CompTIA Cloud+ Practice Test

Which common cloud resource might experience saturation due to increasing compute requirements?

1. RAM

2. Monitoring

3. PaaS

4. IaaS

The correct answer is: RAM

RAM is a common cloud resource that can experience saturation as compute requirements increase. In cloud computing, RAM (Random Access Memory) is critical for running applications and processing data. As more applications are deployed or as existing applications require more memory to handle an increase in workloads, the demand for RAM can exceed the available capacity. When RAM becomes saturated, the performance of applications can significantly degrade, leading to slower response times and potential downtime. This situation may occur in various scenarios, such as when multiple virtual machines are hosted on a single physical server or when a single application has escalated memory needs due to increased user load or data processing requirements. In contrast, monitoring specifically refers to the tools and processes used to track the performance of resources, but it does not itself become saturated. PaaS (Platform as a Service) and IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) are service models that utilize various underlying resources, including RAM. While these services can offer scalable RAM options, the specific concern of RAM saturation directly points to memory usage and not the broad concepts of service models. Hence, RAM stands out as the resource that directly experiences saturation under increased compute pressure.