Infrastructure-as-a-Service Solutions

What is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Solutions?

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) software is a complete development and deployment environment in the cloud. It provides businesses with a platform on which software can be developed and deployed. IaaS platforms handle the complexity around operating systems and servers and leaves application developers free to concentrate on the business requirements of the software.

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) is similar to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), in that it provides services to consumers over the Internet. However, out of the three offerings, IaaS takes care of the essentials, allowing users to manage the rest.

IaaS operates at a very fundamental level, providing the basic building blocks for cloud services. IaaS can be thought of as the provisioning of basic cloud infrastructures like virtualized servers, storage, and networking in an on-demand model. This on-demand model can easily scale up and down to meet demand. Instead of having to spend capital resources on hardware and infrastructure, rapidly scalable and secure infrastructure components are accessible over the Internet. These resources and paid for based on consumption, as in a utility model like electricity or water.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Features & Capabilities

• Uptime percentage offered in SLA
• Ease of scaling up or down in response to consumer needs
• Administration automation for deploying and managing virtual desktops and servers
• Elastic load balancing whereby resources are balanced and distributed automatically across multiple virtual computers
• Preconfigured templates for virtual machines
• Monitoring tools providing alerts when problems are detected
• Customized machine images
• Range of operating systems available as preconfigured images
• Compliance with security protocols like SSL and AES

Infrastructure as a Service Software Comparison

When considering different IaaS platforms, consider the following aspects of each product offering.

1. Scalability: IaaS platforms are cloud-based, meaning they provide easier scalability compared to on-premises options. Despite this, most providers have a maximum and minimum threshold that limits scaling up and down. Scalability should be considered by organizations that need flexibility in how easily they can scale up and down.
2. Support: IaaS issues or network downtime can result in a significant loss of time for users. A responsive support team is key for organizations that can’t afford to have significant IaaS downtime. Most, but not all IaaS providers offer 24/7 support. It is important to consider an organization’s support needs as well as their preferred support medium (email, phone, etc) when selecting an IaaS platform.
3. Compatibility: Some organizations use both IaaS and PaaS (Platform as a Service) solutions. Some IaaS solutions include PaaS features or integrate with PaaS solutions from the same vendor, while others may even integrate with PaaS solutions from different vendors. Organizations planning on integrating IaaS solutions with other software should consider compatibility.

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Pricing

Pricing models vary quite a bit, but the basic structure is usually price per user per month, with different tiers based on differing factors such as the number of custom app objects, or number of servers. Some vendors provide a free tier, but per user pricing can from as little as $50 per month per user to $750 per user per month or more, depending on platform capabilities. If your organization is currently managing their own on-premise infrastructure, it's a good idea to calculate the current costs associated with doing so when comparing switching to IaaS. Typically, IaaS platforms will be a lower cost alternative.

More Resources

• Top 6 Alternatives to Amazon Web Services
• Announcing the Top Rated Infrastructure-as-a-Service Solutions
• Do You Need IaaS, CaaS, PaaS, or FaaS?