Cloud fundamentals

Question 1

What is cloud computing?

Answer 1

Using remote servers on the internet to manage and process data.
Or…
The network of data centers that store and compute information available
through the Internet. It includes the complex web of software, computers, networks and security systems involved

Question 2

What is a dedicated server?

Answer 2

Using a physical machine dedicated to a single business. Cons: expensive, high maintenance. Pros: full control over your server, can have high security.

Question 3

What is a virtual private server?

Answer 3

Physical machine dedicated to a single business that is virtualized into sub-machines. Pros: full control over your server, can have high security.

Question 4

What is shared hosting?

Answer 4

One physical machine shared by different users. Pros: cheap. Cons: Limited capacity.

Question 5

What is cloud host?

Answer 5

Multiple virtual machines that act as one system. The system is abstracted into multiple cloud services.

Question 6

What is a cloud service provider?

Answer 6

A company that provides multiple cloud services that can be chained together to create cloud architectures.

Question 7

What are the benefits of cloud computing?

Answer 7

• Cost-effective: no up-front cost, pay for what you use.
• Global: Launch workloads from anywhere in the world.
• Secure: Secure by default. Granular control over access.
• Reliable: Data backup, disaster recovery
• Scalable: Can increase or decrease on demand
• Elastic: can automate scaling.

Question 8

What are the 4 main categories of IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) as provided by cloud service providers?

Answer 8

• Compute: virtual computer that can run application, programs and code.
• Storage: virtual hard-drive to store files.
• Networking: virtual network to define internet connections or isolations.
• Databases: virtual databases.

Question 9

What are the types of cloud computing?

Answer 9

• SaaS: Sofware as a Service. For customers (ex.: Office 365, gmail).
• PaaS: Platform as a Service. For developers to manage deployment (ex: Google App engine).
• IaaS: Infrastructure as a Service. For admins. Provides access to cloud IT (ex.: AWS, Azure, GCP).

Question 10

What is the google shared responsibility model?

Answer 10

If you can configure it, it is your responsibility.
In SaaS customers have less responsibility. In IaaS, users have more responsibility

Question 11

What are the main customer responsibilities in cloud computing?

Answer 11

• Configuration of manage services or third party software such as platforms, apps and IAMs.
• Configuration of virtual Infrastructure: OS, Network, Firewall.
• Configuration of security for data: client data encryption, server encryption, networking traffic, customer data.

Question 12

What are the cloud computing deployment models?

Answer 12

• Public cloud: cloud native, everything built on the cloud provider.
• Private cloud: on premisse, everything built on the companies dedicated severs. Virtual private servers (VMs and granular IAMS).
• Hybrid: Use both public and private, connecting via VPN
• Cross-cloud: multiple cloud providers.

Question 13

Which companies are most likely to use private cloud?

Answer 13

Heavy regulated companies with sensitive information, such as public sector, hospital, insurance companies.

Question 14

Which companies are most likely to use hybrid clould deployment model?

Answer 14

Companies with legacy systems, such as banks, large professional services providers.

Question 15

Which companies are most likely to use public cloud?

Answer 15

New projects and companies such as start ups and SaaS.

Question 16

What is TCO?

Answer 16

The total cost of ownership. Can be divided into Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operational Expenditure (OPEX).

Question 17

What is Capex?

Answer 17

Capital Expenditure. Spending money upfront in physical infrastructure. On premises systems have high Capex costs. Cloud IT minimizes Capex

Question 18

What are the main components of Capex in IT infrastructure?

Answer 18

• Servers (computers).
• Storage (hard drives).
• Network (routers, cables).
• Back up.
• Datacenter.
• Technical personal.

Question 19

What is Opex?

Answer 19

Operational Expenditure. Non physical costs. Both cloud and on prem have Opex, but cloud IT shifts from Capex to Opex, allowing to try products or services without investing in equipment.

Question 20

What are the main components of Opex in IT infrastructure

Answer 20

• Leasing software.
• Training.
• Cloud support.
• Comput usage in the cloud.
• Storage usage in the cloud.

Question 21

What is cloud technology/computing?

Answer 21

The technology and processes needed to store, manage, and
access data that is transferred over the Cloud (as opposed to data that remains on your computer’s hard drive).

Question 22

What is digital transformation?

Answer 22

When an organization takes advantage of new technologies to redesign
and redefine relationships with their customers, employees, and partners.

Question 23

What is data?

Answer 23

Any information that is useful to an organization. Can be numbers on a spreadsheet, text in
an email, audio or video recordings, images, or even ideas in employees’ heads. Includes internal and
external information.

Question 24

What is the google cloud geographic scope

Answer 24

Google resources are contained in in google’s data centers around the globe. Each data center location is a region and each region is a collection of zones.
_______________________________
| Region |
| Static External IP Addresses |
||—————————————||
|| Zone a | Zone b ||
|| ————– |_____________||
||VMs | Zone C ||
||Disks |_____________||
|——————————————-|

Global resources include preconfigured disk images, disk snapshots, and networks. Some resources can be accessed only by resources that are located in the same region. These regional resources include static external IP addresses. Other resources can be accessed only by resources that are located in the same zone. These zonal resources include VM instances, their types, and disks.

Question 25

Compare containers and virtual machines

Answer 25

Both: provide isolated environment for running software services
VMs: virtualize at the hardware level,
Containers: virtualize at the OS level, more lightweight, share the OS kernel and use less memory.