hardMultiple Select
CCSP Practice Question: Which THREE of the following are key…
Which THREE of the following are key characteristics of cloud computing as defined by NIST SP 800-145?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the distinction between 'location independence' (a common misconception) and the actual NIST-defined characteristic of 'resource pooling,' where the consumer generally has no control over the exact physical location of resources but may specify at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, region, or availability zone).
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
✓
Broad network access
NIST SP 800-145 defines five essential characteristics of cloud computing, and broad network access (A) is one of them because capabilities must be available over the network through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms. On-demand self-service (B) is also essential, as consumers must be able to unilaterally provision computing capabilities such as server time and network storage automatically without requiring human interaction with each service provider. Rapid elasticity (E) is the third correct characteristic, since capabilities must be elastically provisioned and released, in some cases automatically, to scale rapidly outward and inward commensurate with demand. Location independence (C) is not one of the five NIST essential characteristics, although resource pooling does mention that resources are pooled and location-independent in a multi-tenant model. Dedicated hardware per tenant (D) is incorrect because cloud computing relies on resource pooling with multi-tenancy, not dedicated hardware per tenant.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Broad network access
Why this is correct
Broad network access is one of the five essential NIST SP 800-145 characteristics: capabilities are available over the network through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms, satisfying the definition's accessibility requirement.
- ✓
On-demand self-service
Why this is correct
On-demand self-service lets consumers unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, automatically without requiring human interaction with each service provider. This satisfies NIST SP 800-145's requirement that resources be available without provider intervention, directly matching the stem's demand for a defined cloud characteristic.
- ✗
Location independence
Why it's wrong here
NIST SP 800-145 lists five essential characteristics: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service. Location independence is not among them; it is tempting because cloud services are accessed remotely, but that describes broad network access instead.
- ✗
Dedicated hardware per tenant
Why it's wrong here
NIST SP 800-145 specifies resource pooling, where compute resources are shared across multiple consumers. Dedicated hardware per tenant contradicts this multi-tenant pooling model; it is tempting because dedicated hosts exist, but they are an offering, not an essential characteristic.
- ✓
Rapid elasticity
Why this is correct
Rapid elasticity satisfies NIST SP 800-145's on-demand self-service and measured-service criteria: capabilities can scale outward and inward automatically, appearing unlimited to the consumer and released when demand drops. This distinguishes cloud from traditional virtualisation, where capacity is provisioned manually against fixed physical limits.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 934 original CCSP practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.