Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Organizations face mounting pressure to secure their digital infrastructure and maintain ample operational agility. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a critical component in this equation, providing on-demand access to computing resources with a host of new cybersecurity considerations. With IaaS experiencing the fastest growth among cloud services at 24.8% in 2025, organizations must understand both its strategic advantages and security implications.

Infrastructure as a Service is a cloud computing model that delivers fundamental IT infrastructure components—including servers, storage, networking, and virtualization—as on-demand services over the internet. Rather than purchasing and maintaining physical hardware, organizations rent access to these resources from cloud service providers on a pay-as-you-go basis. IaaS eliminates the traditional capital expenditure requirements and operational complexity associated with building and maintaining on-premises data centers.

The key distinction of IaaS lies in the division of responsibilities between the cloud provider and the customer. While the provider manages and maintains the underlying physical infrastructure, including servers, networking hardware, and data center facilities, customers retain full control over their operating systems, applications, and data. This shared responsibility model provides organizations with the flexibility to configure and manage their computing environment according to their specific needs while offloading the burden of hardware maintenance and updates.

IaaS represents the most fundamental layer of cloud services, providing the building blocks that enable businesses to scale their IT resources dynamically. Organizations can rapidly provision additional computing power during peak demand periods and scale back during quieter times, paying only for what they actually use. This elasticity makes IaaS particularly valuable for businesses with variable workloads, startups seeking to minimize upfront costs, and enterprises looking to modernize their IT infrastructure without major capital investments.

IaaS operates through a sophisticated cloud-based delivery model that abstracts physical infrastructure into virtualized, on-demand services. Third-party cloud providers host and maintain massive data centers filled with servers, storage systems, and networking equipment that customers access remotely.

“Cloud providers have made it cheap and easy for developers to run their code on rented server space while still provisioning and managing the servers themselves,” says Kyle Thorpe, Proofpoint Software Engineer. ”This is known as IaaS, and it allows developers to rent virtual machines, storage capacity, and other resources easily. A great example of IaaS is Elastic Cloud Computing (EC2) from AWS,” he adds. This approach transforms traditional IT infrastructure from a physical asset into a service that can be consumed and scaled according to business needs.

Cloud Platform Hosting

Major cloud platforms, such as Amazon Web Services EC2, Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, serve as the foundation for IaaS delivery. These providers operate geographically distributed data centers that house thousands of physical servers, creating a global network of computing resources. Organizations can select specific regions and availability zones to optimize performance and meet data residency requirements.

Resource Provisioning and Management

IaaS resources are provisioned and controlled through intuitive web-based management consoles or programmatic APIs. Users can deploy virtual machines, configure storage volumes, and establish network connections within minutes using these interfaces. The self-service nature of these platforms eliminates traditional procurement cycles and allows IT teams to respond rapidly to changing business demands.

API-driven management enables organizations to integrate IaaS resources into their existing workflows and automation tools. Development teams can programmatically spin up testing environments, while operations teams can automate deployment pipelines. This programmatic control extends to resource modification, monitoring, and decommissioning throughout the infrastructure lifecycle.

Automated Features and Capabilities

Modern IaaS platforms include sophisticated automation features that reduce operational overhead and improve reliability. Autoscaling automatically adjusts computing resources based on real-time demand, ensuring applications maintain performance during traffic spikes while optimizing costs during quieter periods. Automated backup systems continuously protect data and applications without manual intervention, with retention policies that can extend up to 90 days.

Real-time monitoring provides comprehensive visibility into infrastructure performance, security events, and resource utilization. These monitoring systems generate alerts for potential issues and provide detailed analytics that help organizations optimize their cloud spending. Many platforms also offer automated remediation capabilities that can resolve common issues without human intervention.

