Azure cards Flashcards
What is cloud computing?
A service delivery model over the internet that includes compute power, storage, networking, and analytics services.
Define scalability in cloud computing.
The ability to allocate and deallocate resources at any time to meet changing demand.
What is elasticity in cloud computing?
The ability to scale dynamically, adjusting resources automatically in response to fluctuating workloads.
Explain agility in the context of cloud services.
The ability to react quickly to changes, enabling rapid development, testing, and deployment of applications.
What does fault tolerance mean in cloud computing?
The capability to maintain system uptime despite failures of components or services.
Define disaster recovery in cloud services.
A process and design principle that allows a system to recover from natural or human-induced disasters.
What is high availability in cloud computing?
The agreed level of operational uptime for a system, calculated as availability = uptime / (uptime + downtime).
Describe the consumption-based model in cloud services.
A pricing model where customers are charged based on their actual resource usage, with no upfront costs and no charges for unused resources.
What are the characteristics of the consumption-based model?
No upfront cost, no wasted resources, pay for what you need, and stop paying when you don’t need the resources.
How does the consumption-based model benefit businesses?
It allows businesses to optimize costs by paying only for the resources they use, leading to more efficient budgeting and resource management.
What is the principle of economies of scale?
As companies grow, they become more effective at managing shared operations, leading to cost savings and reduced price per unit for customers.
How do larger companies achieve economies of scale?
By efficiently managing shared operations such as HR, taxes, accounting, internal operations, marketing, and securing better discounts through large contracts.
Why can’t companies reduce their price per unit to zero, even with economies of scale?
Because some underlying infrastructure needs to run to provide services, incurring unavoidable costs.
How does Microsoft’s scale benefit customers in terms of service pricing?
Due to its large scale, Microsoft can offer multiple services for free or at reduced costs, as the expense is a small fraction for them.
What is Capital Expenditure (CapEx)?
Upfront investment in physical infrastructure with significant initial costs and lower ongoing expenses.
What is Operational Expenditure (OpEx)?
Pay-as-you-go model with no upfront costs, where expenses are based on usage and can be terminated anytime.
How are tax deductions handled in CapEx?
Tax deductions are spread over time as the value of the asset depreciates.
How are tax deductions handled in OpEx?
Tax deductions occur in the same year as the expenses, reflecting the immediate costs.
What are the maintenance implications of CapEx?
Significant maintenance is required to manage and update physical infrastructure.
What are the maintenance implications of OpEx?
Minimal maintenance is needed, as the service provider manages the infrastructure.
Can you terminate services early in CapEx?
No, since you’ve invested heavily upfront in physical assets.
Can you terminate services early in OpEx?
Yes, services can be terminated anytime without significant financial penalty.
What is the consumption-based model in cloud computing?
A pricing model where customers are charged based on their actual resource usage, with no upfront costs.
List four characteristics of the consumption-based model.
No upfront cost, no wasted resources, pay for what you need, and stop paying when you don’t need resources.
How does the consumption-based model prevent wasted resources?
By ensuring customers are not charged for unused resources, leading to more efficient resource utilization.
Can you stop paying for resources in a consumption-based model when they’re no longer needed?
Yes, you can stop paying when you don’t need the resources anymore.
What is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)?
A cloud service model where the provider manages physical infrastructure and virtualization, while the customer manages the operating system, applications, and data.
What is Platform as a Service (PaaS)?
A cloud service model where the provider manages the infrastructure, operating system, and platform software, allowing customers to focus on application development and data management.
What is Software as a Service (SaaS)?
A cloud service model where the provider manages all aspects, including the application, and the customer simply uses the software without managing any underlying infrastructure or platforms.
In which cloud service model does the customer manage applications and data but not the underlying infrastructure?
Platform as a Service (PaaS).
Which cloud service model requires the customer to manage the most components, including the operating system?
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
In which cloud service model does the provider manage everything, including the application itself?
Software as a Service (SaaS).
What is a Public Cloud?
A cloud deployment model where all hardware is owned and managed by a third-party provider, offering resources over the internet.
List two advantages of Public Cloud.
No initial capital expenditure (CapEx) and high scalability.
What is a Private Cloud?
A cloud deployment model where resources are exclusively used by a single organization, either hosted on-premises or by a third-party.
List two advantages of Private Cloud.
Enhanced security and compliance, and greater control over infrastructure.
What is a Hybrid Cloud?
A cloud deployment model that combines both public and private clouds, allowing data and applications to be shared between them.
List two advantages of Hybrid Cloud.
Flexibility in deployment options and optimized existing infrastructure investments.
Which cloud model offers the greatest flexibility?
Hybrid Cloud.
Which cloud model requires significant upfront capital expenditure?
Private Cloud.
Which cloud model is managed entirely by a third-party provider?
Public Cloud.
Which cloud model allows for legacy applications to run on dedicated infrastructure while utilizing cloud services?
Hybrid Cloud.
What is an Azure Data Center?
A physical facility hosting a group of networked servers with its own power, cooling, and networking infrastructure.
Define an Azure Region.
A geographical area containing one or more data centers connected with low-latency networks, serving as a location for deploying services.
What is an Availability Zone in Azure?
A grouping of physically separate facilities within a region, designed to protect applications from data center failures.
Explain an Azure Region Pair.
A pairing of two regions within the same geography, providing physical isolation and platform-provided replication for disaster recovery.
What are Azure Geographies?
Discrete markets containing two or more regions, ensuring data residency, sovereignty, resiliency, and compliance requirements are met.
List the four main Azure Geographies.
Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.
How do Availability Zones enhance fault tolerance?
By ensuring that if one zone goes down, others continue working, protecting applications from data center-level failures.
Why are Region Pairs important for disaster recovery?
They provide physical isolation and synchronized updates, ensuring data residency and planned maintenance across paired regions.
What is an Azure Resource?
An object used to manage services in Azure, representing the service lifecycle and saved as a JSON definition.
What is an Azure Resource Group?
A logical grouping of related resources, organized by factors like type, lifecycle, department, billing, or location.
What is Azure Resource Manager (ARM)?
The management layer for all resources and resource groups, providing a unified language to control access and resources.
Can a resource belong to multiple resource groups?
No, each resource must be in one, and only one, resource group.
Can resource groups be nested within other resource groups?
No, resource groups cannot be nested.
Is it possible to move resources between resource groups?
Yes, resources can be moved between resource groups.
Do resource groups have their own location assigned?
Yes, resource groups have their own location assigned, but resources within them can reside in different locations.
What should be considered when organizing resource groups?
Consider factors like billing, security and access management, and application lifecycle.
What is an Azure Virtual Machine?
An Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offering that provides total control over the operating system and software, suitable for custom software requiring specific system configurations.
