MS-900 Describe cloud concepts Practice Question
A marketing team needs to temporarily increase their cloud storage capacity from 5 TB to 10 TB for a product launch. They can perform this change themselves through a web portal without contacting the cloud provider. Which cloud characteristic does this scenario demonstrate?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse 'on-demand self-service' with 'rapid elasticity' because both involve scaling, but on-demand self-service focuses on the user's ability to provision resources without provider interaction, while rapid elasticity focuses on automatic, dynamic scaling in response to load changes.
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
✓
On-demand self-service
This scenario demonstrates on-demand self-service because the marketing team can provision and manage their own cloud storage capacity increase from 5 TB to 10 TB through a web portal without any human interaction with the cloud provider. This is a core NIST-defined characteristic where users can unilaterally provision computing resources as needed automatically, requiring no service provider intervention.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
On-demand self-service
Why this is correct
On-demand self-service is correct because the scenario describes the marketing team's user directly provisioning additional storage capacity through a web portal, without needing to submit a request or wait for a human administrator. This is the defining NIST characteristic: a consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities automatically, eliminating provider interaction. The user's own action makes this the most precise match.
- ✗
Rapid elasticity
Why it's wrong here
Rapid elasticity is incorrect because this characteristic focuses on the ability to scale resources outward and inward quickly, often automatically, in response to fluctuating workload demand. The scenario describes a one-time manual action by the user, not a dynamic, automated scaling response. While the increase may happen quickly, the emphasis on user-initiated provisioning is not what elasticity describes.
- ✗
Measured service
Why it's wrong here
Measured service is incorrect because this characteristic refers to the provider's ability to meter resource usage, enabling pay-per-use billing and resource optimization through telemetry. It does not involve any action by the end user to provision resources. The scenario is about procurement of capacity, not about consumption monitoring or metered billing.
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Resource pooling
Why it's wrong here
Resource pooling is incorrect because this characteristic describes the provider's multi-tenant infrastructure where compute and storage resources are pooled and dynamically assigned to many customers. It is an internal implementation detail that enables scale and cost efficiency, but it is invisible to the user. The scenario's focus is on the user's self-service capability, not the provider's underlying architecture.
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