Which of the following best describes cloud scalability?

Cloud scalability refers to the capability of cloud resources to increase or decrease based on demand. This means that as the needs of an application or service grow—such as during peak usage times—the cloud infrastructure can automatically provision additional resources to handle the increased load. Conversely, when demand decreases, the resources can be scaled down, allowing for efficient use of resources and cost savings.

This flexibility is essential for businesses that experience fluctuating workloads, enabling them to adapt their resource usage in real-time without investing in permanent infrastructure. This on-demand scaling is one of the primary advantages of cloud computing, as it allows organizations to match their resource consumption with their actual needs, thereby enhancing performance and user experience.

In contrast, restricting user access to cloud services, reducing costs through optimization, and energy efficiency, while important aspects of cloud management, do not specifically encapsulate the essence of scalability. Scalability focuses purely on the dynamic adjustment of resources in response to varying demand levels.