220-1101 Question 371
Single answerHybrid cloudA small accounting firm keeps client tax files on servers in its office because of internal compliance rules, but it wants employees to use a cloud-based application for email and document collaboration. During a planning meeting, a technician is asked which cloud model best matches this approach. Which of the following should the technician recommend?
- A
Private cloud only, because all business data remains under company control
- B
Public cloud only, because email and collaboration are hosted by a third-party provider
- C
Hybrid cloud, because the firm is using both on-premises resources and cloud services together
- D
Community cloud, because the firm works with financial data shared by similar organizations
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The best answer is Hybrid cloud. In CompTIA A+ Core 1, candidates should recognize that a hybrid cloud environment mixes local infrastructure or private resources with public cloud services. This is common in real businesses that keep sensitive or regulated data on-premises while adopting cloud applications such as email, file sharing, or collaboration tools. This aligns with common cloud definitions used by NIST and major vendors such as Microsoft and AWS, which describe hybrid cloud as integrating on-premises environments with cloud-based services. The key exam skill is identifying the deployment model from a practical business scenario rather than memorizing definitions.
- A. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A private cloud only model would mean the organization's services and resources are provided in a private environment for that organization, whether on-premises or hosted. In this scenario, the firm is also intentionally using third-party cloud services for email and collaboration, so it is not private cloud only.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A public cloud only model would mean the firm's workloads are entirely hosted through public cloud services. Here, the accounting firm still keeps client tax files on its own local servers, so the environment includes both local infrastructure and cloud-hosted services.
- C. Correct.
Correct. A hybrid cloud combines on-premises infrastructure or private cloud resources with public cloud services. This scenario clearly describes a mix: sensitive client tax files remain on local servers, while email and collaboration are delivered through a cloud provider. That combination is the defining characteristic of a hybrid cloud deployment.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A community cloud is designed for organizations with shared requirements, such as regulatory or mission-related needs across multiple entities. The scenario does not describe a shared cloud environment among several related organizations; it describes one company using local systems alongside cloud services.