What does IaaS stand for in cloud computing?

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a fundamental service model in cloud computing that provides virtualized computing resources over the internet. IaaS allows organizations to rent IT infrastructure—such as servers, storage, networks, and operating systems—from a cloud provider on a pay-as-you-go basis. This model enables businesses to scale their infrastructure needs according to demand, thereby reducing the costs associated with purchasing and maintaining physical hardware.

By using IaaS, companies can quickly provision resources without the need for extensive internal hardware management, leading to increased agility and efficiency in deploying applications and services. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for businesses that experience variable workloads or aim to launch new projects without significant upfront investment in infrastructure.

Other choices, while plausible in their context, do not represent the widely accepted definition of IaaS in the cloud computing landscape.