As businesses increasingly prioritize digital transformation, the demand for scalable, cost-effective information technology (IT) solutions has skyrocketed. But where once organizations had to invest heavily in physical hardware, data centers, and IT staff to manage their own infrastructure, today’s solutions allow them to outsource these responsibilities to third-party cloud providers. Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) is one such example of this shift to cloud IT, enabling businesses to access computing resources on demand, reduce upfront capital expenses, and simplify infrastructure management. This model also supports hyperscaling—the ability to rapidly scale resources up or down to meet fluctuating demands.
Sometimes also called hardware-as-a-service, IaaS is a kind of cloud computing in which organizations can access essential computing, networking, and storage resources without having to purchase, install, or maintain those resources onsite. Instead, most IaaS vendors offer pay-as-you-go models, where businesses ‘rent’ out computing resources. These resources can then be accessed over any secure internet connection. With IaaS, organizations gain the ability to scale their infrastructure easily and dynamically.
Along with platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS), IaaS is one of the most common approaches to cloud computing.
IaaS services can be broken down into three key categories that encompass the essential resources needed to support applications and workloads. The main types of IaaS services are:
IaaS includes networking components such as virtual routers, switches, and load balancers. These resources are essential for connecting systems, distributing traffic, and managing the flow of data. Cloud vendors virtualize these networking functions, allowing users to configure and manage network settings through software to help optimize traffic control and strengthen connectivity between their systems and the cloud.
These resources deliver the processing power required to run applications and perform tasks. This includes virtualized central processing units (CPUs), graphical processing units (GPUs), and random-access memory (RAM). Users can request these resources in the form of virtual machines or instances, which are provisioned by the cloud provider to meet the organization's computational needs.
IaaS vendors provide scalable storage options to meet different data requirements. These typically fall into three subcategories:
- Block storage stores data in fixed-sized blocks, similar to how data is stored on physical drives like SSDs.
- File storage organizes data in files and folders, functioning similarly to traditional network-attached storage (NAS).
- Object storage stores data as objects, often used for large-scale unstructured data storage, ideal for backups and content distribution.
Providing instant, easy-to-use infrastructure services over the internet, IaaS is an extremely popular solution. The following are some specific advantages of using IaaS:
Hardware and maintenance costs are a major expense for organizations that rely on on-premises solutions. IaaS eliminates these costs and allows users to only pay for the resources they use when they use them.
Effective business continuity relies heavily on available technologies. By taking on infrastructure responsibilities, cloud vendors also take on the responsibility of ensuring that essential technologies remain available even during emergent events and disasters, allowing for improved continuity for users.
When an organization pays a cloud vendor for access to infrastructure resources, the vendor agrees to meet certain service levels. Service level agreements (SLAs) ensure that business technology is available and reliable, without requiring the user to maintain servers, upgrade network security, or find resolutions to hardware-relevant problems. These tasks all fall to the cloud vendor.
Cloud vendors service more than one organization at a time, and that means they need to keep a large amount of computing resources ready and available to meet the changing needs of their clients. When an organization sees increased or decreased demand, they can easily scale up or down their resources, paying for only what they use.
IaaS is often controlled programmatically. This means that a developer can use infrastructure as code (IaC) to define their own infrastructure requirements that are implemented when their code is deployed into test and production environments. This is sometimes referred to as shifting the responsibility ‘left’ or earlier in the delivery pipeline and moving it from an operations role to a developer or DevOps team activity.
Although IaaS provides several clear advantages, it is not without its challenges. The following are possible concerns to be aware of when considering an IaaS solution:
IaaS cost structures are extremely granular. And while paying only for what an organization uses is certainly an advantage in avoiding unnecessary costs, the other side of this is that an organization will always pay for everything it uses. And when every resource and service have a price tag attached, costs can add up quickly. This can make cost management and forecasting in IaaS difficult. Organizations can counter cost unpredictability by implementing cost management tools to set usage limits. Additionally, creating alerts for specific usage thresholds and using reserved or discounted instances can help businesses plan and budget more effectively.
Although IaaS users have the authorization to use the provided computing and infrastructure resources, they do not always have authorization to peer into the configuration and details of the infrastructure itself. This can create visibility and transparency problems that make system management much more difficult. Improving visibility can be addressed by integrating third-party monitoring and management tools to gather deeper insights into the cloud infrastructure. Many of these tools offer real-time performance analytics, system health checks, and infrastructure monitoring that complement the provider's own tools.
