IaaS web, PaaS database, and SaaS email match a team strong on web servers but short on DBAs
Compare and contrast the different types of cloud models.
AnswerCorrect answer: C — Web servers in IaaS use the strong web team, PaaS databases cover the DBA shortage, and SaaS email needs no email expertise.
A company would like to move all its on-premises platforms to the cloud. The company has enough skilled Linux and web-server engineers but only a couple of skilled database administrators. It also has little expertise in managing email services. Which of the following solutions would best match the skill sets of available personnel?
Run the web servers in PaaS, and run the databases and email in SaaS.
Run the web servers, databases, and email in SaaS.
Run the web servers in IaaS, the databases in PaaS, and the email in SaaS. Correct Answer
Run the web servers, databases, and email in IaaS.
67% of anonymous learners picked answer A.
Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Community Insight
Service models should be selected per workload by matching the operational burden each model leaves to the skills the staff actually has.
The company has plenty of Linux and web-server engineers, only a couple of DBAs, and almost no email expertise. Running web servers in IaaS uses its engineering strength, databases in PaaS offload most database administration, and email in SaaS removes the need for email specialists entirely.
Voting A assumes SaaS for everything is safest, but it discards the company's strong web-server skill set, while the weak spot is databases and email, not web serving.
Community Discussion (5 comments)
BigM👍 1Selected: C
Explanation: This option optimally balances the company's available skill sets and reduces management overhead where expertise is lacking: ✔ Web Servers in IaaS → The company has skilled Linux and web-server engineers, so they can manage web servers in Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) with full control. ✔ Databases in PaaS → The company has few skilled database administrators, so Platform as a Service (PaaS) will handle database maintenance, backups, scaling, and security, reducing the need for DB expertise. ✔ Email in SaaS → Since the company has little expertise in managing email, Software as a Service (SaaS) (like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace) will offload email management completely.
WereAllinThisTogether👍 1
A. is correct. I though DBs were only support through dBaas, Iaas, and Paas but it seems it supported through SaaS as well. It would be nice to know what kind database and capabilities they needed from the DB but since it is generalized to everything it's A.
braveheart22👍 2Selected: C
I'm really inclined towards C as the best answer.
BlueMan93👍 2Selected: A
A is the only one that makes sense here.
Pisces225👍 4Selected: A
Can't say I agree with C, too close to my test time to spell this out but it has no votes for the correct answer.
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Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
Each tier of option C assigns the service model whose residual operational burden fits the available people. The web servers in IaaS keep the company's many Linux and web-server engineers doing what they are good at, managing servers directly. The database in PaaS (DBaaS) removes OS and engine maintenance while the couple of DBAs handle schema and tuning, and email in SaaS needs no email expertise at all, which the company lacks.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
A runs web servers in PaaS, which sidesteps the company's strongest skill set and gains nothing, while still correctly handling databases and email. B puts everything in SaaS, which fits no workload here: a bespoke web platform is not a SaaS commodity, and the web engineers would be idle. D forces IaaS for databases and email, workloads where the company has the least skill, maximizing the staffing gap instead of closing it.
Community Comment Notes
BigM defends C explicitly, arguing IaaS for web exploits the strong web engineers, PaaS reduces database overhead where DBAs are few, and SaaS fits the email gap. Pisces225, freshly out of the exam, sides with A while admitting the reasoning is not spelled out. BlueMan93 asserts A without analysis, and WereAllinThisTogether concedes the key doubt: since SaaS-grade database offerings are unusual, the general workload fit favors C.