A server platform in a cloud computing system is determined to be in an unused state and a request from a remote computing system outside the data center system is received to control hardware of at least one of the server platforms of the cloud computing systems. A bare-metal-as-is (BMAI) session is initiated for the remote computing system to use the server platform based on the unused state, wherein exclusive control of at least a portion of hardware of the server platform is temporarily handed over to the remote computing system in the BMAI session. Control of the portion of the hardware of the server platform is reclaimed based on an end of the BMAI session.