FC0-U71 Applications and Software Practice Question
A small business wants its staff to create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations without installing any software on their laptops. Staff must be able to open the files from any company device and see edits made by coworkers within seconds. Which software delivery model best meets this requirement?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming any office suite that can save to a shared network folder provides the same real-time collaboration as a cloud-based suite.
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-based productivity suite accessed through a web browser
The requirement combines zero local installation with near-real-time multi-user editing across devices. Only a browser-accessed cloud productivity suite delivers both natively, because the application and the documents live in the provider's environment and synchronization is handled by the service. Locally installed, portable, and virtualized desktop options all keep execution on or near the endpoint and lack native simultaneous co-editing.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Virtual desktop infrastructure hosting a published desktop with office applications
Why it's wrong here
VDI can deliver applications without local installation, but it is a heavier, infrastructure-dependent approach that requires servers, brokering, and network capacity. It also does not by itself provide the browser-based, multi-user simultaneous editing experience the business wants. For a small business needing simple document collaboration, this is disproportionate and does not directly satisfy the co-editing requirement.
- ✓
Cloud-based productivity suite accessed through a web browser
Why this is correct
A cloud-based productivity suite runs in the browser, so nothing is installed on the laptops, and documents are stored in the provider's cloud where multiple users can edit simultaneously and changes appear within seconds. This directly satisfies both the no-installation constraint and the near-real-time collaboration requirement for the small business staff.
- ✗
Open-source office suite installed from a portable USB drive
Why it's wrong here
Running an office suite from a USB drive still requires local execution on each laptop and does not provide hosted storage or live co-editing. Coworkers would have to exchange files manually, so edits would not appear within seconds. It also introduces removable-media risks and does not meet the requirement to avoid installing software on company devices.
- ✗
Locally installed proprietary productivity suite licensed per seat
Why it's wrong here
A locally installed suite requires installation and licensing on each laptop, and files typically live on the device or a file server, so coworkers would not see edits within seconds unless a separate sync or collaboration service is added. It does not satisfy the no-install requirement or the near-real-time co-editing expectation described in the scenario.
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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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