I would like some clarification on whether Azure VM's are strictly IaaS or can be PaaS depending on the amount responsibilities the creator/user has.
I've seen multiple different website saying VM are ONLY IaaS since you require an operating system, and others saying VM can be PaaS if a specific OS is specified on creation.
Any insight the community can provide will be very helpful, Thanks!
A VM is generally considered Infrastructure-as-a-Service, as you retain responsibility for patching and managing the Virtual Machine Operating System.
And even though there are Marketplace VM offerings that are completely pre-configured and even auto-updating, the responsibility for maintaining those solutions after deployment is the main way IaaS and PaaS are distinguished.
At the end of the day IaaS and PaaS are not precise technical terms. You can have PaaS services that require significant configuration and ongoing maintenance, and IaaS services that are completely managed.