Multi-Tenancy and Virtualized Environments

IaaS platforms utilize multi-tenant architecture to maximize resource efficiency while maintaining strict isolation between customers. Multiple organizations share the same physical infrastructure through virtualization technology, which creates separate virtual environments that operate independently. This approach allows cloud providers to achieve economies of scale while ensuring that each tenant’s data and applications remain completely isolated from others.

Virtualization creates multiple virtual machines on single physical servers, each with dedicated CPU, memory, and storage allocations. The hypervisor layer manages these virtual environments, ensuring that one tenant’s activities do not impact another tenant’s performance or security. This multi-tenant model enables IaaS providers to offer enterprise-grade infrastructure at significantly lower costs than traditional dedicated hosting solutions.

IaaS delivers compelling advantages that directly address modern enterprise challenges while supporting strategic business objectives. Organizations are recognizing these benefits as essential for maintaining a competitive advantage.

• Cost efficiency: Organizations eliminate significant capital expenses by avoiding hardware purchases and maintenance while paying only for resources they actually consume through flexible usage-based pricing models.
• Scalability: IaaS enables rapid resource adjustment to meet changing business demands without overcommitting to fixed infrastructure, allowing dynamic scaling up or down based on real-time needs.
• Speed: Organizations can provision and deploy infrastructure resources in minutes rather than weeks, dramatically accelerating project launches and time-to-market for new applications.
• Disaster recovery and redundancy: IaaS provides automated backups and data replication across geographically distributed centers, ensuring business continuity without the need for costly dedicated backup infrastructure.
• Global reach: Extensive networks of strategically located data centers position resources closer to users worldwide, reducing latency and improving application performance across global markets.
• Reduced IT management: IaaS eliminates the burden of hardware maintenance, software updates, and infrastructure monitoring, which frees up IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than operational tasks.
• Access to enterprise-grade technology: Organizations can leverage cutting-edge infrastructure technologies and security features typically available only to large enterprises without the associated investment and expertise requirements.

IaaS has become integral to modern business operations across diverse industries and organizational functions. Organizations leverage the flexibility of IaaS to address specific operational challenges while optimizing costs and improving efficiency.

• Development and testing environments: IaaS enables teams to quickly provision and scale development environments as needed, allowing for rapid provisioning and scaling up or down. This approach brings new applications to market faster while eliminating the need for physical hardware investments.
• Hosting websites and web apps: Organizations can host websites and web applications more cost-effectively than traditional hosting solutions while easily scaling resources to handle traffic peaks and ensure high availability.
• High-performance computing and big data analytics: IaaS provides the scalable infrastructure necessary for processing large datasets and running complex analytics workloads. This approach enables businesses to extract valuable insights without massive upfront hardware investments.
• Backup, recovery, and storage solutions: Companies can implement comprehensive disaster recovery strategies by replicating their infrastructure in the cloud. This approach ensures data continuity and meets regulatory compliance requirements without the complexity of managing physical backup systems.
• Supporting remote work and virtual desktop infrastructure: IaaS-based VDI solutions enable employees to access their complete desktop environments from any device with internet connectivity. These solutions provide secure and flexible remote work capabilities while centralizing data management.

Understanding the differences between these three cloud service models enables organizations to select the most suitable approach for their specific needs. Each model offers different levels of control and responsibility while serving distinct use cases across the technology stack.

• IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service): Provides maximum control over virtualized computing resources, including servers, storage, and networking. Organizations manage their own operating systems, middleware, applications, and data while the provider handles the underlying physical infrastructure. Examples include AWS EC2, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.
• PaaS (Platform as a Service): Offers a development platform where providers manage the infrastructure, operating systems, and runtime environments. Customers retain control over their applications and data but delegate platform management to the provider. Examples include Google App Engine, Heroku, and AWS Elastic Beanstalk.
• SaaS (Software as a Service): Delivers complete, ready-to-use applications accessible through web browsers or mobile apps. Users have no infrastructure control and simply consume the software, while providers manage the entire technology stack. Common examples include Gmail, Salesforce, and Microsoft Office 365.

