As explained in the February 26 blog post “Understanding Cloud: Infrastructure-as-a-Service vs. Platform-as-a-Service”, IaaS is the cloud computing service that provides the servers and networking components – essentially the infrastructure of a computing environment. Through the IaaS model, organizations are basically renting their IT infrastructure from an expert service provider. There are many reasons for an organization of any size or type to take the IaaS approach. The following are eight reasons why organizations are rapidly adopting this model.
- Cost – With the server, storage and networking hardware off-site at the provider’s location, there are no capital investments that need to be made, maintenance costs incurred or wasted office space used to store the equipment. Additionally, the “pay-as-you-go” subscription-based model enables an organization to pay for only what they use.
- Scalability – This subscription model also enables an organization to easily scale up or down as their needs grow or change. This is especially valuable for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) that have limited resources when they start out, but want to make the right technology investments at the beginning and be able to scale as they grow.
- Flexibility – Every organization is different and has varying computing requirements as well as ever-changing needs. IaaS enables an organization to choose the computing power and storage capacity that is right for them.
- Strategic Focus – Relying on off-site experts to implement and maintain an infrastructure allows internal IT resources to focus more on strategic initiatives, such as finding innovative applications to more efficiently and effectively manage certain aspects of their business. This can be extremely valuable for SMBs with limited resources.
- Advanced Technology – An IaaS provider will want to keep up with the latest and greatest technology to best serve their clients. This is something difficult for SMBs; however, with the IaaS model, all organizations have access to the most advanced technology providing SMBs’, for example, with an infrastructure that they would never be able to build in-house due to cost and resource limitations.
- Quick Implementation – With the provider delivering computing infrastructures to many organizations, they already have an infrastructure in place, making it quick and easy, and therefore painless, for an organization to move to the cloud.
- On-demand Access – A major benefit of cloud computing is the anytime, anywhere access. Being able to access an infrastructure from any location via just an Internet connection is critical in today’s mobile world.
- Security – IaaS providers have tight security controls in place to protect computing environments from breaches. Selecting a provider with the proper certifications and a proven track record is key, but also partnering with them to ensure all security precautions are taken is essential.
These eight reasons are why more and more organizations are moving to the cloud and turning their IT infrastructure over to expert providers.