Ubuntu Unleashed 2013 Edition: Covering 12.10 and 13.04, Eighth Edition

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

IaaS goes even further. In this service model, you are transitioning your entire server to the cloud. Your provider offers computers, most like virtual ones, on which you can install any operating system (perhaps within a set menu they allow) and you can configure it as you like. Someone else takes care of the physical machines and networks, and you take care of all the rest. This is like buying a condominium—you own it and can do whatever you want inside it, but someone else takes care of the grounds and landscaping.