What Is IaaS?

Date First Published: 2nd November 2023

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Network Services

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 6/10

CONTENTS

Advantages and Disadvantages Of IaaS

Learn about what IaaS is in this article.

Stands for Infrastructure As A Service. IaaS is a form of cloud computing that provides access to computing resources over the internet, such as server storage space, and networking resources. This eliminates the need for individuals and organisations to manage the infrastructure by themselves. Resources are often accessed on a pay-as-you-go basis, allowing people to only pay for the resources they use. Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Compute Engine (GCE) are examples of IaaS.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of IaaS

Because it is usually simpler, quicker, and more affordable to perform a task without having to purchase, maintain, and support the infrastructure itself, businesses choose Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). A company can easily hire or lease that infrastructure from another company using infrastructure as a service.

IaaS is a good cloud service model for experimental or temporary tasks. For example, if an organisation is creating new software, using an IaaS provider to host and test the application is more cost-effective.

However, IaaS billing can cause issues for specific businesses. Cloud billing is more detailed based on the exact amount of services used. When evaluating the bills for all the resources and services required in application use, users often experience bill shock, discover that the prices are more than expected, or end up paying for infrastructure they don't need. In order to know how IaaS is being used and avoid getting charged for services they did not request, users need to keep an eye on their IaaS setups and bills.

Another issue that IaaS consumers often face is insight. IaaS customers rarely have access to details of an IaaS provider's infrastructure, since the providers own the infrastructure. Users may find system management and monitoring more difficult due to this lack of transparency.

Downtime is another issue that IaaS consumers often face. IaaS consumers are highly reliant on the provider. If the IaaS provider experiences downtime or network congestion, users will be unable to access the infrastructure, which can have a negative impact on productivity.