A cloud administrator has built a new private cloud environment and needs to monitor all computer, storage, and network components of the environment. Which of the following protocols would be MOST…

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is used for routing and delivering email messages, not for monitoring infrastructure components.

SCP (Secure Copy Protocol) is used for securely transferring files between hosts over SSH, not for collecting monitoring data from devices.

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is specifically designed to monitor and manage infrastructure components including routers, switches, servers, and storage devices using a manager-agent model. Agents installed on managed devices collect metrics and report to a central management station, providing visibility across compute, storage, and network layers. This makes it the definitive choice for comprehensive private cloud environment monitoring.

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is used for secure file transfer operations and has no capability to monitor compute, storage, or network components.