220-1101 - Virtualization and Cloud Computing (11% of the exam) - Section 4.1

Summarise cloud computing concepts, including service models, deployment models, shared resources, and the characteristics that define cloud computing.

Summarise the cloud service models - IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS - and the deployment models - public, private, hybrid, and community - by who owns and manages each layer. Recognise the defining characteristics of cloud computing such as rapid elasticity, on-demand self-service, measured (metered) usage, and resource pooling, and distinguish shared from dedicated resources.

IaaS, PaaS, SaaSPublic and private cloudRapid elasticityMeasured usage

Practice question for this objective

Free sampleVirtualization and Cloud Computingmedium

In cloud terminology, which pairing correctly matches the two independent axes used to classify a cloud offering?

AThe service axis is public and private, while the deployment axis is IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS across different regions.
BThe service axis is IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS, while the deployment axis is public, private, hybrid, and community. Correct
CThe service axis is elasticity and metering, while the deployment axis is hybrid and community across tenants.
DThe service axis is Type 1 and Type 2, while the deployment axis is public and private across data centres.

Separate the service axis (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) from the deployment axis (public, private, hybrid, community) when classifying cloud. Cloud offerings are classified on two orthogonal axes: the service model sets the provider-versus-customer management split, and the deployment model sets who can access the infrastructure. Conflating the two is a common classification error.

Why A is wrong: This is tempting because it uses real terms, but it swaps the axes: public and private are deployment models, and IaaS through SaaS are service models, not the reverse.

Why B is correct: Correct: service models describe how much of the stack the provider manages, while deployment models describe who may use the infrastructure, and these are the two standard axes.

Why C is wrong: This is tempting because all the words are genuine cloud terms, but elasticity and metering are characteristics, not a service axis, so the pairing is wrong.

Why D is wrong: This is tempting because Type 1 and Type 2 are real, but they classify hypervisors, not cloud service models, so they do not belong on the service axis.

See more 220-1101 practice questions, answers explained.

Exam traps in Virtualization and Cloud Computing

Answers that look right on this material and are not. Each one is a distractor from a different question in the 220-1101 bank for this domain.

Public cloud, where computing resources are owned by a third-party provider and shared across many unrelated organisations over the internet.
Why it is wrong: Public cloud is tempting because it is the most common model, but it shares provider-owned resources across many tenants rather than dedicating hardware to one organisation.
Public cloud, because a large third-party provider supplies shared infrastructure to many tenants over the internet.
Why it is wrong: Public cloud is attractive for its scale, but its shared, provider-owned infrastructure conflicts with the requirement for dedicated hardware under the hospital's own control.
Rapid elasticity, because capacity was scaled up and down and that scaling is what appears on the invoice.
Why it is wrong: Elasticity can change how much is consumed, but the characteristic that turns consumption into a per-period charge is the metering itself, not the scaling that caused it.

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