CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201)Virtualization and Cloud ComputingMedium
An online retailer expects a massive spike in web traffic during a holiday sales event. The company wants its cloud environment to automatically add compute resources during the surge and automatically release them once traffic returns to normal, minimizing cost. Which cloud characteristic enables this behavior?
- AResource pooling
- BElasticity
- CMeasured service
- DMultitenancy
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Elasticity
Elasticity is the cloud characteristic that allows resources to scale up or down automatically and rapidly in response to demand, ensuring cost efficiency and performance during traffic spikes.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Resource pooling refers to sharing physical resources among multiple tenants, not automatic scaling.
- C. Measured service refers to billing based on actual usage, not the scaling mechanism itself.
- D. Multitenancy describes multiple customers sharing the same infrastructure, unrelated to scaling behavior.
Elasticity
The cloud's ability to automatically scale resources up or down based on real-time demand.
- Key differentiator between cloud and traditional data centers
- Reduces cost by matching resources to actual need
- Often paired with auto-scaling groups and load balancers
Memory trick: Elastic like a rubber band—stretches and shrinks with demand.