Which attribute describes a system's ability to handle increased load?

Scalability refers to a system's capability to manage a growing amount of work or its potential to accommodate growth. This attribute is crucial for businesses, especially startups that anticipate varying levels of demand as they grow. A scalable system can handle increased loads by adding resources, such as more servers or optimizing processes, without a significant drop in performance. This flexibility allows a company to expand its customer base and operations without compromising on efficiency or service quality.

Reliability, while important, focuses on a system's ability to perform consistently over time without failure. Uptime pertains to the operational status of a system (i.e., the time it is functional and accessible), and quality assurance involves maintaining a standard of quality in product development and delivery. While these attributes contribute to overall performance and user satisfaction, they do not specifically address the system's capability to scale with increased demand like scalability does.