220-1101 Virtualization and Cloud Computing Practice Question
A company wants to migrate a custom-developed web application to the cloud. The IT team needs full control over the operating system, middleware, and runtime environment but does not want to manage physical hardware or the underlying virtualization layer. Which cloud service model should the organization choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse PaaS with IaaS, thinking PaaS still allows OS control, but PaaS abstracts the OS and runtime, requiring the customer to use the provider's predefined runtime stack instead of customizing the OS and middleware directly.
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
✓
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides virtualized computing resources over the internet, giving the customer full control over the operating system, middleware, and runtime environment while abstracting away the physical hardware and underlying virtualization layer. This matches the requirement for complete control without managing the physical infrastructure.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Why it's wrong here
Software as a Service (SaaS) is wrong because it delivers a complete, turnkey application already developed, hosted, and maintained by the provider, with no ability to deploy your own custom code into the provider’s environment. In SaaS, customers access a shared, multi-tenant platform via a browser or API, and customization is limited to configuration settings or business data, not the underlying software. Because your custom web application is not a pre-built SaaS offering, you cannot install or run it as-is without extensive rewriting or moving to a suitable platform that supports application hosting.
When this WOULD be correct
An organization needs a ready-to-use web application (e.g., email, CRM) without managing any underlying infrastructure, OS, or middleware, and only wants to configure application settings.
- ✗
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Why it's wrong here
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is wrong for this scenario because while it allows you to deploy your own application code, the provider manages and abstracts the operating system, runtime, middleware, and often even the scaling infrastructure. PaaS is optimized for developers who want to focus solely on code, but it imposes restrictions on underlying system access—such as unable to change system libraries, modify the OS kernel, or require custom drivers—that a legacy or specially configured custom web application may depend on. For a full migration that demands direct control over the OS and environment, IaaS is more appropriate than PaaS.
When this WOULD be correct
A company wants to deploy a web application without managing the underlying OS, middleware, or runtime, but needs to focus solely on code development and deployment. For example, a startup using a PaaS like AWS Elastic Beanstalk to quickly deploy a Node.js app without server administration.
- ✓
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Why this is correct
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is the correct choice because it supplies on-demand virtualized hardware—computing power, memory, storage, and networking—allowing you to provision virtual machines and install the exact operating system, middleware, runtime, and application stack your custom web application requires. This gives you full administrative control over the guest OS, file system, and configuration, which is essential when migrating an existing application that may depend on specific system libraries, kernel parameters, or legacy services. The cloud provider only maintains the underlying physical infrastructure, while you handle everything from the OS upward, ensuring compatibility and flexibility.
- ✗
Desktop as a Service (DaaS)
Why it's wrong here
Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is wrong because it streamlines delivery of remote virtual desktop environments to end users, not servers for hosting applications. A DaaS solution provides a full desktop operating system, typically through a protocol like RDP or PCoIP, aimed at replacing local workstations. You cannot use DaaS to run a persistent, server-side custom web application that requires always-on execution, public endpoints, and elevated administrative access to the OS kernel and networking services without repurposing the service in an inappropriate way.
When this WOULD be correct
When an organization needs to deliver virtual desktops to remote employees, with centralized management and security, without managing the underlying VDI infrastructure.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The 220-1101 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is the correct choice because it supplies on-demand virtualized hardware—computing power, memory, storage, and networking—allowing you to provision virtual machines and install the exact operating system, middleware, runtime, and application stack your custom web application requires. This gives you full administrative control over the guest OS, file system, and configuration, which is essential when migrating an existing application that may depend on specific system libraries, kernel parameters, or legacy services. The cloud provider only maintains the underlying physical infrastructure, while you handle everything from the OS upward, ensuring compatibility and flexibility.
✗Software as a Service (SaaS)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
SaaS provides ready-to-use applications with no control over the underlying OS, middleware, or runtime, which contradicts the requirement for full control over these components.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An organization needs a ready-to-use web application (e.g., email, CRM) without managing any underlying infrastructure, OS, or middleware, and only wants to configure application settings.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'custom-developed web application' with a fully managed service, overlooking the need for control over the runtime environment.
✗Platform as a Service (PaaS)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
PaaS provides a managed platform that abstracts the OS, middleware, and runtime, so the IT team would not have full control over these components. The question explicitly requires full control over OS, middleware, and runtime, which PaaS does not offer.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company wants to deploy a web application without managing the underlying OS, middleware, or runtime, but needs to focus solely on code development and deployment. For example, a startup using a PaaS like AWS Elastic Beanstalk to quickly deploy a Node.js app without server administration.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'platform' with 'infrastructure' or think PaaS offers more control than it actually does, especially when the question mentions custom-developed applications and middleware.
✗Desktop as a Service (DaaS)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
DaaS provides virtual desktops, not the full control over OS, middleware, and runtime needed for custom web application migration; it abstracts the application layer, not the infrastructure.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When an organization needs to deliver virtual desktops to remote employees, with centralized management and security, without managing the underlying VDI infrastructure.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse DaaS with IaaS because both involve virtualization, but DaaS focuses on desktop delivery rather than infrastructure control.
Analysis generated from the official 220-1101blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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Key term
Anything As A Service
A model where you rent any IT resource or service over the internet instead of owning it.
Key term
Infrastructure as a Service
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing model that provides on-demand virtualized computing resources over the internet, such as virtual machines, storage, and networking, instead of owning and maintaining physical hardware.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1101 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 220-1101 exam.