Your organization is planning to deploy FortiWeb in Azure to provide a web application security solution to its web servers. One of the requirements…

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) is the cloud service model that provides fundamental computing

resources, including virtual machines, networking, and storage. This model offers the highest

level of flexibility and management control over IT resources. When deploying a virtual appliance

like FortiWeb in Azure, the IaaS model allows the administrator to select a specific virtual machine

(VM) instance type. This choice directly dictates the allocated resources, such as the number of

vCPUs and the amount of memory, thereby meeting the requirement for granular control. The

consumer is responsible for managing the operating system, data, and applications, while the

cloud provider manages the physical infrastructure.

A. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): The provider manages the entire stack, including the

application and underlying infrastructure. The consumer has no control over resources like vCPUs

or memory.

B. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS): The provider manages the underlying infrastructure and

operating systems. The consumer deploys applications onto the platform, with limited or no direct

control over hardware resources.

C. Function-as-a-Service (FaaS): A serverless model where the provider completely manages the

infrastructure. It is designed for running event-triggered code, not for deploying stateful virtual

appliances.

1. Microsoft Azure Documentation: "What is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)?". This official

documentation defines IaaS as providing on-demand computing infrastructure that is managed

over the internet. It explicitly states that IaaS gives users control over the hardware that runs their

applications, including the choice of virtual machine specifications.

URL: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/resources/overview/what-is-iaas/

2. Fortinet Document Library: "FortiWeb-VM for Azure deployment guide". The guide details the

deployment process, which includes the step of "Choose a size for the virtual machine," where

the user selects an instance type based on CPU and memory requirements. This procedure is

characteristic of an IaaS deployment.

URL: https://docs.fortinet.com/document/fortiweb/7.4.0/azure-deployment-guide/39752/deployingfortiweb-vm-from-the-azure-marketplace (See section: "Deploying FortiWeb-VM from the Azure

Marketplace")

3. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-145: "The NIST

Definition of Cloud Computing". This foundational document defines IaaS as the capability to

"provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the

consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and

applications." This definition underscores the consumer's control over the provisioned resources.

URL: https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-145.pdf (See Page 2,

Section: "Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)")