Fundamental
Prepare and test your skills
Fundamental
Prepare and test your skills
SaaS Delivers Browser-Based CRM and Email
Free sample question, answered and explained below. The AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam practice bank has 688 more like it. Try 10 free: instant score, no account.
A company is looking to implement a new customer relationship management (CRM) system and an enterprise email solution for its employees. The organization has established the following requirements:
- Users must be able to access the applications over the internet using a web browser
- The software must be licensed on a recurring subscription model per user
- The cloud service provider must manage the underlying infrastructure, operating systems, application code, and automatic software updates
Which cloud service model should the organization choose to meet these requirements?
Explanations
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Software as a Service (SaaS)
What Software as a Service (SaaS) is
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud computing service model that delivers fully functioning, end-user applications over the internet. Instead of installing and maintaining software on local machines or managing server infrastructure, users connect to and use cloud-based apps hosted and operated entirely by the cloud service provider.
How it meets the CRM and email requirements
SaaS directly aligns with all business requirements outlined in the scenario:
- Accessibility: End users access CRM and email services via standard web browsers or thin client interfaces from any internet-connected device.
- Subscription-based pricing: The organization pays for the software on a predictable per-user, recurring subscription basis (such as monthly or annually), eliminating large upfront software licensing capital expenses.
- Vendor-managed maintenance: The cloud vendor assumes full responsibility for all underlying hardware, operating systems, networking, application patching, security updates, and feature upgrades seamlessly in the background.
Key advantages and capabilities
- Rapid deployment: Organizations can onboard users and provision accounts immediately without provisioning servers or installing local software.
- Zero maintenance overhead: Internal IT staff are relieved of routine software patching, maintenance, and server management tasks.
- High availability and scalability: Built-in redundancy and elastic capacity ensure continuous uptime and easy scaling as the workforce grows.
- Universal access: Employees can securely collaborate and access critical business data anywhere, supporting remote and hybrid work models.
Why this is optimal
Among all cloud delivery models, SaaS provides the highest level of provider management and the lowest administrative overhead for business productivity tools like CRM and email suites (such as Microsoft 365 or Dynamics 365).
On-premises Private Cloud
On-premises Private Cloud
What an On-premises Private Cloud is
An on-premises private cloud is a cloud infrastructure operated exclusively for a single organization and hosted within the organization's own physical data center or a dedicated co-location facility. The organization owns or leases all physical servers, storage arrays, networking hardware, and virtualization platforms.
Why it doesn't meet the requirement
An on-premises private cloud contradicts the scenario's requirements across multiple areas:
- The organization must purchase and maintain all physical hardware and software licenses upfront (high CapEx), rather than utilizing a pure subscription model.
- Internal IT personnel are fully responsible for hardware maintenance, security patching, virtualization management, operating systems, and application updates.
- It requires dedicated facilities, cooling, power, and high ongoing operational costs instead of delegating maintenance to a public cloud provider.
Key characteristics and limitations
- Total ownership and responsibility: The customer manages the complete stack from physical data center security up to end-user software.
- High upfront capital expenditure: Requires significant upfront capital investment for hardware, licensing, and facility infrastructure.
- Limited elasticity: Scaling requires purchasing and physically installing additional hardware, which takes considerable time and planning.
This answer would be correct if
The organization had strict regulatory mandates requiring total physical data isolation, complete hardware governance, and prohibited storing corporate data on public cloud infrastructure.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
What Platform as a Service (PaaS) is
Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides an environment for building, testing, deploying, and managing custom applications without the complexity of building and maintaining the underlying infrastructure. The cloud provider manages the hardware, networking, operating systems, and runtime platforms, while the customer develops and manages the application code and data.
Why it doesn't meet the requirement
PaaS does not provide a ready-to-use, off-the-shelf business application:
- PaaS delivers a development and deployment platform (such as Azure App Service or Azure SQL Database), not pre-built, ready-to-use end-user software like CRM or email.
- The customer must write, test, and maintain their own application code, which contradicts the goal of using a vendor-managed application.
- It is tailored for software developers and DevOps teams rather than general business end users needing turn-key software.
Key characteristics and limitations
- Development-centric: Accelerates application development by abstracting server management and providing built-in development frameworks.
- Shared responsibility model: The vendor manages the runtime, operating system, and hardware, while the developer manages application logic and database schemas.
- No out-of-the-box user software: Does not include complete functional business software suites such as email collaboration or CRM tools.
This answer would be correct if
The company planned to develop a proprietary, custom-coded CRM platform from scratch and wanted a managed platform to host and scale the web application and database without managing virtual servers.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
What Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing model that provides on-demand access to fundamental computing resources, including virtual machines, storage, virtual networks, and firewalls. In this model, the cloud provider manages the physical data center hardware, while the customer manages the operating system, installed software, and configurations.
Why it doesn't meet the requirement
IaaS does not fulfill the requirement of providing ready-to-use software with vendor-managed application updates:
- Under IaaS, the customer is responsible for purchasing, installing, configuring, and maintaining the CRM and email server software.
- The customer's IT team must manage operating system patches, runtime environments, middleware, and application updates manually.
- It requires substantial operational overhead and technical expertise rather than delivering a simple subscription-based software application.
Key characteristics and limitations
- Maximum control: Provides the highest degree of administrative control over virtual hardware and operating systems among cloud service models.
- Shared responsibility: The user is responsible for OS updates, network security configurations, and software lifecycle management.
- Infrastructure focus: Designed to host custom server workloads, virtual appliances, and enterprise networking rather than delivering turnkey end-user applications.
This answer would be correct if
The organization needed to host custom-built, legacy CRM software on custom virtual machines where IT staff required complete administrative control over the underlying operating systems and network settings.
Try 10 interactive questions like this one, free
Answer them yourself and get your score the moment you finish. No account needed.
Full access includes
- 688 practice questions across all 3 exam domains
- Every answer explained: why it is right, and why the others are not
- Scout, an AI tutor that answers your follow-up questions
- Readiness tracking by domain, so you know when to book the exam
Related questions
Keep the momentum going with these hand-picked practice scenarios
FundamentalAZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam
Microsoft Service Trust Portal
Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud model
FundamentalAZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam
IaaS Lift-and-Shift Migration
Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud model
FundamentalAZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud model
FundamentalAZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam
Platform as a Service Use Case
Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud model
FundamentalAZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam
Azure Spot Virtual Machines
Compare cloud pricing models
IntermediateAZ-400 Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions Exam
Managed Identity for Azure DevOps Service Connections
Implement and manage Azure DevOps service connections and personalaccess tokens
Last updated Validated