Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The elastic model of services is often the correct answer because this payment structure is fundamentally designed to scale according to the usage of the services. In cloud environments, users can adjust their consumption of resources based on their needs at any given time, which provides flexibility and cost efficiency.

This elasticity means that when demand increases, additional resources can be allocated dynamically, and when demand decreases, resources can be scaled back to reduce costs. This model allows organizations to pay only for what they use rather than committing to a fixed cost, as is the case with flat-rate pricing, long-term contracts, or annual subscriptions.

In contrast, flat-rate pricing involves a fixed fee for a predetermined service level, which lacks the flexibility needed for changing requirements. Long-term contracts and annual subscriptions can lock customers into a specific payment structure for extended periods, which may not align with the variable nature of cloud services usage or the rapid pace of technology changes in the industry. Therefore, the elastic model of services is the most reflective of the typical payment structures in cloud environments, ensuring that customers only pay for what they consume.