CLF-C02 Cloud Concepts Practice Question
A financial institution runs its core banking application on-premises due to regulatory requirements. It has connected its data centre to AWS using AWS Direct Connect and runs analytics workloads on AWS that access data from the on-premises systems. Which cloud deployment model does this describe?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse hybrid cloud with multi-cloud, mistakenly thinking that using any cloud alongside on-premises is multi-cloud, but multi-cloud specifically requires the use of multiple distinct public cloud providers, not a mix of on-premises and a single public cloud.
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
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Hybrid cloud
This scenario describes a hybrid cloud deployment because the financial institution maintains its core banking application on an on-premises data center (private infrastructure) while also running analytics workloads on AWS (public cloud). The two environments are connected via AWS Direct Connect, a dedicated network link that enables secure, low-latency data transfer between the on-premises systems and AWS, allowing the analytics workloads to access on-premises data. Hybrid cloud specifically refers to the integration of on-premises private infrastructure with public cloud services, which matches this setup.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Public cloud
Why it's wrong here
Public cloud describes a model where all computing resources are hosted and managed by a third-party provider, with no on-premises infrastructure for the workloads. This company maintains its core banking system on-premises, meaning a significant portion of its IT environment is not in the public cloud. Therefore, the overall architecture cannot be classified as public cloud.
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Hybrid cloud
Why this is correct
Hybrid cloud is an architecture that combines on-premises or private cloud infrastructure with public cloud services. Here, the core banking system remains on-premises for security and compliance, while AWS is used for analytics, with AWS Direct Connect establishing a dedicated private network link for high-throughput, low-latency data transfer between the two environments. This mix of local and cloud resources exemplifies hybrid cloud.
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Private cloud
Why it's wrong here
Private cloud refers to a cloud computing environment dedicated exclusively to one organization, often built on on-premises infrastructure, with no public cloud services involved. Although the company has on-premises components, it actively uses AWS for analytics, which is a public cloud service. The presence of AWS infrastructure disqualifies it from being a private cloud.
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Multi-cloud
Why it's wrong here
Multi-cloud specifically refers to using multiple public cloud providers, such as AWS, Azure, and GCP, simultaneously for different workloads. In this scenario, the company uses only AWS as its public cloud provider, paired with its own on-premises data center. Since there is only one public cloud involved, the architecture is not multi-cloud.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.