In terms of operations teams, IaaS forces developers to adjust to taking more control of the infrastructure decisions. As some organizations move from project models to product models, they often place Ops people within the product teams, which can lead to issues with managing infrastructure changes and configurations. Organizations can minimize disruption by fostering closer collaboration between development and operations teams through a DevOps model.
Allowing developers to define their infrastructure using IaC means that checks on how infrastructure is configured moves from an operations role to something that must be done as part of the delivery pipeline. Automating configuration checks and integrating infrastructure validation into a continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline can mitigate the complexity introduced by IaC. By embedding automated testing, cybersecurity functions, and compliance checks into the pipeline, organizations can streamline infrastructure management and reduce errors.
Using an IaaS solution means putting one’s faith in the cloud vendor. Should the vendor experience an outage or suffer from an unexpected attack, it can negatively impact the businesses that rely on it. To mitigate vendor-related risks, businesses should consider adopting a multi-cloud or hybrid cloud strategy. This diversifies reliance on a single provider and ensures continuity in the event of an outage.
IaaS lets organizations build their own platforms on reliable remote infrastructure. As such, IaaS applications are nearly limitless. Three primary use cases for IaaS are as follows:
With IaaS, users can scale their resources to meet their storage needs, simplifying backup and recovery-system management. This is especially beneficial for organizations with fluctuating storage needs or those undergoing rapid resizing. By leveraging IaaS, companies can automate backups and implement comprehensive disaster recovery strategies without significantly increasing budgets. And, in the event of a disaster, IaaS makes it possible for businesses to quickly restore data and services, minimizing downtime and reducing the risk of data loss.
IaaS is capable of effectively pairing big data with business intelligence, empowering businesses to extract competitive insights from structured and unstructured data. By integrating IaaS with additional business intelligence tools, companies can generate valuable insights from diverse sources, including social media, customer interactions, operational metrics, and even images. This capability enables faster decision-making, improves strategic planning, and gives organizations a competitive edge in data-driven industries.
Before it can be deployed with any degree of confidence, software must first be tested and evaluated. IaaS allows organizations to scale computing power and other resources quickly and easily, setting up on-the-spot testing environments tailored to their product’s specific needs, for faster deployment than would be otherwise possible. Developers can be given the ability to define the infrastructure as code in the same way they write features in code. Furthermore, by integrating IaaS with IT operations management (ITOM), businesses can automate testing processes and manage environments more efficiently.
Contrary to traditional on-premises computing solutions in which an organization would take responsibility for managing the entire end-to-end stack (including all hardware, software, operating systems, virtualization, etc.), cloud computing takes some or all these responsibilities and establishes them as accessible options through the cloud.
IaaS is only one form of cloud computing. Otros forms include platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS). The distinction between these different approaches to cloud service depends on which stack elements are the responsibility of the user or customer, and which are managed by the cloud vendor.
If an on-premises solution allows end-users full responsibility and control over their computing resources, IaaS is one step removed. In an IaaS solution, the cloud vendor provides the essential infrastructure technology, including hardware and components, and takes responsibility for housing, operating, maintaining, and updating all associated equipment. The customer can then use this infrastructure to deploy the remainder of their application stack.
With IaaS, end-users provide the applications, middleware, runtime, virtual networks, and operating system, while the cloud vendor takes care of the physical network, servers, and storage. IaaS providers may also offer accompanying services, including load balancing, security, monitoring, and more.
PaaS takes things further than IaaS, providing end users with the resources, storage space, and infrastructure they need to host, build, and deploy consumer-facing applications. Like IaaS solutions, the PaaS cloud vendor takes responsibility for the infrastructure and physical hardware and servers, but also provides the runtime, middleware, and operating systems necessary to create custom apps.
SaaS is the logical culmination of cloud computing, managing the entire stack and taking responsibility for its associated resources. SaaS is probably the most well-known and widely used form of cloud computing for businesses. SaaS gives organizations access to fully developed and maintained applications, usually accessible over any standard web browser (without the need for local installation).
While IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS are the most-common forms of cloud computing, it is also worth recognizing that new cloud models—containers and serverless—are becoming increasingly prevalent. These models take the IaaS concept of renting out servers and virtual machines and build upon it. The result is fewer coding responsibilities for developers, and a more-complete level of service from vendors.
