What is the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model characterized by?

The Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model is characterized by the consumer having management responsibilities up to the operating system. In this model, users essentially rent virtualized hardware resources over the internet, such as servers, storage, and networking. They have control over the operating system and can install, configure, and manage the software, allowing for a high level of customization.

This means that while the underlying physical infrastructure is maintained by the cloud provider, users are responsible for managing the software stack above the infrastructure layer, including the operating system, applications, and middleware. This model offers flexibility for users to tailor their environments as needed, while offloading the burden of maintaining the physical components to the service provider.

In summary, IaaS allows for significant control and management over the operating system, making it an ideal choice for organizations that require customizable environments to run applications or services.