- A
Hybrid cloud
Why wrong: Hybrid cloud involves a combination of on-premises (or private cloud) infrastructure connected to public cloud resources. Since this company has no on-premises infrastructure, it is not hybrid.
- B
Private cloud
Why wrong: Private cloud infrastructure is operated exclusively for a single organisation and is typically hosted on-premises or in a dedicated data centre. Running everything in AWS as a shared public provider is not private cloud.
- C
Multi-cloud
Why wrong: Multi-cloud means using cloud services from multiple public cloud providers (e.g. AWS and Azure). This company only uses AWS.
- D
Public cloud
Public cloud means all resources are owned by the cloud provider and shared with many customers. A company running entirely on AWS with no on-premises infrastructure is operating fully in the public cloud.
Quick Answer
The answer is the public cloud deployment model. This is correct because the company has migrated all workloads to AWS and decommissioned its on-premises data centers, meaning every compute, storage, and networking resource is hosted entirely on infrastructure owned and operated by a third-party cloud provider and delivered over the internet to multiple tenants. In the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish deployment models by focusing on where the infrastructure lives—if there is zero on-premises or private cloud footprint, it is purely public cloud. A common trap is confusing a public cloud with a hybrid model when a company still uses some on-premises resources; here, the key is that all workloads are in AWS. Memory tip: think "all in the cloud, no on-prem left" equals public cloud.
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 company has migrated all of its workloads to AWS and has decommissioned all of its on-premises data centres. All compute, storage, databases, and networking are now managed in AWS. Which cloud deployment model describes this architecture?
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
Public cloud
Option D is correct because the company has migrated all workloads to AWS and decommissioned all on-premises data centers, meaning all infrastructure is hosted entirely on AWS's shared infrastructure. This is the definition of a public cloud deployment model, where resources are owned and operated by a third-party cloud provider (AWS) and delivered over the internet to multiple tenants. No private or on-premises components remain, so the architecture is purely public cloud.
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.
- ✗
Hybrid cloud
Why it's wrong here
Hybrid cloud involves a combination of on-premises (or private cloud) infrastructure connected to public cloud resources. Since this company has no on-premises infrastructure, it is not hybrid.
- ✗
Private cloud
Why it's wrong here
Private cloud infrastructure is operated exclusively for a single organisation and is typically hosted on-premises or in a dedicated data centre. Running everything in AWS as a shared public provider is not private cloud.
- ✗
Multi-cloud
Why it's wrong here
Multi-cloud means using cloud services from multiple public cloud providers (e.g. AWS and Azure). This company only uses AWS.
- ✓
Public cloud
Why this is correct
Public cloud means all resources are owned by the cloud provider and shared with many customers. A company running entirely on AWS with no on-premises infrastructure is operating fully in the public cloud.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'public cloud' with 'multi-cloud' or 'hybrid cloud' because they think using AWS alone implies a private cloud, but AWS is a public cloud provider by definition, and the absence of on-premises infrastructure eliminates hybrid or multi-cloud models.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a public cloud model, the provider (AWS) manages the physical hardware, hypervisor, and network fabric, while the customer controls virtual resources via APIs (e.g., EC2, S3). The underlying infrastructure is shared among tenants using virtualization and isolation mechanisms like Amazon VPC with private IP addressing and security groups. A real-world scenario where this matters is when a company must comply with data residency laws; in a public cloud, they can select specific AWS Regions (e.g., eu-west-1) to meet regulatory requirements without owning any physical hardware.
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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CLF-C02 practice test guide
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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: Public cloud — Option D is correct because the company has migrated all workloads to AWS and decommissioned all on-premises data centers, meaning all infrastructure is hosted entirely on AWS's shared infrastructure. This is the definition of a public cloud deployment model, where resources are owned and operated by a third-party cloud provider (AWS) and delivered over the internet to multiple tenants. No private or on-premises components remain, so the architecture is purely public cloud.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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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