Management Information System (MIS) Practice Exam

Which statement accurately describes the infrastructure as a service model?

1. The customer has to manage the licenses for the operating systems being used.

2. The customer can run his or her own applications that are typically designed using tools provided by the service provider.

3. The customer has no knowledge or control over the underlying infrastructure.

4. The customer uses an application provided via a cloud infrastructure.

The correct answer is: The customer has to manage the licenses for the operating systems being used.

The infrastructure as a service (IaaS) model provides virtualized computing resources over the internet. It allows customers to manage their own operating systems, applications, storage, and networking while the service provider oversees the physical infrastructure. In this context, the correct statement describes how customers typically need to manage licenses for the operating systems they deploy on the IaaS platform. This means that while the hosting and physical resources are managed by the IaaS provider, customers retain the responsibility for the operating systems they implement, including licensing considerations. This autonomy is a key characteristic of the IaaS model, and such control over the operating system aligns with the primary features of IaaS. The other statements do not accurately encapsulate the IaaS model. For instance, the statement regarding having no knowledge of underlying infrastructure misrepresents the degree of control users have; they are typically well aware and have some level of control. The mention of running applications designed with tools from the service provider leans more towards platform as a service (PaaS), and using applications provided via cloud infrastructure resembles software as a service (SaaS). Thus, focusing on the management of operating system licenses is the most appropriate descriptor for the infrastructure as a service model.