Which cloud concept describes hosting an app for internal and third-party users?

N10-009 By islever Editorial Last updated

Short answer

A Multitenancy

Question

A network administrator is planning to host a company application in the cloud, making the application available for all internal and third-party users. Which of the following concepts describes this arrangement?
  1. Multitenancy Correct Answer
  2. VPC
  3. NFV
  4. SaaS

Key Takeaways

The exam is testing whether candidates recognize that multitenancy is an architectural arrangement of shared resources, while SaaS is a delivery model; the trap is picking SaaS because the app is 'hosted in the cloud' for users.

This question tests the difference between cloud architecture patterns and software delivery models. The community strongly favors multitenancy (A) because the scenario describes a single application serving multiple tenant groups, which is the definition of multitenancy, not SaaS.

Common mistake: Choosing D (SaaS) is the most common mistake because candidates confuse the software-as-a-service delivery model with the underlying multitenancy architecture, even though SaaS would describe a commercial offering, not the internal + third-party user arrangement described.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Multitenancy is a cloud computing architecture where a single instance of an application serves multiple customers or tenants, while keeping their data isolated. The administrator is hosting a company application that is available to both internal users and third-party users, meaning multiple distinct groups share the same application infrastructure — this is exactly the multitenancy concept. Comment [3] correctly explains that multitenancy supports multiple groups (tenants) sharing the same application infrastructure while keeping data isolated.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) is a logically isolated network within a cloud, not an application-sharing arrangement. NFV (Network Function Virtualization) virtualizes network functions like firewalls or routers, unrelated to hosting an app for multiple user groups. SaaS (Software as a Service) is a software delivery model where a provider licenses an application to customers, usually over the internet. While the app is 'as a service' in a broad sense, the question asks about the 'arrangement' of serving internal and third-party users — that arrangement is multitenancy, not the SaaS business model. Comment [1] makes this distinction clear: 'SaaS would more so be the actual delivery of the model, or the accessing of the service while multitenancy describes the scenario of an admin hosting this application.'

Community Comment Notes

The majority of voters (69%) selected A, Multitenancy. Comments [1], [3], [6], and [9] all explain the key reasoning: a single application instance serving multiple tenants with data isolation fits the scenario perfectly. A few commenters, like [4], chose SaaS, arguing that the company is 'serving applications to users from the cloud.' However, this confuses the service delivery model with the underlying architecture. One commenter [10] even said they were 'super convinced' by a SaaS explanation, but that interpretation fails to account for the question's use of the word 'arrangement' — the architecture is multitenancy, while SaaS is simply the model by which such applications are often delivered.

Official Reference

https://www.ibm.com/topics/multitenancy

This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

When a CompTIA question describes a single instance serving multiple distinct user groups (internal and third-party), focus on the architecture — that is multitenancy. Do not choose SaaS just because the application is cloud-hosted; look for words like 'arrangement,' 'architecture,' or 'sharing infrastructure' to guide you.

Community Votes

A
69%
D
31%

69% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 15 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 15

  1. TheSplurge 👍 7 Answered A
    While SaaS and Multitenancy have similar definitions SaaS would more so be the actual delivery of the model, or the accessing of the service while multitenancy describes the scenario of an admin hosting this application.
  2. jmcd2 👍 4 Answered A
    A. third party users that means people outside the company. Multitenancy is the best answer.
  3. GEO2 👍 3 Answered A
    Multitenancy is a cloud computing concept where a single instance of an application serves multiple users (tenants). In this case, the company application is hosted in the cloud and is available for both internal users and third-party users, meaning it supports multiple groups (or tenants) sharing the same application infrastructure while keeping their data isolated. Why not the others? D. SaaS (Software as a Service): While this application might be offered as a SaaS product, the question focuses on the arrangement where multiple users access the same hosted application, which aligns better with multitenancy. Key Takeaway: Multitenancy ensures efficient resource usage in cloud environments while securely serving multiple user groups or organizations.
  4. kinkistyle 👍 3 Answered D
    SaaS. Multitenancy is like an apartment building where all the tenants live in the same building and share the same infrastructure but everybody is lives in their own locked apartments. SaaS is what the company is doing which is serving applications to users from the cloud.
  5. Nyang2 👍 3 Answered D
    SaaS cannot service a company application. So answer sould be A
Show 10 more comments
  1. ba10f26 👍 2 Answered A
    The correct answer is: A. Multitenancy. Multitenancy describes a cloud computing architecture where multiple users or organizations (tenants) share the same application or infrastructure while keeping their data and configurations separate. Hosting a company application in the cloud for internal and third-party users aligns with this concept, as the application serves multiple distinct user groups on a shared platform.
  2. gregrhernandez07 👍 2 Answered A
    Multitenancy. Explanation: Multitenancy refers to a cloud computing architecture where a single instance of an application serves multiple customers, with each customer's data kept separate and secure from the others. This is the most suitable description for the scenario given, as the administrator wants to make the application accessible to various users while maintaining data isolation.
  3. SuntzuLegacy 👍 2 Answered A
    Multitenancy refers to a cloud architecture where multiple users (tenants) share the same application or resources while maintaining data and access separation. In this scenario, hosting the application in the cloud for both internal and third-party users aligns with the concept of multitenancy, as the same application instance will likely serve different groups of users.
  4. Parshman 👍 2 Answered A
    One resource pool with multiple tenants, so multi-tenancy would be the best answer.
  5. HeatSquad77 👍 1 Answered A
    A. multitenancy The ability to support multiple customers on the same infrastructure at the same time. Multitenancy enables customers with small computing needs to only pay for what they actually need in exchange for sharing the same infrastructure with other customers. Comes with the risk those customers will hog shared resources or compromise the infrastructure (by accident or on purpose).
  6. braveheart22 👍 1 Answered D
    I'm super convinced with "lockjaw's" explanation, so from my point of view, I feel SaaS is the correct answer, so I will go with D.
  7. a01561f 👍 1
    Software as a Service essentially making an App in the cloud
  8. Lailo 👍 1 Answered A
    A. Multitenancy. is the correct answer
  9. favouralain 👍 4 Answered D
    SaaS is the best answer
  10. chrys 👍 2
    SaaS! One app, no pain.

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