SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/secplus-iaas-os-control

In which cloud service model does the customer control the operating system but not the physical hardware?

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) hands you virtual machines to run your own OS and apps.

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  1. IaaS ✔
  2. SaaS
  3. PaaS

Why: With IaaS you rent computing, storage and networking, then install and manage your own operating system and software. The provider runs the physical hardware and the hypervisor. With PaaS and SaaS the provider manages the OS too.

Huh, didn't know that: NIST's cloud definition lists five essential characteristics, including rapid elasticity and measured service.

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Why shouldn't you name your boat after anything computer-related? It'll have a greater chance of syncing.
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References

Answer: IaaS. With IaaS you rent computing, storage and networking, then install and manage your own operating system and software. The provider runs the physical hardware and the hypervisor. With PaaS and SaaS the provider manages the OS too.

  1. NIST SP 800-145, The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-145.pdf
    has control over operating systems, storage, and deployed applications
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  2. NIST SP 800-145, The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-145.pdf
    Measured service. Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  3. Microsoft Learn: Shared responsibility in the cloud learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/shared-responsibility
    Managing the virtualization layer that enables virtual machines in IaaS and PaaS
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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