
- Operating Systems: Various OS options for virtual machines
Key Features
- On-Demand Self-Service: Users can provision resources as needed
- Broad Network Access: Access to resources over the internet
- Resource Pooling: Shared infrastructure resources
- Rapid Elasticity: Resources can be scaled up or down quickly
- Measured Service: Usage is monitored, controlled, and reported
Benefits
- Cost-Effective: Pay only for what you use
- Scalability: Scale resources up or down as needed
- Flexibility: Full control over the operating system and applications
- Reduced Maintenance: No need to maintain physical hardware
- Global Reach: Access to data centers worldwide
- Disaster Recovery: Built-in backup and recovery options
Common Use Cases
- Web application hosting
- Development and testing environments
- Storage and backup
- High-performance computing
- Big data analysis
- Migration to cloud
- Disaster recovery