What are the advantages and disadvantages of using infrastructure as a service?

August 12th, 2020 by admin

Most enterprise workloads are now in the cloud. Among the many different cloud computing options is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). This article will explain what IaaS is, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using it.

What is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)?

Rather than purchasing and managing a traditional, on-premises data center, IaaS allows a business to utilize infrastructure provided by a vendor on a public or private cloud. Taking storage, networking, and computing offsite means that customers can enjoy on-demand services while outsourcing infrastructure management to a service provider.

Because a business rents or leases servers for computing and storage, pricing is flexible and agile: you can pay as you go, and scale based on your computing needs each month. Request a quote from ICX now to explore adding this to your managed services solutions.

Advantages of an IaaS

IaaS is often a more efficient solution for enterprises than owning and managing their own infrastructure.

Cost-efficiency

Because IaaS is a pay-as-you-go service, your organization has control and flexibility over cost. For example, if your need for IaaS varies throughout the year, you can save money by reducing your reliance on the service. Additionally, because IaaS is offered in a private or public cloud setting, you have control over what’s stored where. And, because public cloud storage is often more cost-effective than a private cloud, less sensitive data or non-business critical computing needs can be facilitated through a public cloud for further cost savings.

Finally, because you aren’t buying and supporting infrastructure yourself on-site, you can reduce IT management costs, which can quickly add up.

Scalability

As mentioned earlier, IaaS can be quickly and easily scaled, both up and down, letting you pay only for what you use. IaaS’ scalability is possible because each resource within the infrastructure is offered as a separate service. By separating services, an enterprise can select what services to rent, and for how long, which gives you more control over your resources.

Streamline focus

IaaS also eliminates the need for individual enterprises to manage physical servers, which allows you to focus on business-developing activities as opposed to time-consuming IT infrastructure demands.

Continuity and disaster recovery

Business continuity with IaaS and its cloud-based services is a major selling point for many businesses. Cloud storage and management means your data is stored in different locations and your information is protected, in the event of a disaster or outage at your organization.

Faster uptime

IaaS allows your customers to access servers nearest to their geographic location and guarantees service-level agreement (SLA) both in terms of uptime and performance.

Disadvantages of IaaS

Though the advantages of IaaS are abundant, there are a few disadvantages to be aware of before moving forward with IaaS at your organization.

Security

Data security is a concern because security measures within the infrastructure are implemented and managed by the vendor, not the client. IaaS’s multi-tenant architecture also presents a potential risk. It’s critical to vet your vendor well, to ensure you and your clients’ data remains protected.

Technical issues

Because users’ workloads are in the cloud, they are at the mercy of the IaaS provider. Enterprises that utilize IaaS may encounter downtime or performance issues stemming from the IaaS provider’s network.

Transparency

It’s difficult for an enterprise to gain insight into how the vendor’s infrastructure is configured, which could make systems management more challenging.

Do IaaS advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

An IaaS cloud computing solution is a great choice for many enterprises, offering flexibility in terms of scalability and the potential for significant cost savings. Many of the disadvantages - such as security - can be easily overcome through proper vetting of a third-party vendor.

Thanks to our partner Datto and the author Chris Brunau for this informative blog! Request a quote for Datto’s smart data security and business continuity solutions on our website now.

Tags: Cloud, Disaster Recovery, IaaS, IT services

Posted in: Solutions

Infrastructure as a Service – or IaaS(1) – is a calculating infrastructure that aids manage, and monitors the Internet. There are other types of Cloud Computing Architecture that businesses go for including Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS), however, IaaS helps companies by managing and maintaining servers for them.

Many companies – of all various sizes – have switched to using the IaaS for their company. This one isn’t one to take lightly though, because it depends on what the company needs to use it for. There are a handful of advantages and disadvantages of IaaS since it is still developing.

There are three architecture parts of the IaaS: the cloud, the hardware, and the servers. The cloud gives the companies access to a type of virtualized setting to create their own IT platforms. They can work on the cloud from anywhere as long as they have an Internet connection.

The hardware is where all the company’s data is stored. It is dependable and secure to make sure the company’s data is safe, which is always something a company needs. The cloud providers manage the last part of IaaS, the servers. The servers are dispersed and secured across countless data centers for the companies.

Table of Content

• Why use IaaS
• IaaS Benefits
• Disadvantages
• Examples
• Providers

Why use IaaS

Many companies use IaaS because it saves them money and working hours. It also provides those same companies with an easy way to scale and grow their businesses. Since so many companies are benefiting from using IaaS services, the demand for it has only gotten higher. It is something that companies should look into to see if it could benefit them in the long run.

Also Read: What Is Infrastructure as a Services (IaaS)?

