easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: A company uses a cloud-based customer…
A company uses a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) application. The vendor handles all updates, security patches, and infrastructure maintenance. Which cloud service model does this 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
✓
Software as a Service (SaaS)
This scenario describes Software as a Service (SaaS), where the provider delivers a complete application over the internet. The user only needs a web browser and does not manage the underlying OS, servers, or updates. IaaS would give virtual machines, PaaS would provide a development platform, and DaaS would deliver virtual desktops.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Why it's wrong here
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) delivers fundamental computing resources such as virtual machines, storage, and networks over the internet. In an IaaS model, the user is responsible for installing and managing operating systems, middleware, and applications. Therefore, it does not provide a ready-to-use, fully functional CRM application directly, but rather the foundational components upon which a CRM could be built and managed by the user.
- ✗
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Why it's wrong here
Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides a complete development and deployment environment in the cloud, including operating systems, programming language execution environments, databases, and web servers. While PaaS significantly simplifies application development and deployment by abstracting away infrastructure management, it does not offer a pre-built, fully functional business application like a CRM. The user must still develop, deploy, and manage their own application on the provided platform.
- ✓
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Why this is correct
Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers a complete, ready-to-use application over the internet, managed entirely by a third-party vendor. Users simply access the software via a web browser or client application without needing to manage any underlying infrastructure, operating systems, or application development. This model perfectly aligns with a company utilizing a cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, where the vendor handles all aspects of the application's availability and maintenance.
- ✗
Desktop as a Service (DaaS)
Why it's wrong here
Desktop as a Service (DaaS) provides users with a virtualized desktop environment hosted in the cloud, accessible from various devices. This service focuses on delivering a full desktop experience, including the operating system and potentially pre-installed productivity applications, rather than a specific business application like a CRM as a standalone service. While a CRM application could certainly run within a DaaS environment, DaaS itself is the delivery of the desktop, not the specific business application.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
Go deeper
Related to this question
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Internet Connection Types
Key term
PaaS
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model that provides a managed platform for developers to build, run, and manage applications without dealing with the underlying infrastructure.
Key term
Anything As A Service
A model where you rent any IT resource or service over the internet instead of owning it.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 220-1201 exam.