Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) for Businesses
Cloud computing is a technological term that has entered the public lexicon in recent years, but fully understanding what it means is something that many people still have not achieved—and for good reason! Cloud computing may seem complicated, but once you understand the way it is structured, it is much easier to consider how it can be a valuable resource for your business.
Cloud computing generally refers to any type of computing resource that is delivered via an internet connection instead of a physically present piece of hardware or software. The most familiar example of this are cloud storage services, such as Apple’s iCloud or Google’s Drive, but there are also custom solutions that can give businesses a tailored approach to the technological space. For businesses, solutions such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provide a convenient way to utilize cloud computing in a cost-effective way to meet their technological requirements.
What is IaaS?
IaaS is one of three main types of cloud computing services that businesses have access to today. IaaS provides businesses with all the essentials of cloud infrastructure, including computing, on-demand storage, and networking resources. Under the IaaS model, businesses are able to access the servers and infrastructure of a cloud computing service provider remotely, allowing them the ability to bypass the complexity of building and managing an individual data structure. Additionally, IaaS services enable businesses to scale their resources up and down on demand and without consequence, so they are only paying for the services they are actively using, providing them with a flexible and reliable infrastructure regardless of the size of their operations.
Benefits of IaaS
In most scenarios, it is beneficial for a business to enter into an IaaS ecosystem because it is more cost-effective and efficient for their overall workflow. Some of the benefits of IaaS for businesses include:
Reduces the Cost of Cloud Computing for Businesses
Cloud computing is a fantastic technology for optimizing your workflow, but building and maintaining a data center is a task that is cost-prohibitive and complicated for most businesses. With IaaS services, businesses can benefit from a pre-existing data center, allowing them to pay for only the number of services they require. This allows businesses to benefit from cloud computing technology without the need to invest in an in-house IT department or technical setup.
Increases the Reliability of Your Data
When you contract out your IaaS needs, your business does not have to worry about maintaining or troubleshooting any elements of the service, which can be complicated and expensive. Your service provider is responsible for ensuring that the service level is meeting your needs, and will have plans in place to reduce downtime and handle any outages immediately.
Enhances Your Business’ Security Protocols
Any IaaS company you choose should have stringent security protocols in place, which are vital for sensitive or confidential data. Using an IaaS service provider will allow you to benefit from their large security forces, which is often safer than businesses tackling storage themselves.
Reasons to Use IaaS for Your Business
While investing in a new technology may seem like a major undertaking for your business, the benefits of implementing an IaaS system are numerous. Some of the top ones include:
Reduce Your Required Technology Investment
Because of the online nature of our current world, it is vital to invest in the right technology as you build your business up—but implementing technological solutions yourself can be quite costly. Between hardware costs, software costs, the overhead of maintenance and the professionals to monitor systems, and the sheer energy cost of running servers, it can be prohibitively expensive to implement these systems yourself. By investing in an IaaS system, you can reduce the amount of technology you must invest in and let your chosen provider handle all the overhead and associated expenses that come with these computing requirements.
Scale Your Computing Capacity on Demand
Because your servers will be hosted online when you choose an IaaS company, it is easy to scale your capacity up or down as needed. Whether you are in a new business that does not yet know how to predict demand or in an industry with irregular ebbs and flows, utilizing an IaaS service makes it easy to get the computing power to meet the demand you need.
Bolster Your Business Continuity Efforts
When a disaster or emergency strikes, accessing your data becomes more important than ever—and by investing in IaaS, you can reduce your downtime and boost your business continuity plan. Because your data is stored offsite, you will not have to worry about losing valuable information if your business is damaged or otherwise harmed in a sudden emergency.
Increase Your Ability to Innovate Applications
Because IaaS is such a flexible system, if you are ready to launch a new application or service, you can do so quickly because of its on-demand nature. Instead of having to build up your technological capabilities every time you would like to make a new innovation, you can simply upgrade your IaaS usage to meet the demand for whatever your company can dream up.
Challenges With Using IaaS
While IaaS is an ideal choice for many businesses looking for a no-fuss entry into the cloud computing space, there are some challenges to using this type of system that are important to be aware of.
Because there are so many technical details that go into cloud computing services, there are a plethora of systems at work behind the scenes to ensure everything is executed correctly—and a corresponding charge for each. While it is helpful to see exactly where your money is going, these detailed bills can be quite overwhelming if business owners are unsure what they are looking at.
Additionally, while full outages are rare, they can happen—and if all of your data is stored in the part of the system experiencing an outage, you will be at the mercy of the IaaS company to get things back up and running in a timely manner. Fortunately, IaaS providers have around-the-clock monitoring and support to take care of outages quickly and effectively.
IaaS for Small Businesses
While IaaS can be helpful for businesses of any size, small businesses are uniquely poised to benefit from these cloud computing capabilities. Because small businesses typically lack the technical resources to run their own cloud computing system, contracting out IaaS services is a fantastic way to benefit from taking your small business into the technological age without the high overhead and complications of managing it yourself. Building and maintaining servers requires extensive expertise and maintenance—not only is the initial investment high, but servers also have strict temperature requirements, physical security needs, and have extremely high electricity usage that can make maintaining them on-site quite cost-prohibitive. Additionally, because IaaS services are modeled for businesses to pay for only what they’re using as they go, it provides flexibility and cost-effectiveness that running tech on-site simply can’t compete with.
Common Questions About Cloud Computing and the Answers You Need to Know
Q: How Can I Integrate My Existing Systems Into IaaS Infrastructures?
A: While this will look different for every business depending on the current system setup, there are plenty of solutions to this common problem. When you work with us, we will be able to examine your current systems and determine exactly how to integrate into an IaaS service in a way that is seamless and smooth.
Q: Do I Need an IT Team to Implement IaaS?
A: One of the main benefits of pursuing an IaaS integration is that businesses do not need to hire in-house IT professionals for the integration, management, or maintenance of their cloud computing services. You can instead work with a reputable, third-party IT company who can assist with all of these elements without having to take on the burden of managing it yourself.
Q: Is My Business a Good Candidate for IaaS?
A: If your business is still starting out and does not have the resources to invest in, hire for, and manage complicated technological elements, you are likely a good candidate for pursuing IaaS integration.
How We Can Help
When it comes to integrating and securing your data, we take a three-pronged approach that leads to high availability for backup and disaster recovery, as well as remote access with virtualized resources. Because we offer the ability to build your own data center alongside co-location and cloud hosting services, you never have to worry about downtime or losing out on your valuable data.
Custom-Built Data Center: With a custom-built Data Center, we build a fully customized system that will remain on your business premises.
Co-Location: In addition to your on-site data center, you can also use our data center as a separate location—this way, should there be a fire, emergency, or other disaster at your business, your data will be backed up safely in our servers.
Cloud Hosting: We also provide access to reputable cloud hosting services such as Amazon AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure for additional availability, backup, and disaster recovery.
