220-1101 Virtualization and Cloud Computing Practice Question
A company runs an internal web application on an on-premises virtual server that handles typical daily traffic. During seasonal sales, traffic spikes to ten times the normal volume. The company configures a public cloud service to automatically deploy additional virtual server instances when the on-premises server reaches a certain utilization threshold. These instances connect to the same database and load balancer, and they are terminated when traffic returns to normal. Which cloud architecture does this describe?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse cloud bursting with rapid elasticity — both involve automatic scaling, but bursting specifically crosses the on-premises-to-cloud boundary, while elasticity stays within the 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
✓
Cloud bursting
Cloud bursting is the correct answer because it specifically describes a hybrid deployment where an on-premises application 'bursts' into the public cloud when local capacity is exceeded, then scales back down when demand subsides. The scenario's key markers — on-premises primary server, threshold-triggered cloud instance deployment, shared database/load balancer, and termination after the spike — map exactly to the cloud bursting model.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Cloud bursting
Why this is correct
Cloud bursting is a hybrid cloud deployment model where the application runs on-premises under normal conditions, but when demand spikes, excess traffic is automatically redirected to public cloud resources. This orchestrated overflow uses load balancers and auto-scaling policies to extend capacity into the cloud on a pay-per-use basis, then scales back down when the spike subsides. It precisely matches the scenario of an internal web app that needs occasional extra capacity without permanent cloud migration.
- ✗
Rapid elasticity
Why it's wrong here
Rapid elasticity is the ability to quickly scale resources up and down in the cloud. While it is part of the solution, it does not specifically describe the hybrid architecture of bursting from on-prem to cloud.
- ✗
Resource pooling
Why it's wrong here
Resource pooling is a fundamental cloud characteristic where the provider's physical and virtual resources are dynamically assigned and reassigned to serve multiple tenants through multi-tenancy, with each tenant seeing only their own logical resources. It does not describe a workload's ability to extend from on-premises to the cloud, nor does it address capacity bursts. The scenario is about hybrid cloud scaling, not about shared infrastructure among customers, so resource pooling is irrelevant to the described behavior.
- ✗
High availability
Why it's wrong here
High availability focuses on maintaining service uptime through redundancy, such as failover clusters, redundant power, and automatic recovery from component failures. The scenario describes a sudden increase in traffic, not a hardware or software failure; the application remains operational during the burst, it simply needs more compute resources. While high availability might coexist with cloud bursting, it does not explain the hybrid on-prem-to-cloud overflow mechanism at the core of this question.
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Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on 220-1101
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company runs a private cloud infrastructure for its internal applications. During seasonal sales events, demand for computing resources doubles. The IT team wants to automatically expand the private cloud by utilizing a public cloud provider during these peak periods, and then scale back when demand normalizes. Which cloud computing concept does this scenario BEST describe?
hard- A.High availability
- ✓ B.Elasticity
- C.Load balancing
- D.Disaster recovery
Why B: This scenario describes elasticity, which is the ability of a cloud system to dynamically scale resources up or down based on demand. The private cloud automatically expands into a public cloud (cloud bursting) during peak periods and scales back when demand normalizes, matching the definition of elasticity.
Variation 2. A company operates a private cloud for its internal applications. To handle seasonal traffic spikes, the company wants to automatically offload extra workload to a public cloud provider when the private cloud's utilization reaches 80%. Which of the following cloud concepts BEST describes this setup?
hard- A.Community cloud
- ✓ B.Hybrid cloud
- C.Virtual Private Cloud
- D.Software as a Service
Why B: The setup combines a private cloud (on-premises) with a public cloud provider to handle traffic spikes, which is the defining characteristic of a hybrid cloud. The automatic offloading of workloads when utilization reaches 80% is a classic example of cloud bursting, a key use case for hybrid cloud architectures. This model allows the company to maintain sensitive workloads on-premises while leveraging public cloud elasticity for peak demand.
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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