NIST Essential Characteristics of Cloud Computing
Which of the following are key characteristics of cloud computing as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)? (Choose all that apply. There are four correct answers.)
Quick Answer
NIST SP 800-145 names five essential characteristics of cloud computing, and rapid elasticity is one of the four this question is testing alongside on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, and measured service. Rapid elasticity is the ability of a cloud service to scale capacity outward and inward to match demand, often automatically and without a human provisioning new hardware — a retailer's web tier growing during a sale and shrinking afterward is the textbook case. What distinguishes elasticity from simple scalability is the automation and the speed: a system that can eventually be resized by an administrator is scalable, but only a system that reacts to demand in near real time counts as elastic under the NIST definition. On the SC-900 and similar fundamentals exams, expect scenario questions that describe automatic scaling behaviour and ask you to name the characteristic — rapid elasticity is the answer whenever the scaling happens without manual intervention.
⚠ Common exam trap
Microsoft often tests that candidates confuse 'measured service' (the fifth NIST characteristic) as one of the four correct answers, but the question explicitly asks for four correct answers and omits measured service, so the trap is to include it or to incorrectly select 'Fixed, non-scalable capacity' as a valid characteristic.
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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
The NIST SP 800-145 definition identifies five essential characteristics of cloud computing: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service. On-demand self-service allows users to provision computing capabilities automatically without requiring human interaction with each service provider. Broad network access means capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, workstations). Resource pooling enables the provider's computing resources to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand. Rapid elasticity allows capabilities to be elastically provisioned and released, in some cases automatically, to scale rapidly outward and inward commensurate with demand.
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2 more ways this is tested on MS-900
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which three of the following are characteristics of cloud computing as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)? (Choose three.)
medium- ✓ .On-demand self-service
- ✓ .Broad network access
- .Limited scalability
- .Fixed pricing models
- ✓ .Resource pooling
- .Dedicated hardware per tenant
Why : NIST SP 800-145 defines cloud computing by five essential characteristics. On-demand self-service allows a consumer to provision computing capabilities automatically without requiring human interaction with each service provider. Broad network access means capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms (e.g., mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and workstations). Resource pooling enables the provider's computing resources to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand.
Variation 2. Which THREE are key characteristics of cloud computing as defined by NIST?
hard- A.High availability
- ✓ B.Broad network access
- ✓ C.Resource pooling
- ✓ D.On-demand self-service
- E.Reserved capacity
Why B: The correct answers are B, C, and D. The NIST definition of cloud computing includes five essential characteristics: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service. High availability (A) is a benefit of cloud computing but is not one of the NIST essential characteristics. Reserved capacity (E) is a pricing model (e.g., reserved instances) and not a characteristic defined by NIST.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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