- A
Public cloud
Why wrong: A public cloud deployment runs all workloads on resources owned and operated by a third-party cloud provider (like AWS) and accessed over the internet. In this scenario, the company still maintains on-premises infrastructure for data residency, so it is not purely public cloud.
- B
Private cloud
Why wrong: A private cloud deployment dedicates cloud resources exclusively to a single organization, either on-premises or hosted. While the on-premises portion could be considered a private cloud, the use of AWS services (which are multitenant) means the architecture is not entirely private cloud.
- C
Hybrid cloud
Hybrid cloud is the correct model. It uses a mix of on-premises private cloud resources and public cloud services (AWS) connected via networking (like Direct Connect). This allows the company to keep sensitive data on-premises while taking advantage of AWS analytics services.
- D
Community cloud
Why wrong: A community cloud is shared by several organizations with common concerns (e.g., regulatory compliance, security). This scenario involves only one company using a combination of its own on-premises data center and AWS, not a community of organizations sharing infrastructure.
CLF-C02 Cloud Concepts Practice Question
This CLF-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cloud concepts. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A financial services company must keep customer financial records on-premises to comply with data residency regulations. The company wants to use AWS services such as Amazon SageMaker and Amazon Athena to run analytics on anonymized subsets of the data. The company establishes a dedicated AWS Direct Connect connection between its on-premises data center and its VPC, and uses AWS Storage Gateway to cache frequently accessed data locally while storing all data in Amazon S3. Which cloud deployment model does this architecture represent?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Hybrid cloud
This architecture combines on-premises infrastructure (customer data center with AWS Storage Gateway caching) with AWS cloud services (SageMaker, Athena, S3) connected via AWS Direct Connect, which is the defining characteristic of a hybrid cloud deployment. A hybrid cloud model integrates private on-premises resources with public cloud services, allowing data to remain on-premises for compliance while leveraging cloud analytics.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Public cloud
Why it's wrong here
A public cloud deployment runs all workloads on resources owned and operated by a third-party cloud provider (like AWS) and accessed over the internet. In this scenario, the company still maintains on-premises infrastructure for data residency, so it is not purely public cloud.
- ✗
Private cloud
Why it's wrong here
A private cloud deployment dedicates cloud resources exclusively to a single organization, either on-premises or hosted. While the on-premises portion could be considered a private cloud, the use of AWS services (which are multitenant) means the architecture is not entirely private cloud.
- ✓
Hybrid cloud
Why this is correct
Hybrid cloud is the correct model. It uses a mix of on-premises private cloud resources and public cloud services (AWS) connected via networking (like Direct Connect). This allows the company to keep sensitive data on-premises while taking advantage of AWS analytics services.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Community cloud
Why it's wrong here
A community cloud is shared by several organizations with common concerns (e.g., regulatory compliance, security). This scenario involves only one company using a combination of its own on-premises data center and AWS, not a community of organizations sharing infrastructure.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'hybrid cloud' with 'private cloud' because the on-premises component is dedicated to one organization, but the use of AWS public cloud services (SageMaker, Athena, S3) over Direct Connect makes it a hybrid model, not a private cloud.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
A public cloud deployment runs all workloads on resources owned and operated by a third-party cloud provider (like AWS) and accessed over the internet. In this scenario, the company still maintains on-premises infrastructure for data residency, so it is not purely public cloud.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Direct Connect establishes a dedicated network connection from on-premises to AWS over a private fiber link, bypassing the public internet for lower latency and consistent bandwidth. AWS Storage Gateway's File Gateway or Volume Gateway caches frequently accessed data locally in the on-premises data center while asynchronously uploading all data to Amazon S3, enabling low-latency access to hot data and durable cloud storage for cold data. This hybrid setup allows the company to meet data residency mandates by keeping the full dataset on-premises while sending only anonymized subsets to AWS for analytics.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Cloud Concepts — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Cloud Concepts — This question tests Cloud Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Hybrid cloud — This architecture combines on-premises infrastructure (customer data center with AWS Storage Gateway caching) with AWS cloud services (SageMaker, Athena, S3) connected via AWS Direct Connect, which is the defining characteristic of a hybrid cloud deployment. A hybrid cloud model integrates private on-premises resources with public cloud services, allowing data to remain on-premises for compliance while leveraging cloud analytics.
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This CLF-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CLF-C02 exam.
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