Google Cloud Digital Leader Practice Exam

Which is the responsibility of the cloud provider in a cloud security model?

1. Setting access policies for the customer's data

2. Maintaining the customer's infrastructure

3. Configuring the customer's applications

4. Managing the customer's user access

The correct answer is: Maintaining the customer's infrastructure

In a cloud security model, the responsibility of the cloud provider primarily revolves around the management and maintenance of the underlying infrastructure. This includes ensuring the physical security, network security, and the foundational services and resources are secure and available for customers. The cloud provider is responsible for keeping the data centers operational, applying security patches to the hardware and virtualization layers, and managing the overall cloud environment's health and performance. While the customer retains control over their data, access policies, and application-level configurations, the cloud provider's role focuses on the infrastructure elements that support those customer-controlled resources. Security best practices dictate that the responsibility for configuring user access and policies rests with the customer, as these pertain directly to their unique use of the cloud services. Thus, while the cloud provider manages the infrastructure, it does not involve itself in the specific data and application management tasks that customers are responsible for.