Rackspace Cloud Library

What is IaaS?

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a method of delivering computing, storage, networking and other capabilities via the Internet. IaaS enables companies to utilize web-based operating systems, applications and storage without having to purchase, manage and support the underlying cloud infrastructure. The most popular examples of IaaS platforms include Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft® Azure®.

Infrastructure as a Service is one of three main categories of cloud computing, along with Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS). IaaS is the fastest-growing cloud segment, with its growth forecast to reach 36.8 percent in 2017, according to a recent Gartner report. The phenomenal growth of IaaS is largely due to enterprises steadily moving from data centers to the cloud.

Why Use IaaS?

Cost Savings

Enterprises using IaaS can dramatically reduce their infrastructure costs, as they no longer need to purchase hardware for their data centers, maintain and replace equipment, or ensure 24x7x365 uptime. A pay-as-you-go model — where you pay for capacity only when you need it — also enables businesses to save money.

Around-the-Clock Availability

IaaS enables enterprises to access their apps, data and other resources as long as an Internet connection is available. Companies increasingly rely on IaaS to empower their mobile workforce, and to provide the foundation for their business continuity and disaster-recovery plans.

Time to Market

With its on-demand availability and robust agility, IaaS lets companies more rapidly develop and deploy new products and services, decreasing their time to market.

On-Demand Scalability

Enterprises can quickly scale their capacity up and down depending on their business needs, changing opportunities in the marketplace, or consumer demand.

How Can Rackspace Help?

When it comes to designing an IaaS solution to meet their needs, organizations may choose to use more than one type of cloud.

Public Cloud

A public cloud has multiple tenants and offers pay-as-you-go scalability. It’s well suited for websites with public-facing operations and unpredictable or heavy traffic.

Private Cloud

A private cloud provides a single-tenant environment via virtual or dedicated servers. When securing your business data or regulatory compliance is paramount, it’s an ideal choice.

Hybrid Cloud

A hybrid cloud combines private clouds, public clouds and single-tenant dedicated servers. The private cloud offers advanced security, the public cloud provides scalability, and the single-tenant dedicated servers offer superior performance for applications that require it.

Dedicated Servers

Dedicated servers are geared toward single tenants. Typically, companies with business-critical operations that demand high performance plus strict regulatory compliance rely on dedicated servers.

Why Choose Rackspace for Your IaaS Needs?

Rackspace offers multiple IaaS options, with service levels to match your needs. All service levels include our always-on service, plus 24x7x365 access to our architecture advisors, cloud engineers, cloud services support staff and security experts.

Whatever your business requirements, we have an IaaS solution for you:

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