In which cloud service model does the provider manage both hardware and the operating system?

• A. IaaS
• B. PaaS
• C. SaaS
• D. DaaS

Answer: (A)

The key idea is which layer of the cloud stack the provider takes care of. In IaaS, the provider handles the hardware, networking, and virtualization, but you (the customer) manage the operating system and everything above it. In PaaS, the provider takes care of the hardware, virtualization, OS, and the runtime and middleware, offering a platform on which you deploy and manage your applications and data. In SaaS, the provider handles nearly everything, and you just use the software. So, the model where the provider manages both hardware and the operating system is Platform as a Service. The option stating IaaS would imply you handle the OS, which isn’t the case, so it isn’t the best answer.