What is a characteristic of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)?

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing model that provides virtualized computing resources over the internet. In this model, the cloud service provider supplies the underlying hardware infrastructure, such as servers, storage, and networking. Customers have the flexibility to manage their own operating systems, applications, and data on top of this infrastructure. This means that while the provider is responsible for maintaining the physical hardware and possibly the core OS, the customer retains control over how they configure and manage their resources, enabling them to run virtual machines, install software, and handle their data management needs as they see fit.

This level of control and responsibility distinguishes IaaS from other cloud service models like Platform as a Service (PaaS) or Software as a Service (SaaS), where the service provider manages more aspects of the environment. Therefore, the correct answer highlights the dual responsibility of the provider and the customer within the IaaS framework, emphasizing the flexibility and control given to the customer.