CCSP Cloud Concepts, Architecture, and Design Practice Question
A cloud service provider (CSP) offers a shared infrastructure where multiple customers' virtual machines run on the same physical host but are isolated by the hypervisor. Which cloud deployment model does this represent?
⚠ Common exam trap
CCSP often tests the misconception that any shared infrastructure implies a community cloud, but the key differentiator is whether the tenants are a specific group with common interests (community) or the general public (public).
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 scenario describes a public cloud deployment model, where a CSP owns and operates the infrastructure and offers services to multiple customers (tenants) over the internet. The key characteristic is multi-tenancy: multiple customers' virtual machines share the same physical host but are logically isolated by the hypervisor. This is the defining trait of a public cloud, as opposed to private, hybrid, or community clouds, which have different ownership and access boundaries.
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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Hybrid cloud
Why it's wrong here
Hybrid cloud combines private and public environments joined by orchestration or connectivity; the stem describes only a single provider hosting multiple tenants on shared hardware, which is public cloud. It tempts when organisations extend on-premises systems into a provider, but no such mix is described here.
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Private cloud
Why it's wrong here
A private cloud is dedicated to one organisation, whereas the stem explicitly describes multiple customers sharing the same physical host. It tempts because hypervisor isolation and single-tenant control resemble private cloud characteristics, but shared tenancy across distinct customers defines the public model instead.
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Public cloud
Why this is correct
Public cloud matches because the CSP owns the shared infrastructure and serves multiple tenants from one pooled environment. Hypervisor-level isolation between customers' virtual machines on the same physical host is the defining multi-tenancy mechanism of the public deployment model, satisfying the stem's shared-host, provider-operated constraint.
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Community cloud
Why it's wrong here
A community cloud is shared by several organisations with common concerns, such as regulators or consortium members, not by unrelated customers at large. It tempts because sharing exists, but the stem describes an open provider offering to any customer, which is public cloud.
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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 ISC2 exam blueprint
This CCSP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CCSP exam.