Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Practice Exam

Which of the following has an upfront cost?

1. IaaS

2. PaaS

3. SaaS

4. None of the above

The correct answer is: None of the above

The correct answer is that none of the options have an upfront cost. In cloud computing models, such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS), services are typically billed on a pay-as-you-go basis, allowing businesses to avoid substantial initial investments. IaaS offers virtualized computing resources over the internet, where users pay for what they use without needing to invest in physical hardware upfront. PaaS provides cloud-based platforms for developing, testing, and deploying applications without the burden of managing underlying infrastructure costs. SaaS, on the other hand, delivers software applications over the internet on a subscription basis, negating the need for upfront software purchases. In summary, cloud services generally prioritize operational expenses over capital expenses, allowing businesses to be more agile and responsive to changing needs without significant upfront investments.