When to Choose Each Model

Choose IaaS when your organization needs maximum flexibility and control over computing environments. IaaS suits businesses with specific infrastructure requirements, custom applications, or variable workloads that require rapid scaling. It also caters to enterprises migrating from on-premises infrastructure that want to maintain familiar management approaches.

PaaS makes sense when your development teams need to focus on building applications without the overhead of infrastructure management. This model accelerates development cycles and works particularly well for collaborative projects that require shared development environments among multiple developers. PaaS also benefits organizations that use agile methodologies or cloud-native development practices.

Organizations choose SaaS when they need immediate access to proven software solutions that are easy to use and free from technical complexity. SaaS is a common model that works best for standard business functions, such as email, customer relationship management, or productivity applications, where customization requirements are minimal. SaaS also suits organizations with limited IT resources or short-term software needs.

The IaaS market is dominated by several major cloud providers that offer comprehensive infrastructure services to organizations worldwide. These providers differentiate themselves through unique features, geographic reach, and specialized capabilities that cater to different business needs.

• Amazon Web Services (AWS): AWS provides core IaaS services through EC2 for computing, EBS for block storage, and VPC for networking. The platform offers extensive cloud services across numerous availability zones in global regions and excels in scalability and rapid deployment capabilities.
• Microsoft Azure: Azure focuses on hybrid cloud solutions and enterprise integration with existing Microsoft products like Office 365. The platform delivers Virtual Machines for computing and Azure Blob Storage for object storage while providing seamless integration with on-premises Microsoft infrastructure.
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP): GCP’s Compute Engine leverages Google’s global infrastructure, which powers search, Gmail, and YouTube, to deliver high-performance virtual machines. The platform stands out for its advanced AI and machine learning capabilities, along with sustained usage discounts for continuous workloads.
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure: OCI provides enterprise-focused IaaS with strong database integration and autonomous database services that appeal to organizations running Oracle applications. The platform emphasizes advanced security features, including identity and access management, network security groups, and comprehensive data encryption.
• IBM Cloud: IBM Cloud offers hybrid and multi-cloud capabilities through its comprehensive portfolio that includes bare-metal servers, virtual servers, and specialized services for AI, blockchain, and quantum computing. The platform differentiates itself through its integration with Watson AI and strong support for enterprise automation and analytics workloads.

IaaS environments present unique security challenges that require organizations to understand their responsibilities and implement comprehensive protection strategies. The distributed nature of cloud infrastructure means security becomes a shared effort between providers and customers, with clear boundaries that must be understood and managed effectively.

Shared Responsibility Model

The shared responsibility model forms the foundation of IaaS security by clearly defining who is responsible for protecting which components of the infrastructure. Cloud providers secure the physical infrastructure, including servers, storage, networking hardware, and the virtualization layer that enables multi-tenant environments. This approach relieves customers of the operational burden associated with maintaining physical data centers and hardware components.

Customers retain full responsibility for securing their operating systems, applications, data, and access management within their cloud environments. Organizations must handle security patches, application updates, user access controls, and data encryption for their specific workloads. The flexibility this model provides comes with the requirement that customers actively manage their portion of the security stack.

Common Security Risks

Misconfigured Instances represent one of the most prevalent threats in IaaS environments. Every organization has multiple misconfigured IaaS instances running, with an average of over 2,200 misconfiguration incidents reported monthly. Common misconfigurations include storage access open to the internet and excessive user permissions that expose entire infrastructure to significant risk.

Unprotected APIs create vulnerabilities that attackers increasingly target to extract data or disrupt business operations. APIs without proper rate limiting are vulnerable to distributed denial of service attacks, while those with excessive data exposure reveal more information than necessary. Injection attacks through APIs can trick systems into executing unintended commands or accessing unauthorized data.