Simply put, a container is a self-contained unit of software that packages an application along with all its dependencies, ensuring it runs consistently across different environments. By abstracting the application layer rather than emulating physical machines, containers enable seamless deployment across on-premises servers and cloud platforms. To manage and orchestrate containers at scale, organizations commonly use ‘Kubernetes,’ which are the industry’s leading container orchestration platform. Kubernetes automates deployment, scaling, and management, making it easier to maintain containerized applications. Due to its widespread adoption, Kubernetes is often mistakenly used interchangeably with containers, though containers can exist independently of it.
Serverless computing does away with the need for complete applications. Instead of having users build apps to run on provided infrastructure, they break up the various application components into constituent functionalities. The vendor then builds the app, scaling (and charging for) each function and properly allocating processing power to ensure that the application performs optimally on the server. Serverless abstracts away almost everything, leaving only business logic for the user to define.
IaaS provides a more-resource efficient approach, but containers and serverless solutions may represent the future of cloud computing.
IaaS operates on the principle of virtualization, where physical infrastructure is abstracted into virtual environments that users can access over the internet. When a business chooses an IaaS solution, they request specific computing, networking, and storage resources that are configured according to their needs. These virtualized resources mimic physical hardware, allowing applications to run just as they would in an on-premises environment. For users, there is generally no distinction between using physical devices and the virtual resources provisioned by their IaaS provider.
IaaS customers access these resources through the internet and use them to build and manage their IT infrastructure. The IaaS vendor provides additional services for tasks like monitoring system performance, managing disaster recovery, and balancing network traffic.
In a typical IaaS arrangement, the cloud provider manages and maintains the underlying hardware, ensuring uptime, applying software patches, and handling troubleshooting. The user, however, is responsible for configuring and managing the virtual resources, such as installing software, maintaining IT security, and optimizing performance.
Even before selecting a vendor, successfully implementing IaaS requires careful planning and evaluation. The following steps outline how businesses can implement IaaS effectively:
Start by assessing the organization’s specific infrastructure needs. Different use cases, such as web hosting, data analytics, or software development, have varying resource requirements. Understanding these requirements will help decision makers select the appropriate compute, networking, and storage options for the business’ applications.
Assemble a small, focused team that will lead the IaaS adoption process. This team should include members from IT and business units who understand the technical requirements and strategic goals. Starting small allows the team to build experience and demonstrate the value of IaaS to the rest of the organization.
Conduct thorough research to compare vendors, as different providers offer varying capabilities, pricing models, and service levels. Look for a well-established vendor with a strong track record and a range of services that can scale with the evolving needs of the company. Consider aspects like support, compliance certifications, and disaster recovery options when making this decision.
Implement IaaS gradually to avoid disruptions. Start by moving non-critical workloads or select applications to the cloud and continue with a phased migration. Consider temporarily running a hybrid model, where some workloads remain on-premises while others shift to the cloud, to help maintain continuity during the transition.
During the move to IaaS, prioritize data security and regulatory compliance. Review the provider’s security protocols, encryption methods, and compliance certifications to ensure they align with industry requirements. This step is critical to maintaining data integrity and minimizing potential risks.
Once IaaS is in place, continuously monitor system performance, costs, and resource utilization. Many IaaS platforms offer built-in tools for tracking these metrics in real time. This makes it possible to quickly adjust resources to match changing needs.
Gone are the days when infrastructure management was the sole responsibility of the business. Today, organizations in essentially every industry are outsourcing their infrastructure needs, making it possible for them to access and maintain critical computing, networking, and storage resources on demand. IaaS delivers valuable advantages in this regard. That said, effectively managing these virtual environments and ensuring seamless integration with business processes can be challenging without the right tools.
ServiceNow Cloud Accelerate (part of IT Operations Management) and Cloud Cost Management (part of IT Asset Management) provide comprehensive solutions for managing IaaS environments. Cloud Accelerate optimizes infrastructure operations with automated provisioning, policy-based governance, and enhanced visibility into cloud resources. Cloud Cost Management helps organizations monitor usage and spending, and prevent budget overruns by providing real-time insights into cloud costs. Together, these solutions make it possible for businesses to maximize the value of IaaS while maintaining tight control over their cloud investments.
Optimize your approach to IaaS; demo Servicenow to learn more!