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Cloud Digital Leader Practice Question: Runs its entire infrastructure on a single public…
An organization runs its entire infrastructure on a single public cloud provider (Google Cloud). All applications, data, and services live in Google Cloud's infrastructure. Which deployment model describes this?
⚠ Common exam trap
The GCDL exam often tests the misconception that using a single public cloud provider is a 'private cloud' because the organization has exclusive use of that provider's resources, but the key distinction is that the provider's infrastructure is still shared among multiple customers, making it a public cloud deployment.
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
The organization is using a single public cloud provider, Google Cloud, which delivers computing resources over the public internet on a pay-as-you-go basis. In a public cloud deployment, the infrastructure is owned and operated by the cloud provider and shared across multiple tenants, which matches the scenario where all applications, data, and services reside in Google Cloud's 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.
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Private cloud
Why it's wrong here
Private cloud is defined as a cloud environment dedicated exclusively to a single organization, often using on-premises hardware or a hosted private data center with strong isolation guarantees. Google Cloud operates as a multi-tenant public cloud platform where compute and storage resources are shared across many customers, isolated logically rather than physically dedicated. Therefore, using Google Cloud, even with dedicated projects or VPCs, still constitutes public cloud deployment.
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Public cloud
Why this is correct
Public cloud deployment means all infrastructure resources are provided and managed by a third-party provider like Google, hosted in Google's facilities, and shared with other customers under logical isolation. When an organization uses only Google Cloud for all workloads, with no dedicated hardware or self-managed servers, it is a textbook public cloud implementation. This model offers scalability, pay-as-you-go pricing, and reduced operational overhead, all characteristics of public cloud services.
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Hybrid cloud
Why it's wrong here
A hybrid cloud architecture specifically requires a connection between on-premises or private cloud infrastructure and a public cloud environment. Since the scenario uses only Google Cloud with nothing running in on-premises data centers or a private cloud, the 'hybrid' condition is not met. Without a local workload integrated with the public cloud, the deployment remains purely public, not a blend of two distinct environments.
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Community cloud
Why it's wrong here
Community cloud is a multi-tenant infrastructure shared by several organizations that have common regulatory, compliance, or governance requirements, such as multiple government agencies on a shared platform. The ordinary commercial use of Google Cloud does not involve a community of organizations pooling shared infrastructure for a common mission; instead, each customer independently rents public cloud resources. Thus, this is public cloud consumption, not a community cloud arrangement.
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Cloud Digital Transformation
Key term
Google Cloud
Google Cloud is a suite of cloud computing services offered by Google that provides infrastructure, platform, and software solutions over the internet.
Key term
Public cloud
A public cloud is a computing model where third-party providers deliver IT resources like servers, storage, and applications over the internet to multiple customers on a pay-as-you-go basis.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This GCDL practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud 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 GCDL exam.