Answer: metered pricing, self-service management

In a public cloud model, 'metered pricing' (D) is a core characteristic, meaning you pay for the resources you use on a pay-as-you-go basis. Additionally, 'self-service management' (E) is another fundamental feature, allowing users to provision and manage cloud resources like virtual machines and storage through a self-service portal. Unlike private cloud environments, public clouds do not provide dedicated hardware, which makes option A incorrect. Connections in public clouds are secure, so option B is incorrect. Lastly, public clouds offer virtually unlimited storage, making option C incorrect.

Author: LeetQuiz Editorial Team