Microsoft 365 FundamentalsDescribe cloud conceptsMedium
A research institution is running complex simulations that require massive amounts of compute power for several hours, but these resources are only needed intermittently. Purchasing and maintaining dedicated on-premises supercomputers would be prohibitively expensive. Which characteristic of cloud computing makes it an ideal solution for this scenario?
- AShared Responsibility Model
- BFixed Costs
- CPay-as-you-go Pricing
- DPredictability
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Pay-as-you-go Pricing
Pay-as-you-go pricing allows organizations to pay only for the compute resources they consume, precisely matching the intermittent need for massive compute power without the upfront capital investment of purchasing dedicated hardware.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. The shared responsibility model defines security roles, not pricing or resource allocation for intermittent needs.
- B. Fixed costs would imply consistent spending regardless of usage, which is the opposite of what's needed for intermittent use.
- D. Predictability refers to consistent performance or costs, which is not the primary benefit for intermittent, massive needs.
Pay-as-you-go Pricing
A cloud pricing model where customers pay only for the cloud resources they actually consume, typically billed hourly, by the minute, or by the second.
- Eliminates upfront capital expenditures (CAPEX).
- Allows for flexible scaling up or down of resources.
- Ideal for variable or unpredictable workloads.
Memory trick: Cloud makes you pay only for what you use, like a utility bill.