A managed SQL database, often referred to as Database as a Service (DBaaS) or a Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering, is the most suitable choice for minimizing operational overhead. In this model, the cloud service provider is responsible for managing the underlying infrastructure, operating system, database software patching, backups, and high availability. This allows the company's development team to focus on schema design and application integration rather than the time-consuming tasks of database administration, directly fulfilling the core requirement of the question.

A. A database installed on a virtual machine: This Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) approach maximizes operational overhead, as the company is responsible for managing the OS, patching, backups, and all database software administration.

C. A database migration service: This is a tool or service used to move existing databases to the cloud. It is not a hosting solution for a new application's database.

D. A hybrid database setup: A hybrid model, which combines on-premises and cloud resources, typically increases complexity and operational overhead due to the need to manage and synchronize two distinct environments.

1. Mell

P.

& Grance

T. (2011). The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing (Special Publication 800-145). National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Section: "Platform as a Service (PaaS)": This section defines PaaS

stating

"The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network

servers

operating systems

or storage

but has control over the deployed applications..." This directly supports the concept of reduced operational overhead for the consumer.

2. Amazon Web Services (AWS). (n.d.). Amazon RDS Features.

Section: "Easy to Administer": The documentation states

"Amazon RDS makes it easy to go from project conception to deployment. Use the AWS Management Console... to access the capabilities of a production-ready relational database in minutes. No need for infrastructure provisioning

and no need for installing and maintaining database software." This contrasts directly with the high overhead of managing a database on a VM (IaaS).

3. Microsoft Azure. (n.d.). What is Azure SQL Database?.

Section: "Overview": The documentation describes Azure SQL Database as a "fully managed platform as a service (PaaS) database engine that handles most of the database management functions like upgrading

patching

backups

and monitoring without user involvement." This explicitly confirms that managed services are designed to minimize administrative burden.

4. Armbrust

M.

Fox

A.

Griffith

R.

Joseph

A. D.

Katz

R.

Konwinski

A.

... & Zaharia

M. (2010). A view of cloud computing. Communications of the ACM

53(4)

50-58.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/1721654.1721672

Page 51

Section 2.1 "Classes of Utility Computing": The paper explains that with PaaS

the provider manages the "operating system

and the collective hardware

" which "lowers the barrier to entry for deploying applications" by reducing the need for system administration expertise.