What is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)?
Infrastructure as a service, or IaaS, is a cloud computing service that offers storage and networking resources. IaaS, along with PaaS (platform as a service) and SaaS (software as a service) have roots stretching back decades. When the first modern computers came on the scene in the mid-20th century, they were enormous, and not many businesses had the space or financial resources to purchase one. This made it difficult to share information across devices, and for years, companies sought to find a solution to access stored data from multiple locations easily.
SaaS arose from this need to share information through the Cloud, or online instead of local data storage, and IaaS technology followed in its footsteps shortly after. It removed the need for onsite data centers and the manual updating of storage. In short, it provided a much simpler way of accessing hardware and software because it all became virtualized.
Benefits of IaaS
Today, IaaS is still an effective and widely-used service that offers numerous benefits to businesses.
Cost Savings
One advantage to using IaaS is that you only pay for what you need. This on-demand access makes it easy for businesses to scale their infrastructure on an hourly, daily, or monthly basis, allowing users more freedom and control over what they purchase and which services run on their systems. As a result, your company may be better able to plan and budget for such expenses.
Faster Installation
IaaS, unlike onsite storage systems, can be quickly installed. Because it’s so easy to get up and running, your business saves critical market time. Certain IaaS providers may also include built-in block storage and firewalls.
Storage Planning for the Future
A business’s storage needs tend to decrease and expand over time, and this constant fluctuation presents the need for a backup or surplus of storage to be used later. Companies don’t want to find themselves in a situation where their operations have outgrown their data infrastructure, and they no longer have the resources to keep up with critical storage needs. With IaaS, you’ll have the peace of mind that no matter how much storage you may need at a particular point in time, you can continually expand or downsize based on your current needs.
Security
Most IaaS systems offer an array of security systems and processes to protect your business’s data. Some of these include virtual routers and firewalls. Users can encrypt their data to protect it from unauthorized access, and they can also grant special permissions to prevent other users from accessing more info than is necessary.
Accessibility
Because IaaS operates independently of physical infrastructure, anyone can access information within your organization, regardless of whether they’re present on location or not. This allows for better collaboration and makes it possible to share information rapidly across the board.
No Need For Manual Updates
Another advantage to using IaaS is that you won’t be responsible for manually upgrading new hardware. Most of the time it’s done automatically and requires little to no effort from users. As such, those lacking a technical skillset will find it relatively easy to use and should be able to understand upgrades and adjustments without much background knowledge.
How IaaS Can Help Your Business
What are some things that IaaS can help your business with?
Video Conferencing
Iaas makes it easy for your business to manage and operate video conferencing applications. Users can easily and effectively interact with the software. In essence, this shifts the power from data centers back to your organization, enabling you to manage privacy settings and access to data.
Infrastructure Outsourcing
Infrastructure management is outsourced to your IaaS cloud provider, freeing up time for your business to invest in other areas, such as training and day-to-day operations. This alleviates yet another burden for your business, as you won’t be responsible for keeping up with the latest IaaS developments and installations—that responsibility falls on the shoulders of your provider. Putting these issues in the hands of providers can assure your business that your infrastructure is being carefully managed by personnel who know what they’re doing. These experts are well-versed on IaaS systems and can handle whatever tasks or problems may come your way.
Enhanced Performance
With IaaS, your infrastructure is supported by a third party. These providers typically have more reliable, modern methods to manage your infrastructure than you might have at your physical location. This leads to better Cloud and infrastructure performance where you don’t need to worry about installing things yourself and making sure they run according to the latest updates.
Decreased CapEx
Lowering the costs associated with CapEx is yet another way that IaaS can save your business money. Without the need to invest in physical infrastructure, you’re free to funnel more of your IT budget towards other needs.
IaaS has been on the scene for a number of years, but it’s constantly improving and adding features to benefit organizations. As it continues to grow, more and more businesses are choosing to take the leap and invest in IaaS systems and services to manage their data and infrastructure. It can save your business money in the long run and simplify the data management process across the board. In addition, it offers top-notch security, allowing organizations to feel safer about entrusting valuable info to outside providers.
Businesses can feel confident in IaaS’ ability to manage their data infrastructure more effectively than they could independently. In a world that’s shifting from the physical to the Cloud, and has been for some time, it pays to be able to store and access your company’s information any place at any time. This eliminates the need to invest in high-maintenance, expensive onsite infrastructure. It allows for flexible scaling and payment options, and is an overall sensible choice for any business looking to expand their storage options.
Perhaps most importantly, you can customize your service to fit your organization’s unique needs. You don’t have to worry about paying additional fees for services you don’t use, and you can increase or decrease your bandwidth as your storage needs evolve. This flexibility, along with IaaS’ stability and safeguarding of info, makes it an ideal cloud investment.
Your business will be able to cut its capital expenditure costs and direct that extra money towards more pressing needs. Further, you can rest easy knowing that your infrastructure is being managed by a team of experts that are able to easily install systems, manage data, and troubleshoot any problems you may encounter when working with storage.
Teksetra is Here to Help
Despite the benefits of IaaS, it’s not something every business has the resources to implement on its own. That’s why we’re here to help. Teksetra is an industry leader dedicated to providing cost-effective and innovative tech solutions. We’re also experienced with IaaS and IaaS installation. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your business get up and running with this service.