CompTIA Cloud+ Practice Test

What characterizes a public cloud service model?

1. Exclusive use by a single organization

2. Shared resources available to multiple customers

3. Requires significant upfront hardware investment

4. Managed entirely by the user organization

The correct answer is: Shared resources available to multiple customers

A public cloud service model is characterized by shared resources that are available to multiple customers. This model allows different organizations to utilize the same infrastructure and services offered by a cloud provider, facilitating scalability and cost-effectiveness. Since resources such as storage, processing power, and applications are hosted on the provider's infrastructure, multiple users can access these shared resources on a pay-as-you-go basis. This collective utilization minimizes costs for each user since they do not need to invest in their own hardware. The other options are distinct from the characteristics of a public cloud model. The notion of exclusive use by a single organization refers more to private cloud environments where resources are dedicated solely to one entity. Significant upfront hardware investment is typical of on-premises setups or certain private cloud configurations rather than the on-demand nature of public clouds. Finally, in a public cloud model, the management of the infrastructure and services is primarily the responsibility of the cloud service provider rather than the user organization, who typically handles only their own applications and data.