Which of these is a primary form of service typically available from a cloud service provider?

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a primary form of service offered by cloud service providers, and it encompasses a foundational layer of cloud computing. This model allows users to rent IT infrastructure—such as servers, virtual machines, storage, networks, and operating systems—on a pay-as-you-go basis. By using IaaS, businesses can avoid the expense and complexity of owning and managing physical servers and other data center infrastructure.

With IaaS, organizations gain the flexibility to scale resources up or down based on current needs, leading to cost efficiency. This service is particularly attractive for companies looking to deploy applications without investing in physical hardware, and it is essential for hosting websites, applications, and large-scale computing workloads.

In contrast, other service models like Application as a Service (which delivers software applications through the internet), Platform as a Service (which provides a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications), and Network as a Service (which provides network services traditionally delivered via physical hardware) are also crucial but do not represent the foundational infrastructure layer that IaaS provides. Thus, IaaS stands out as the primary means by which users access core computing resources in the cloud.