- A
Private cloud
Why wrong: Private cloud means infrastructure is dedicated to a single organization and may be located on-premises or in a dedicated hosted environment. Using Google's shared public infrastructure is not a private cloud.
- B
Public cloud
Public cloud means all infrastructure is provided by and located in a third-party provider's (Google's) facilities, shared with other customers but logically isolated. Using only Google Cloud is a public cloud deployment.
- C
Hybrid cloud
Why wrong: Hybrid cloud combines on-premises (or private cloud) infrastructure with public cloud. If all workloads are in Google Cloud with nothing on-premises, this is pure public cloud, not hybrid.
- D
Community cloud
Why wrong: Community cloud is infrastructure shared among organizations with common requirements (e.g., government agencies). Using Google Cloud commercially is a public cloud deployment.
Quick Answer
The answer is the public cloud deployment model. This is correct because the scenario describes an organization running its entire infrastructure on a single public cloud provider, Google Cloud, where all applications, data, and services reside in infrastructure owned and operated by the provider and delivered over the public internet on a pay-as-you-go basis. In a public cloud deployment model, the provider manages the physical hardware and shares resources across multiple tenants, which perfectly matches the description of a single-provider, fully hosted environment. On the Google Cloud Digital Leader exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish deployment models by ownership and location of infrastructure, often using a trap where candidates confuse a single-provider public cloud with a private cloud. Remember the key distinction: if the provider owns the hardware and you share it with other customers, it is public, not private. A simple memory tip is “Public = Provider’s property, shared with the public.”
Cloud Digital Leader Fundamental cloud concepts Practice Question
This GCDL practice question tests your understanding of fundamental cloud concepts. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
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?
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
Option B is correct because 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.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Private cloud
Why it's wrong here
Private cloud means infrastructure is dedicated to a single organization and may be located on-premises or in a dedicated hosted environment. Using Google's shared public infrastructure is not a private cloud.
- ✓
Public cloud
Why this is correct
Public cloud means all infrastructure is provided by and located in a third-party provider's (Google's) facilities, shared with other customers but logically isolated. Using only Google Cloud is a public cloud deployment.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Hybrid cloud
Why it's wrong here
Hybrid cloud combines on-premises (or private cloud) infrastructure with public cloud. If all workloads are in Google Cloud with nothing on-premises, this is pure public cloud, not hybrid.
- ✗
Community cloud
Why it's wrong here
Community cloud is infrastructure shared among organizations with common requirements (e.g., government agencies). Using Google Cloud commercially is a public cloud deployment.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco 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.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, a public cloud deployment model relies on multi-tenancy, where virtualized resources such as Compute Engine VMs and Cloud Storage buckets are logically isolated via projects and IAM policies, but the physical hardware is shared. In Google Cloud, this is enforced through resource quotas, VPC Service Controls, and identity-aware proxy, ensuring that even though the infrastructure is shared, each tenant's data and workloads remain isolated. A real-world scenario where this matters is when an organization must comply with data residency regulations; even in a public cloud, they can use regional resources and Customer-Managed Encryption Keys (CMEK) to meet compliance without changing the deployment model.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this GCDL question test?
Fundamental cloud concepts — This question tests Fundamental cloud concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Public cloud — Option B is correct because 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.
What should I do if I get this GCDL question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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