Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a form of cloud computing that provides virtualized computing resources. It is an instant computing infrastructure, provisioned and managed over the internet. The cloud computing service provider manages the infrastructure, while your organization purchases, installs, configures and manages your own software – operating systems, middleware and applications.
IaaS architecture and how it works.
In an IaaS model, a cloud provider hosts the infrastructure components traditionally present in an on-premises data center, including servers, storage and networking hardware, as well as the virtualization or hypervisor layer. In addition, the IaaS provider supplies a range of services to accompany those infrastructure components. These services can include:
- detailed billing
- monitoring
- log access
- security
- load balancing and clustering
- storage resiliency including backup, replication and recovery
These services are increasingly policy-driven, enabling IaaS users to implement greater levels of automation and orchestration for important infrastructure tasks. For example, a user can implement policies to drive load balancing to maintain application availability and performance.
IaaS customers access resources and services through a wide area network (WAN), such as the internet, and can use the cloud provider’s services to install the remaining elements of an application stack. For example, the user can log in to the IaaS platform to create virtual machines (VMs); deploy middleware, such as databases; and create storage buckets for workloads and backups. Customers can then use the provider’s services to track costs, monitor performance, balance network traffic, troubleshoot application issues, manage disaster recovery and more.
Why would IaaS work for your organization?
Organizations choose IaaS because it is often easier, faster and more cost-efficient to operate a workload without having to buy, manage and support the underlying infrastructure. With IT budgets being reduced, this solution can save you money on hardware purchases, maintenance, power and cooling costs and much more. With IaaS, a business can simply rely on the cloud provider for the infrastructure.
For example, IaaS can be an effective model for workloads that are temporary, experimental or that change unexpectedly. One way this is demonstrated is if a business is developing a new software product, it might be more cost-effective to host and test the application using an IaaS provider. Once the new software is tested and refined, the business can remove it from the IaaS environment for a more traditional, in-house deployment. Conversely, the business could commit that piece of software to a long-term IaaS deployment, where the costs of a long-term commitment may be less.
Why 11:11?
Users will need to carefully consider the services, reliability and costs before choosing a provider. With 11:11 Cloud, you receive a self-service cloud infrastructure, built to meet the dynamic needs of your business in the short and long term. It is built on Vmware vCloud and Cisco Powered technology. The entire self-service solution is supported by the 11:11 Cloud Console which provides easy cloud management with transparent and predictable costs. In addition, the console allows for easy access to cloud capabilities from network configuration to integrated backups. 11:11 helps your organization choose the right IaaS solution with the following:
- Intuitive Cloud Management
- Comprehensive, Integrated Security
- Leading-edge technology partnerships
- Consistent, Reliable Performance
- Transparent Pricing
- In-house Compliance Team
- 11:11 Catalyst for accurate sizing and forecasting
- Cloud to cloud DRaaS
- 24×7 expert support
- Detailed Reporting
Any cloud computing model requires a provider and that provider is 11:11.
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