Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) Practice Exam 2026 - Free CCSP Practice Questions and Study Guide

The correct answer is public cloud, which is designed for open use by the general public. Public clouds are hosted and maintained on the premises of the cloud service providers, who own and manage the infrastructure. This model allows various customers to access shared resources, such as storage and applications, over the internet.

Public clouds are characterized by their ability to scale resources to meet a broad range of customer needs, allowing users to pay for only what they use. By living on the premises of the cloud provider, these services benefit from economies of scale, which often lead to lower costs compared to other cloud models.

In contrast, a community cloud is shared among multiple organizations that have shared concerns or interests, such as compliance or security requirements. A hybrid cloud combines both private and public clouds, allowing for greater flexibility but introducing complexity. A private cloud is dedicated solely to a single organization, offering greater security and control but typically with higher costs and less scalability than public options. Understanding these distinctions highlights why the public cloud model is uniquely suited for general access and cost-effective usability.