Infrastructure as a Service | IaaS
Iaas is also known as Hardware as a Service (HaaS). It is one of the layers of the cloud computing platform. It allows customers to outsource their IT infrastructures such as servers, networking, processing, storage, virtual machines, and other resources. Customers access these resources on the Internet using a pay-as-per use model.
In traditional hosting services, IT infrastructure was rented out for a specific period of time, with pre-determined hardware configuration. The client paid for the configuration and time, regardless of the actual use. With the help of the IaaS cloud computing platform layer, clients can dynamically scale the configuration to meet changing requirements and are billed only for the services actually used.
IaaS cloud computing platform layer eliminates the need for every organization to maintain the IT infrastructure.
IaaS is offered in three models: public, private, and hybrid cloud. The private cloud implies that the infrastructure resides at the customer-premise. In the case of public cloud, it is located at the cloud computing platform vendor’s data center, and the hybrid cloud is a combination of the two in which the customer selects the best of both public cloud or private cloud.
IaaS provider provides the following services –
- Compute: Computing as a Service includes virtual central processing units and virtual main memory for the Vms that is provisioned to the end- users.
- Storage: IaaS provider provides back-end storage for storing files.
- Network: Network as a Service (NaaS) provides networking components such as routers, switches, and bridges for the Vms.
- Load balancers: It provides load balancing capability at the infrastructure layer.
Advantages of IaaS cloud computing layer
There are the following advantages of IaaS computing layer –
1. Shared infrastructure
IaaS allows multiple users to share the same physical infrastructure.
2. Web access to the resources
Iaas allows IT users to access resources over the internet.
3. Pay-as-per-use model
IaaS providers provide services based on the pay-as-per-use basis. The users are required to pay for what they have used.
4. Focus on the core business
IaaS providers focus on the organization’s core business rather than on IT infrastructure.
5. On-demand scalability
On-demand scalability is one of the biggest advantages of IaaS. Using IaaS, users do not worry about to upgrade software and troubleshoot the issues related to hardware components.
Disadvantages of IaaS cloud computing layer
1. Security
Security is one of the biggest issues in IaaS. Most of the IaaS providers are not able to provide 100% security.
2. Maintenance & Upgrade
Although IaaS service providers maintain the software, but they do not upgrade the software for some organizations.
3. Interoperability issues
It is difficult to migrate VM from one IaaS provider to the other, so the customers might face problem related to vendor lock-in.
Some important point about IaaS cloud computing layer
IaaS cloud computing platform cannot replace the traditional hosting method, but it provides more than that, and each resource which are used are predictable as per the usage.
IaaS cloud computing platform may not eliminate the need for an in-house IT department. It will be needed to monitor or control the IaaS setup. IT salary expenditure might not reduce significantly, but other IT expenses can be reduced.
Breakdowns at the IaaS cloud computing platform vendor’s can bring your business to the halt stage. Assess the IaaS cloud computing platform vendor’s stability and finances. Make sure that SLAs (i.e., Service Level Agreement) provide backups for data, hardware, network, and application failures. Image portability and third-party support is a plus point.
The IaaS cloud computing platform vendor can get access to your sensitive data. So, engage with credible companies or organizations. Study their security policies and precautions.
Top Iaas Providers who are providing IaaS cloud computing platform
| IaaS Vendor | Iaas Solution | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services | Elastic, Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) MapReduce, Route 53, Virtual Private Cloud, etc. | The cloud computing platform pioneer, Amazon offers auto scaling, cloud monitoring, and load balancing features as part of its portfolio. |
| Netmagic Solutions | Netmagic IaaS Cloud | Netmagic runs from data centers in Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore, and a virtual data center in the United States. Plans are underway to extend services to West Asia. |
| Rackspace | Cloud servers, cloud files, cloud sites, etc. | The cloud computing platform vendor focuses primarily on enterprise-level hosting services. |
| Reliance Communications | Reliance Internet Data Center | RIDC supports both traditional hosting and cloud services, with data centers in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai. The cloud services offered by RIDC include IaaS and SaaS. |
| Sify Technologies | Sify IaaS | Sify’s cloud computing platform is powered by HP’s converged infrastructure. The vendor offers all three types of cloud services: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. |
| Tata Communications | InstaCompute | InstaCompute is Tata Communications’ IaaS offering. InstaCompute data centers are located in Hyderabad and Singapore, with operations in both countries. |