Which of the following is NOT a benefit of cloud computing?

The correct choice highlights that guaranteed uptime is not a typical benefit of cloud computing. While cloud providers often strive to achieve high availability and offer Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that specify uptime percentages, these guarantees are not absolute. This means there could still be instances of service downtime due to various factors such as maintenance, outages, or failures. Therefore, while many cloud services aim for robust uptime, it cannot be assured in all circumstances.

In contrast, cost savings, increased flexibility, and scalability are widely recognized benefits of cloud computing. Cost savings arise from reduced capital expenditures on hardware and infrastructure, allowing organizations to pay for what they use on a subscription basis. Increased flexibility comes from the ability to quickly adapt resources based on demand, allowing businesses to respond to changes rapidly. Scalability refers to the capacity to scale resources up or down seamlessly to meet fluctuating workloads, which is a fundamental advantage of cloud computing environments.