MS-900 Describe cloud concepts Practice Question
During requirements gathering, an IT manager says the organization must compare service models and identify where the customer manages the most layers. Cloud concept or benefit best matches this requirement?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse 'most management' with 'most convenience,' incorrectly selecting PaaS or SaaS because they assume more provider management is the goal, whereas the question explicitly asks for the model where the customer manages the most layers.
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
✓
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
The IT manager's requirement is to identify the service model where the customer manages the most layers. In Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), the cloud provider manages only the physical infrastructure (servers, storage, networking), while the customer is responsible for managing the operating system, middleware, runtime, data, and applications. This gives the customer the highest degree of control and management responsibility compared to PaaS or SaaS.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Why it's wrong here
PaaS abstracts the operating system and runtime.
- ✗
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Why it's wrong here
SaaS is a finished application managed by the provider.
- ✓
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Why this is correct
Customers generally manage more layers in IaaS than in PaaS or SaaS.
- ✗
Hybrid cloud
Why it's wrong here
Hybrid cloud is a deployment model, not the service model described.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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