This MS-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe cloud concepts. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
A company subscribes to a cloud service where they can provision virtual machines, choose the operating system, install any software, and manage all applications. The cloud provider is responsible for the underlying physical hardware and network infrastructure. Which cloud service model is being used?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
This scenario describes Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) because the customer provisions virtual machines, chooses the operating system, installs software, and manages applications, while the cloud provider is responsible for the underlying physical hardware and network infrastructure. In IaaS, the provider delivers virtualized computing resources over the internet, and the customer retains control over the OS, storage, and deployed applications, which matches the description exactly.
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.
✓
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Why this is correct
IaaS provides virtual machines and infrastructure where the customer controls the OS and applications, and the provider manages physical hardware.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Why it's wrong here
PaaS abstracts the OS and middleware; the customer only deploys applications and does not manage the OS.
✗
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Why it's wrong here
SaaS provides ready-to-use applications where the provider manages everything including the OS.
✗
On-premises
Why it's wrong here
On-premises means the customer manages all hardware and software, which does not match the description.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse IaaS with PaaS because both involve virtual machines, but PaaS abstracts the OS and runtime, whereas IaaS gives the customer full control over the OS and software installation, as explicitly stated in the question.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, IaaS relies on hypervisors (e.g., VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V) to abstract physical hardware into virtual machines, with the provider managing the physical layer (servers, storage, switches) while exposing APIs (e.g., AWS EC2, Azure Virtual Machines) for customers to provision and configure VMs. A subtle behavior is that in IaaS, the customer is still responsible for patching the guest OS and applications, which can lead to security gaps if not managed properly—a common oversight in real-world deployments. For example, in a hybrid cloud scenario, an organization might use IaaS to extend on-premises workloads while maintaining full control over OS-level configurations.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this MS-900 question in full detail.
Describe cloud concepts — This question tests Describe cloud concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) — This scenario describes Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) because the customer provisions virtual machines, chooses the operating system, installs software, and manages applications, while the cloud provider is responsible for the underlying physical hardware and network infrastructure. In IaaS, the provider delivers virtualized computing resources over the internet, and the customer retains control over the OS, storage, and deployed applications, which matches the description exactly.
What should I do if I get this MS-900 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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Question Discussion
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