Advantages of IaaS

There are many benefits to using IaaS. Here’s a list of the Top 8 IAAS Benefits:

1. Cost Savings 

Cost savings is one of the main benefits of IaaS, because of its low infrastructure costs. Companies do not have to spend money to make sure that the hardware and networking equipment are in good condition. They also do not have to pay monthly or annual fees for benefits they do not use. IaaS saves companies money because they do not force them to buy more capacity than they need. For example, if the company’s business is smaller, they do not have to buy the same amount of capacity as what a much larger company would.

2. Scalability and Flexibility 

With IaaS, companies can scale up and down depending on their requirements, which is considered one of the greatest benefits that IaaS offers. This flexibility with scaling lets companies responds to any change that may come to opportunities or requirements, including when the size of the company changes or when the company is building and dismantling developmental environments.

3. Faster Time to Market 

Competition gets stronger every year, and marketing is one of the best ways to come out on top. Since IaaS allows scalability, companies can market themselves out faster to any potential customers.

4. Support for DR, BC, and High Availability 

Most disaster recovery plans are expensive and unwieldy. If a company is spread out in different locations, they often need to have a different disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity (BC) plans. IaaS provides combined service plans for DR and BC. If a disaster occurs, IaaS provides DR, which reduces costs, and BC, which increases manageability. Companies can access their infrastructure through the Internet no matter where they are, including emails, documents, web servers, and more. IaaS is available to help quickly and efficiently.

5. Focus on Business Growth 

By using IaaS, companies are able to spend more time growing their business rather than making smaller technology decisions. They can focus on developing their applications and solutions with more time and resources.

6. IaaS Can Run Even If a Server Goes Down 

With strong reliability with IaaS, its infrastructure will not be affected if the Internet fails or if a hardware component fails.

7. On-Demand Access 

The IaaS system is on-demand, which helps keep the costs down since companies only have to pay for the resources they use. For example, if they are a smaller company, they do not have to purchase resources that only a large company would use.

8. Expand as You Grow 

Since the service is on-demand, these benefits of IaaS lets companies scale as they grow or downsize, which helps companies in any time of change. If a company grows in size, the IaaS services can also grow as the company needs. 

Disadvantages of IaaS

1. Security

In an IaaS system, the company does not control the cloud security. Companies should read the cloud’s service level agreement (SLA) to understand what coverage is provided.

2. Lack of Flexibility

Some providers do not upgrade the software for some businesses even though they provide maintenance for that software, which does not help those companies.

3. Technical Problems

Sometimes, companies will have downtime with IaaS. That downtime can restrict access to data and applications if it does occur.

4. Over Dependency

When a company uses an IaaS service, its whole company is dependent on that provider, which would not be useful in some instances.

5. Upgrade and Maintenance

After getting an IaaS service, the company is responsible for any upgrades or maintenances that the company will need.

6. Virtualization Services and User-Privacy

IaaS depends on virtualization services, and it also limits user-privacy.

IaaS Examples

• Business Networks 

In business networks, information gets stored and applications are run by networking resources and a pooled server. Growing businesses will also scale their IaaS according to how much the businesses build.

• Cloud Hosting 

During cloud hosts, websites will be hosted on servers that upkeep resources from fundamental physical servers. Companies can access the cloud as long as they have an Internet connection.

• Virtual Data Center 

The virtual data center is a group of connected servers. It develops cloud hosting, operations, or IT infrastructure. 

IaaS Providers

There are many IaaS Providers out there, but here are the top five examples of IaaS providers:

• Amazon AWS
• Digital Ocean
• Microsoft Azure
• Rackspace Open Cloud
• Google Compute Engine

Final Thoughts

Despite the pros and cons of IaaS, it helps greatly with experimental, unanticipated, or temporary work. It is one of the best emerging technology that gives architectural solutions to IT companies or businesses. Like any new growing technology, it can have its challenges, but those will be overcome in the future. For the moment, IaaS helps companies immensely.

Other Useful Resources:

IaaS: Adopt, Disrupt, and Thrive

Top 5 Cloud Computing Predictions for 2020

5 Future Trends in Cloud Computing

| Robin is a writer, editor, and the founder of robinleeann.com, where she offers writing advice and book reviews. When she’s not working, she can be found reading, playing the piano, or being surrounded by puppies.

Robin | Robin is a writer, editor, and the founder of robinleeann.com, where she offers writing advice and book reviews. When she’s not working, she can be...

What are the advantages of using Infrastructure as a Service?

What are the disadvantages of Infrastructure as a Service?

What are the main advantages and disadvantages of platform as a service?

What are some advantages of the IaaS model Choose all that apply?