In which cloud service model is the customer only responsible for the data?

In the Software as a Service (SaaS) model, the customer is primarily responsible for the data they store and manage within the application while the service provider handles everything else in the stack, including infrastructure, platform, and application management. This characteristic allows customers to utilize cloud applications without worrying about underlying hardware, software updates, or maintenance tasks, as these aspects are fully managed by the provider.

In this context, customers can focus on their data—ensuring its accuracy, availability, and security as needed—while the provider takes care of the application functionality and hosting environments. This model is commonly seen in applications such as email services, customer relationship management (CRM) tools, and other cloud applications where users access software via a web interface.

In contrast, other cloud service models like Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) entail varying degrees of responsibility on the part of the customer not just for their data but for applications and platforms as well. Therefore, SaaS stands out as the option where customers are exclusively responsible for the data.