What is Cloud Computing?

Question 1

What pair of actions describes the fundamental communication exchange over the internet?

BONUS: What additional step is required for most real world exchanges?

Answer 1

Request and response

Note that in the real world the server typically validates the request before responding

Question 2

In the client-server model, the client is …

Answer 2

any internet connected device (or application) that requests data

Question 3

In the client-server model, the server is …

Answer 3

any internet connected device (or application) that provides data

Question 4

The internet consists of computers asking for and supplying data. This model is called …

Answer 4

the client - server model

Question 5

What is cloud computing?

Answer 5

Cloud computing is the on demand delivery of IT resources and services over the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing

Question 6

How does AWS define the undifferentiated heavy lifting of IT?

Answer 6

The undifferentiated heavy lifting of IT is the common, repetitive, and often time consuming IT tasks performed by all businesses which do not produce a competitive advantage

Question 7

In the client-server model, the computer requesting the cat videos is called?

Answer 7

the client

Question 8

In the client-server model, the computer that stores and supplies the cat video is called?

Answer 8

the server

Question 9

Servers can be physically located at the business or remotely located in the cloud or somewhere in between. The three possible deployment types are called?

Answer 9

1. On premises deployment
2. Hybrid deployment
3. Cloud deployment

Question 10

If all IT systems are maintained at the business or its private data center, the deployment is know as …

Answer 10

an on premises (or private cloud) deployment

Question 11

If the business maintains some servers physically located on premises and runs some IT infrastructure in the cloud, the deployment is know as …

Answer 11

a hybrid deployment

Question 12

If the business migrates all existing applications to the cloud and builds all new applications in the cloud, the deployment is know as …

Answer 12

a cloud based deployment

Question 13

Why might a business choose a hybrid deployment?

Answer 13

To maintain legacy systems or comply with government regulations about where data is stored

Question 14

The first benefit of cloud computing is…

Answer 14

Trade upfront expense for variable expense

Question 15

The second benefit of cloud computing is…

Answer 15

Stop spending money to run and maintain data centers

Question 16

The third benefit of cloud computing is…

Answer 16

Stop guessing at capacity

Question 17

The fourth benefit of cloud computing is…

Answer 17

Benefit from massive economies of scale

Question 18

The fifth benefit of cloud computing is…

Answer 18

Increase speed and agility

Question 19

The sixth benefits of cloud computing is…

Answer 19

Go global in minutes

Question 20

The six benefits of cloud computing are

Answer 20

1. Trade upfront expense for variable expense
2. Stop spending money to run and maintain data centers
3. Stop guessing at capacity
4. Benefit from massive economies of scale
5. Increase speed and agility
6. Go global in minutes

Question 21

How does cloud computing trade upfront or fixed expenses for variable expenses? Why is that important?

Answer 21

Data centers are expensive to build and operate. Furthermore, IT needs change over time. Cloud computing eliminates the need for companies to commit capital resources to build and operate its own data center. Instead the company only pays for the IT infrastructure and services that it needs today.

Question 22

How does cloud computing allow companies to stop spending money to run and maintain data centers? Why is that important?

Answer 22

The time and money needed to build a data center is not insignificant. Cloud computing allows companies to avoid the entire process of designing, building, and operating an on premises data center by providing IT infrastructure and service on demand.

Question 23

How does cloud computing allow companies to stop guessing at capacity? Why is that important?

Answer 23

Cloud computing allows companies to add or subtract IT resources in minutes without needing to predict demand and build the necessary capacity in advance.

Question 24

How does cloud computing allow companies to benefit from massive economies of scale?

Answer 24

Providers amortize costs across many, many users allowing lower per unit cost compared to individual companies managing their own dedicated infrastructure.

Question 25

How does cloud computing allow companies to innovate faster and with more agility?

Answer 25

Cloud computing allow businesses to add computing resources quickly with minimal upfront investment reducing the time required to run experiments and launch new projects.

Question 26

How does cloud computing allow a company to go global in minutes?

Answer 26

With cloud computing, you can deploy your application in multiple regions around the world with just a few clicks expanding your reach and reducing latency at the same time.

Question 27

A service that contains the basic building blocks for cloud IT – virtual machines and data storage, for example – is called?

Answer 27

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Question 28

A service that provides an environment for developers to build, deploy, and manage applications while removing the need to manage infrastructure directly is called?

Answer 28

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Question 29

A software product that is run and managed entirely by the service provider is called?

Answer 29

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Question 30

Why use Software as a Service (SaaS)

Answer 30

With SaaS, you don’t have to think about how the code is written or maintained.

Question 31

Why use Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Answer 31

PaaS removes the need for you to manage basic infrastructure such as hardware and operating systems and allows you to focus on the design, deployment, maintenance of your applications

Question 32

Why use Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Answer 32

IaaS gives you the highest level of flexibility and management control over your IT resources. It is most similar to the existing IT resources with which many IT departments and developers are familiar.

Question 33

What is the danger of predicting capacity in advance (on premises) vs scaling on demand (cloud computing)?

Answer 33

The need to predict capacity in advance risks both over provisioning which increases cost and wastes resources and under provisioning which results in dissatisfied customers during peak periods.