Insider threats have increased significantly, with 74% of organizations reporting an increase in insider attacks over the past year. Cloud environments amplify these risks because remote access capabilities allow insiders to perform malicious actions from anywhere. Insider threats can occur accidentally through mishandled data-sharing permissions or intentionally through disgruntled employees deleting critical data.

Security Best Practices

Implement IAM roles and policies to ensure users have only the minimum access required for their roles. Identity & Access Management (IAM) provides robust user role-based permissions to help prevent unauthorized access and reduce the risk of internal threats or accidental data exposure. Organizations should regularly audit access permissions and remove inactive accounts that could become security vulnerabilities.

Encrypt data at rest and in transit to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access. Data encryption is essential when moving information between on-premises and cloud resources and between different cloud applications. Organizations can use their own encryption keys or those provided by their cloud service provider, depending on their security requirements.

Enable comprehensive monitoring and logging through services like AWS CloudTrail and Azure Monitor to quickly detect and respond to security incidents. Insufficient logging and monitoring allow malicious activities to go unnoticed, making it difficult to identify data breaches or unauthorized access attempts. Continuous monitoring provides visibility into infrastructure performance, security events, and resource utilization patterns, helping to optimize both security and costs.

Infrastructure as a Service has fundamentally transformed how organizations approach IT infrastructure by delivering on-demand computing resources through cloud platforms. This model offers unparalleled flexibility and scalability that enables businesses across industries to optimize costs, accelerate deployment timelines, and respond rapidly to changing market demands.

Understanding the shared responsibility model remains critical for successful and secure IaaS adoption, as organizations must clearly define who protects what components of their cloud environment. While cloud providers secure the physical infrastructure, customers are responsible for securing their own operating systems, applications, and data.

Proofpoint’s comprehensive security solutions help organizations navigate these challenges by providing visibility, threat detection, and data protection across cloud environments. With capabilities that address cloud security posture management, access controls, and integration with broader enterprise security strategies, Proofpoint enables organizations to realize the full benefits of IaaS while maintaining robust security and compliance standards. Get in touch to learn more.

These frequently asked questions address common concerns about Infrastructure as a Service and help clarify key concepts for organizations considering cloud adoption.

What is IaaS in simple terms?

IaaS is a cloud computing model that delivers fundamental IT infrastructure components, such as servers, storage, and networking, as on-demand services over the internet. Organizations can rent access to these virtualized computing resources from cloud providers on a pay-as-you-go basis rather than purchasing and maintaining physical hardware. This approach eliminates the need for upfront capital expenditures and the complexity of managing on-premises data centers.

How is IaaS different from PaaS and SaaS?

IaaS provides maximum control by giving customers access to virtualized infrastructure while they manage their own operating systems, applications, and data. PaaS handles the infrastructure and operating systems for customers, allowing them to focus only on developing and managing their applications. SaaS delivers complete, ready-to-use software applications where customers have no control over their infrastructure and simply use the provided software.

What are some real-life examples of IaaS?

Major IaaS providers include Amazon Web Services EC2, Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines, Google Cloud Compute Engine, IBM Cloud, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Organizations commonly use IaaS for web applications, development environments, data analytics workloads, and disaster recovery solutions. Companies like e-commerce businesses leverage IaaS to handle seasonal traffic spikes without maintaining idle servers year-round.

Is IaaS secure?

IaaS can provide robust security benefits through professional security expertise, physical security measures, and compliance certifications that many organizations cannot achieve independently. Cloud providers invest significantly in security teams and infrastructure, offering advanced security features and best practices. However, security depends heavily on proper configuration and management by the customer, as misconfigured instances remain one of the most common security risks.

Who is responsible for what in an IaaS environment?

The cloud provider manages and secures the physical infrastructure, including servers, networking hardware, data centers, and the host operating systems. Customers are responsible for securing their guest operating systems, applications, data, network configurations, and access management within their cloud environments. This shared responsibility model means both parties have specific security obligations that must be clearly understood and properly implemented.