IaaS Infrastructure As A Service

IaaS Infrastructure as a Service
‘The capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage,

networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is
able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems
and applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud
infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage, and deployed
applications; and possibly limited control of select networking components (e.g.,
host firewalls). ’ NIST
IaaS Infrastructure as a Service
Data
Customer Manages Applications
Provider Manages Operating System Customer Gets Access at This Level
Hypervisor
Compute
Storage
Network
Facility
Gartner IaaS Magic Quadrant
IaaS Flavours
Cloud Providers will often offer three distinct flavours of IaaS compute:
Virtual machines on shared physical servers
Virtual machines on dedicated physical servers
Dedicated bare-metal physical servers
Customers can mix and match between the three types
Virtual Machines on Shared Physical Servers
With virtual machines on shared physical servers, different customers can have
their virtual machines on the same shared underlying physical servers
This is the least expensive option
It has the least amount of options in terms of how many vCPUs, RAM and storage
The virtual machines can usually be provisioned more quickly than the dedicated
options
This is the most commonly deployed option
Virtual Machines on Dedicated Physical Servers
With virtual machines on dedicated physical servers, a customer is guaranteed that

the underlying physical server is dedicated to them
This is a substantially more expensive option than virtual machines on shared
physical servers
There are typically more options in terms of how many vCPUs, RAM and storage
The customer may be required to sign a minimum length contract
Dedicated Bare-Metal Servers
With dedicated bare-metal servers, a customer is given access to their own

physical servers
A hypervisor is not installed and managed by the cloud provider
The customer can either install an operating system directly on the server, or can
install and manage their own hypervisor
This is the most expensive option
It typically has the most options in terms of how many vCPUs, RAM and storage
The customer may be required to sign a minimum length contract
AWS do not offer this option
Data
Customer Manages Applications
Provider Manages Operating System
Hypervisor Hypervisor is optional
Compute Customer Gets Access at This Level
Storage
Network
Facility
Virtual Machines on Dedicated Physical Servers vs
The most common reason to choose virtual machines on dedicated physical
servers is for compliance
Dedicated bare-metal servers can fulfil the same compliance requirements
Both require dedicated physical servers for the customer so the cost is typically
similar
A reason a customer may prefer virtual machines on dedicated physical servers is if
they do not have expertise in-house to manage the hypervisor
Network Options
Customers may be offered similar options for shared or dedicated firewalls and
load balancers
Customers can typically connect into the Cloud Provider’s data center over the
Internet and/or via a direct network connection
Storage Options
Customers will typically have the option of local hard drives in the server, or
external SAN or NAS storage
The customer also has the option of managing their own storage operating system
on a virtual machine or bare-metal server
The customer may be able to install their own physical storage system in the Cloud
Provider’s data center
Management Options
The customer can manage their servers (to install applications and patches etc.)
through standard remote management methods, such as Remote Desktop for
Windows servers, and Secure Shell for Linux
An API is also typically available to allow for automation of common tasks such as
provisioning a new virtual machine
Application Options
The customer may also have the option of applications such as Microsoft SQL or
Antivirus
They can either install the application and look after the licensing themselves
(CapEx), or have the Cloud Provider do it for them (OpEx)
The Cloud Provider may also offer to manage the application
IaaS Billing
For virtual machines on shared physical servers, CPU and RAM will typically be billed only
when the virtual machine is powered on – the physical CPU and RAM in the underlying
server hardware will be available for use by other customers when the virtual machine is
powered off
Network bandwidth will be billed as it is used. Some usage will typically be bundled with
monthly plans
Data storage will typically be billed whether the virtual machine is powered on or off, as
the data will always be there and taking up physical storage space
Optional software extras such as Windows OS or SQL server will be billed as a flat monthly
fee
Examples:
AWS EC2
Telstra IaaS

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IaaS Infrastructure As A Service

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IaaS Infrastructure as a Service

‘The capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage,

With virtual machines on dedicated physical servers, a customer is guaranteed that

With dedicated bare-metal servers, a customer is given access to their own

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