In an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model, who is responsible for software installation?

In an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model, the customer is responsible for software installation. This model provides the customer with virtualized computing resources over the internet, such as virtual machines, storage, and networks. While the cloud provider manages and maintains the underlying infrastructure, including servers, storage, networking, and virtualization, the customer has control over the operating systems, applications, and any software that they wish to install on top of that infrastructure.

This level of control allows customers to configure their environments according to their specific needs, which includes installing and managing their own software applications. This flexibility is a key characteristic of IaaS, distinguishing it from other cloud service models where the provider typically handles more aspects of the software stack. The customer is essentially utilizing the provider's infrastructure to build and manage their stack, including software installations required for their operations.