Which Cloud Service Model Fits a Custom App Without Infrastructure Management?

CDL By islever Editorial Last updated

Short answer

B Platform as a service

Question

An organization wants to run their custom application in the cloud in a flexible and scalable way without managing any infrastructure. Which service model should they use?
  1. Infrastructure as a service
  2. Platform as a service Correct Answer
  3. Software as a service
  4. Network as a service

Key Takeaways

The question tests your ability to distinguish cloud service models: PaaS supports custom applications while IaaS still requires infrastructure management and SaaS offers only ready-made, not custom, software.

For running custom applications in the cloud without managing any infrastructure, Platform as a Service (PaaS) is the consensus answer, providing the runtime environment, tools, and built-in scalability required for custom app deployment.

Common mistake: Choosing SaaS, because it also avoids infrastructure management, but SaaS delivers pre-built software rather than a platform for running a custom application; similarly, IaaS is flexible but requires the organization to manage virtual machines and infrastructure.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides a managed platform including operating systems, runtime environments, development tools, and scalability features. This allows an organization to deploy and run custom applications without managing underlying servers, storage, or networking. The community comment [1] correctly explains that PaaS offers the tools and runtime to develop, deploy, and manage applications efficiently, such as Google App Engine, and therefore directly meets the requirement.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) gives you virtual machines and raw infrastructure, but you still have to manage and maintain that infrastructure yourself, which contradicts the "without managing any infrastructure" condition. Software as a Service (SaaS) is fully managed, but it delivers existing applications (e.g., email, CRM) rather than a runtime for your custom application. Network as a Service (NaaS) is primarily about consuming network services and is irrelevant to running an application.

Community Comment Notes

Comment [1] reinforces the PaaS answer with a clear explanation and examples. Comment [3] adds a valid nuance: if the custom application is already built and closely tied to existing infrastructure, moving it to PaaS might be difficult. However, the question asks which service model should be used for a custom application in a flexible and scalable way without infrastructure management, and PaaS remains the best model for that stated intent.

Official Reference

These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

Know the division of responsibility: IaaS = manage the infrastructure, PaaS = manage only your app and data, SaaS = use the software. When the question emphasizes a 'custom application' and 'no infrastructure management,' look for PaaS; when it mentions a finished product, look for SaaS.

Community Votes

B
100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer B. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 3 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 3

  1. joshnort 👍 1 Answered B
    B. Platform as a service (PaaS) Explanation: Platform as a Service (PaaS) allows organizations to run their custom applications in the cloud without managing the underlying infrastructure (e.g., servers, storage, networking). PaaS provides a platform with the tools, runtime environments, and scalability options needed to develop, deploy, and manage applications efficiently. E.g.: - Google App Engine is a fully managed PaaS offering that allows developers to build and deploy applications without managing infrastructure. It provides automatic scaling based on traffic and integrates with other Google Cloud services for storage, databases, and machine learning. Features: Supports various programming languages (e.g., Java, Python, Go, Node.js), automatic scaling, built-in load balancing, and integrated monitoring tools.
  2. 7c3bc28 👍 1
    An organization wants to run their custom application in the cloud in a flexible and scalable way without managing any infrastructure. Which service model should they use? - Highly depends on what is a custom application - it it already exists it might be dificutl to run in a platform as a service mode.
  3. Dadadagreat 👍 1
    I agree answer is B for custom application PaaS

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