RAS question
Concerning 'cloud computing', which of the following best describes IaaS?
Correct answer: (C) Renting IT infrastructure (servers, storage, networking) from a cloud provider.
IaaS is the cloud-computing model in which a consumer rents fundamental IT infrastructure such as processing, storage, networks, servers and related resources from a cloud provider.
Explanation
IaaS stands for Infrastructure as a Service, so the stress is on infrastructure rather than finished software or a social platform. NIST describes IaaS as the capability to provision processing, storage, networks and other fundamental computing resources, allowing the consumer to deploy and run software, including operating systems and applications. That matches option C: renting IT infrastructure such as servers, storage and networking from a cloud provider. The consumer uses these resources on demand from providers such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, while the underlying cloud infrastructure remains with the provider. The key distinction is therefore between renting infrastructure and consuming a ready-made application.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Developing mobile apps points to application-development tools or a platform layer, not the renting of core computing infrastructure that defines IaaS.
- (B) A social media platform is an end-user online service, whereas IaaS is about provisioning infrastructure resources such as processing, storage and networks.
- (D) Renting software applications over the internet describes SaaS, because the user consumes the application itself rather than renting infrastructure to run operating systems and applications.
Concept
This tests the Science and Technology syllabus concept of cloud-computing service models. It recurs in RAS because candidates must distinguish infrastructure, platform and software layers in digital governance and IT questions.