MS-900 Describe cloud concepts Practice Question
A company is evaluating a move to the cloud. Which three of the following are advantages of using a public cloud model compared to a private cloud? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Microsoft often tests the misconception that public cloud always reduces costs for all workloads, but the trap is that long-term, predictable workloads can be more expensive in public cloud due to ongoing operational costs and lack of reserved instance optimization, while private cloud may offer lower TCO for such scenarios.
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
✓
No capital expenditure for hardware
In a public cloud model, the cloud provider owns and manages the physical hardware, eliminating the need for the customer to make capital expenditures (CapEx) on servers, storage, and networking equipment. Public clouds offer elastic scaling, allowing resources like virtual machines or containers to be automatically provisioned or deprovisioned based on real-time demand, which is a core benefit of cloud computing. Provider-managed infrastructure maintenance means the cloud vendor handles all hardware patching, firmware updates, and physical security, offloading these operational responsibilities from the customer.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
No capital expenditure for hardware
Why this is correct
Moving to cloud eliminates the need for upfront capital spending on physical hardware such as servers, storage arrays, and switches. Instead of purchasing and depreciating assets, organizations pay an operational expense based on consumption. This shifts IT budgets from CapEx to OpEx, improving cash flow and reducing the financial risk of overprovisioning.
- ✓
Elastic scaling of resources on demand
Why this is correct
Cloud platforms provide elastic scaling, allowing resources to automatically increase or decrease in response to real-time demand. For example, a web app can scale out during traffic spikes and scale back down afterward, ensuring you only pay for what you actually use. This agility is a core advantage over fixed-capacity on-premises infrastructure, where you must provision for peak load.
- ✓
Provider-managed infrastructure maintenance
Why this is correct
With cloud services, the provider owns and manages the physical infrastructure, including upgrading hardware, applying firmware patches, and replacing failed components. Customers are relieved of tasks like data center rack-and-stack, facility cooling, and preventive maintenance. This frees IT staff to focus on application development and business-specific priorities rather than routine infrastructure upkeep.
- ✗
Full control over physical security of data centers
Why it's wrong here
In the shared responsibility model, the cloud provider has physical control of data centers, including access, surveillance, and environmental controls. Customers do not have physical access or control over these facilities, so full control over physical security is not an advantage. While providers implement stringent physical security measures, the customer's responsibility is limited to logical security configurations, such as access policies and encryption.
- ✗
Guaranteed data residency in a specific geographic location
Why it's wrong here
Cloud providers operate multiple geographic regions, but they do not automatically guarantee that data stays in one specific location unless you explicitly configure services for single-region deployment or use a sovereign cloud offering. Many services replicate data across regions for redundancy, and data governance policies may not align with a simple 'guaranteed residency' expectation. Thus, data residency is a configuration and compliance consideration, not an inherent cloud benefit.
- ✗
Lower total cost for all long-term workloads
Why it's wrong here
Cloud computing does not always yield lower total cost for all long-term, predictable workloads. For steady-state, always-on workloads, paying on-demand instances over years can exceed the amortized cost of on-premises hardware plus maintenance. Reserved capacity or dedicated infrastructure can reduce costs, but they still may not beat owned assets for specific scenarios. Therefore, the statement is not universally true and should be evaluated with a detailed cost analysis.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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