CompTIA Cloud+ Practice Test

What technology allows for the automatic resizing of resources to meet demand in a cloud environment?

1. Cloud bursting

2. Elasticity

3. Load balancing

4. Virtualization

The correct answer is: Elasticity

Elasticity in a cloud environment refers to the capability to automatically adjust resources—such as compute power, storage, or bandwidth—in response to varying levels of demand. This dynamic scaling allows organizations to efficiently manage resource consumption and costs by allocating more or fewer resources as needed without manual intervention. For instance, during peak usage times, a cloud service can automatically provision additional servers to ensure that applications remain responsive. Conversely, during low usage periods, the service can reduce resources to save costs. This ability to scale resources up or down seamlessly is fundamental to cloud computing and differentiates it from traditional IT infrastructure, which typically requires manual adjustments and planning. Other options relate to cloud operations but do not specifically describe the automatic adjustment of resources tied directly to demand. Load balancing distributes workloads across multiple resources but does not necessarily manage scaling. Cloud bursting involves extending an application into the cloud during peak demand but doesn't manage the continuous resource adjustment that elasticity does. Virtualization refers to creating virtual instances of hardware or software but does not imply the automatic scaling feature inherent in elasticity.