Question

Difficulty: EasyCloud Service Models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)

Match each cloud service model on the left with the correct description of customer and vendor management responsibilities on the right.

  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)The provider manages hardware and virtualization; the customer installs, configures, and maintains operating systems, applications, and network settings.
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS)The provider manages hardware, networking, operating systems, and database engines; the customer focuses solely on deploying and managing custom application code.
  • Software as a Service (SaaS)The provider manages all hardware, operating systems, infrastructure, and application maintenance; the end user accesses the ready-to-use software via a web interface.

Answer

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) corresponds to customer management of operating systems and applications over provider-hosted virtual hardware; Platform as a Service (PaaS) corresponds to provider management of operating systems and execution runtime while customer manages application code; Software as a Service (SaaS) corresponds to provider management of the full application and infrastructure stack for end users.
Each cloud service model defines a distinct boundary of ownership. IaaS offers raw virtual infrastructure requiring customer OS maintenance. PaaS provides a managed development execution environment where the vendor handles OS and hardware administration. SaaS delivers complete, fully managed applications directly to end users over the network.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the shared responsibility layer for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
IaaS provides bare virtual computing components. The customer is responsible for installing and patching the operating system, middleware, and applications.
IaaS gives customers maximum flexibility and administrative control over OS choices.
2
Identify the shared responsibility layer for Platform as a Service (PaaS).
PaaS abstracts operating system administration and hardware away, offering a pre-configured framework for software development and application hosting.
PaaS prioritizes application development efficiency by removing server and OS maintenance.
3
Identify the shared responsibility layer for Software as a Service (SaaS).
SaaS delivers finished applications directly to consumers via a web browser, requiring no system administration or application development by the user.
SaaS shifts virtually all maintenance and operational responsibilities to the cloud service provider.

Key Concept

Cloud Service Models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) Shared Responsibility Matrix
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