If you’re migrating to a cloud environment – or maybe you’re already operating within a virtual space and just want to learn more about the available solutions – it’s important to know that there are multiple types of service to consider.
Reading on, we’ve taken a deep dive into the world of IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), including how it works and how it can benefit your business.
An introduction to IaaS
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is best visualised as sitting at the base of a three-tier cloud computing pyramid that also comprises PaaS (Platform as a Service) in the middle and SaaS (Software as a Service), at the top. The amount of customer control over the virtualised IT resources increases as you descend the pyramid.
How does IaaS work?
When it comes to how IaaS works, it might be easier to think of this service model as ‘hardware-as-a-service’. By this, we mean that, by adopting IaaS, you are benefiting from all required hardware to operate within the cloud, including servers, storage, network infrastructure, and data centres.
This hardware is owned and pooled by specialist third parties (such as AWS or Azure) and offered as a fully outsourced, metered service on demand. Customers are then free to manage the operating system, middleware, and applications, typically via self-service provisioning portals.
The evolution of IaaS
Where once IaaS was bought as a straightforward outsourcing choice, today it is increasingly featuring in hybrid cloud deployments, with organisations mixing on- and off-premise infrastructure to create more tailored computing platforms.
And as IaaS has matured so has organisations’ willingness to use it for more than low-value development and storage requirements; business-critical systems are now an IaaS staple, with only highly-intensive applications and those with extreme data sensitivities showing resistance to a move.
Real world IaaS examples and case uses
With close control over your cloud environment, without having to invest in costly infrastructure, there’s little wonder as to why IaaS is becoming increasingly popular. A few real-world IaaS examples include:
- E-commerce: Online business owners benefit from the granular cloud control afforded by IaaS, which offers complete flexibility to manage and adjust resources based on spikes in sales, fluctuating customer demand, and overhead costs. Without the same autonomy over infrastructure, website owners can begin to feel restricted.
- Entertainment: Within the entertainment industry, IaaS facilitates and supports the processing of large media and data files, which helps deliver high quality content to front end users. This flexibility and control is imperative to handle fluctuating traffic and deliver a high-quality experience.
- Healthcare: The healthcare industry capitalises on IaaS capabilities to store and analyse patient data, with fully-electronic and accessible health records used to deliver swifter and more efficient outcomes. The flexibility of IaaS means resources can be moved within the environment with ease, to manage patient numbers and analyse new data, which translates to increasingly-effective care.
The benefits of IaaS in cloud computing
We’ve looked at what Infrastructure as a Service actually is, as well as a handful of IaaS examples; but what are the benefits of this cloud model?
- Replaces or supplements infrastructure: A time, cost, and resource-effective means of keeping IT aligned with operational needs
- No CAPEX required: Greater affordability removes barriers to provisioning, and encourages more agile responses
- Control without constraint: Complete management of platform and total flexibility without the distraction of ‘keeping the lights on’
- Predictable OPEX: Cost certainty aids cashflow, budgeting, and planning
- Infinite elasticity: Resources can flex up and down to match needs precisely, and eliminate waste
- Rapid deployment: Improved time to market and a sharper competitive edge
- Built-in redundancy: Inherent strengthening of business continuity and disaster recovery capability
- Optimised security: Safeguarding by specialists of business-critical operating environment
Why should organisations consider IaaS?
With its ability to offer scalable, commoditised, and virtualised operating environments of almost infinite capacity, and with its characteristic OpEx-based pricing model, IaaS can:
- Allow new organisations to invest in hardware without upfront capital
- Underpin rapid organisational expansion through speed of on-demand provisioning
- Boost time to market through accelerated deployments
- Enable alignment of resources to business needs, especially where infrastructure demands may be volatile
- Create the foundations for business continuity
- Facilitate planning and budgeting through greater cost certainty
- Encourage a greater focus on adding value at the front end rather than on ‘keeping the lights on’ activity
- Drive down total cost of ownership and carbon impact
Are there any drawbacks of IaaS?
While the list of IaaS benefits is extensive, it’s important to also be aware of any potential drawbacks, to make an informed decision when migrating to a cloud native business model. Some considerations you should make before adopting Infrastructure as a Service include:
- Vendor lock in: When you operate within a public cloud environment, it can be easy to become reliant on your cloud provider, which can lead to vendor lock in – and make it tricky to move to another provider later down the line.
- Cost management: When managed correctly, IaaS can be extremely cost-effective. But, because you have increased control over all infrastructural features, it can be easy to allow costs to run away and build up. So, it’s important to keep an eye on spending to make sure you don’t go over budget.
- Complexity: It perhaps goes without saying, but having increased control over your cloud infrastructure and architecture comes with greater complexity. If you want the benefits of having full autonomy without the hassle of having to keep on top of your environment, you might benefit from the ongoing services of a cloud expert.
With that final section complete, you should hopefully now have a better idea of what IaaS is and whether it’s right for your business. Of course, if you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team of expert cloud consultants.
In the meantime, discover even more useful insight from our team over on our blog – including our article comparing IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS and our piece looking at shared vs dedicated IaaS.
