Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing model where businesses rent virtual computing resources like machines, storage, and networks over the internet. This eliminates the need for them to purchase and maintain their own physical hardware.
Key Terms Related to IaaS
Let’s delve into a few key concepts related to IaaS:
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing delivers computing services like servers, storage databases, and networking software over the internet. These services are provided remotely instead of using on-site hardware.
Virtual Machines (VMs)
Virtual machines or VMs are software clones of real computers. They run applications and operating systems just like physical machines. Each virtual machine runs on a physical server located in a data center.
Scalability
Scalability refers to increasing or decreasing computer resources based on business needs whenever necessary. Organizations add more resources (scale up) during peak demand and withdraw some resources (scale down) during low seasons.
PAYG
In the Pay-as-You-Go (PAYG) cloud pricing model, you only pay for the resources you use. This lets you avoid the upfront costs of traditional in-house infrastructure and ensures you’re billed based on your actual needs.
Hypervisor
The hypervisor is a program that creates and manages virtual machines. It allows different VMs to operate on a single physical machine, as it combines resources efficiently.
Load Balancing
Load balancing involves spreading incoming network traffic over many servers so that a single server does not experience congestion problems. This improves the performance and reliability of applications on IaaS platforms.
Disaster Recovery (DR)
DR refers to the policies, tools, and procedures that are employed to recover or continue vital business processes after a disaster. Most IaaS providers offer DR solutions that replicate data and applications across multiple data centers for redundancy.
Data Center
A data center can be described as a place where computer systems and other associated parts like servers, storage systems, and networking equipment are held in store. IaaS providers’ cloud infrastructures lie within huge data centers.
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
SLA is a treaty signed between the provider and customer that outlines the terms of service. These include uptime guarantees, performance metrics, and customer support commitments that the IaaS providers make.
Benefits of IaaS
Here are some key benefits that can drive companies to adopt IaaS:
1. Cost Saving: There’s no upfront investment in hardware, reducing capital expenses for companies.
2. Flexibility and Scalability: Business resources can easily be increased or lowered to match changing business needs.
3. Global Reach: IaaS facilitates global access to data centers and low latency performances since IaaS providers have them located globally.
4. Managed Services: Managed services offered by many IaaS platforms include backups, security, and monitoring.
5. Focus on Core Business: Businesses can focus on their core competencies by transferring infrastructure management to IaaS providers.