What does the acronym IaaS stand for in cloud computing?

The acronym IaaS stands for Infrastructure as a Service. This model provides virtualized computing resources over the internet, allowing businesses to access and manage infrastructure components such as servers, storage, networks, and operating systems without the need to maintain physical hardware. By utilizing IaaS, companies can scale their resources up or down based on demand, leading to cost savings and increased flexibility. This approach helps organizations focus on their core business activities rather than on the complexities of managing physical infrastructure, supporting rapid deployment and providing a robust platform for development and testing.

In contrast, the other options refer to different types of service models that do not accurately describe IaaS. Information as a Service pertains to delivering information rather than infrastructure; Integration as a Service focuses on integrating different software applications or systems; and Intelligence as a Service generally relates to providing AI or analytics services. By correctly identifying IaaS as Infrastructure as a Service, it is clear that it plays a critical role in cloud computing by providing essential computing resources efficiently and effectively.