Cloud computing Quiz

What is cloud computing?

Delivery of computing services (servers, storage, databases, networking, software) over the Internet on-demand

What are the main benefits of cloud computing?

Cost savings (no hardware), scalability (grow/shrink easily), accessibility (access anywhere), disaster recovery, automatic updates

What is IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)?

Provider gives you virtual machines, storage, and networks. You manage everything else (OS, apps, data). Example: AWS EC2, Azure VMs

What is PaaS (Platform as a Service)?

Provider gives you platform to develop and run apps. You manage apps and data only. Example: Google App Engine, Azure App Service

What is SaaS (Software as a Service)?

Provider gives you complete applications. You just use them. Example: Gmail, Office 365, Salesforce, Dropbox

Which cloud model gives you the most control?

IaaS

Which cloud model gives you the least control?

SaaS

What does the provider manage in IaaS?

Physical servers, storage, networking hardware, virtualization layer

What does the provider manage in PaaS?

Everything IaaS provides PLUS operating system, middleware, runtime environment

What does the provider manage in SaaS?

Everything - infrastructure, platform, and application

What do you manage in IaaS?

Operating system, middleware, runtime, applications, data

What do you manage in PaaS?

Only applications and data

What do you manage in SaaS?

Nothing - just use the application with basic configuration

What is a public cloud?

Services offered to anyone over the Internet. Shared infrastructure. Examples: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud

What is a private cloud?

Cloud infrastructure dedicated to one organization. Can be on-premises or hosted. More control and security

What is a hybrid cloud?

Combination of public and private clouds. Data and apps can move between them

What is a community cloud?

Cloud shared by several organizations with common concerns (security, compliance). Example: government agencies sharing infrastructure

What are advantages of public cloud?

Low cost (no hardware), highly scalable, no maintenance, pay-as-you-go

What are disadvantages of public cloud?

Less control, security concerns (shared infrastructure), compliance issues, Internet dependency

What are advantages of private cloud?

More control, better security, easier compliance, customizable

What are disadvantages of private cloud?

Higher cost, you maintain hardware, limited scalability, need IT staff

What are advantages of hybrid cloud?

Flexibility, keep sensitive data private while using public cloud for other workloads, cost optimization

What is cloud bursting?

Using public cloud temporarily when private cloud reaches capacity (hybrid cloud feature)

What is multi-tenancy in cloud?

Multiple customers share same physical infrastructure but data is isolated

What is elasticity in cloud computing?

Ability to automatically scale resources up or down based on demand

What is rapid elasticity?

Cloud resources can be quickly and automatically scaled up or down based on demand in real-time (appears unlimited to users)

What is scalability in cloud computing?

Ability to handle increased workload by adding resources

What's the difference between scalability and elasticity?

Scalability = can grow when needed. Elasticity = automatically grows AND shrinks based on demand

What is vertical scaling (scaling up)?

Adding more power to existing server (more CPU, RAM). Has limits

What is horizontal scaling (scaling out)?

Adding more servers/instances. Better for cloud, nearly unlimited

What is a cloud service provider (CSP)?

Company that offers cloud computing services (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud)

What is SDN (Software-Defined Networking)?

Separates control plane (decision making) from data plane (forwarding). Central controller programs network devices for flexibility and automation

What are benefits of SDN?

Centralized management, programmable networks, automation, easier configuration changes, vendor-neutral control

What is NFV (Network Functions Virtualization)?

Replaces physical network devices (routers, firewalls, load balancers) with software running on virtual machines

What are benefits of NFV?

Lower hardware costs, faster deployment, easier scaling, flexibility to change network functions without new hardware

What is NaaS (Network as a Service)?

Cloud provider delivers network services (VPN, routing, firewall, load balancing) as a subscription

What networking services are included in NaaS?

Virtual networks, VPN, routing, firewall, load balancing, bandwidth on-demand, WAN optimization

What are advantages of NaaS?

No hardware to buy/maintain, pay-as-you-go, easy to scale, access latest technology, reduced complexity

What is VPC (Virtual Private Cloud)?

Isolated virtual network within public cloud. Your own private section of cloud provider's network

What is a VPC used for?

Isolate cloud resources, control IP addressing, configure routing, set up security, connect to on-premises network

What is a cloud subnet?

Subdivision of VPC IP address range. Can be public (Internet access) or private (internal only)

What is a cloud security group?

Virtual firewall that controls inbound/outbound traffic to cloud resources (instance level)

What is an NSG (Network Security Group)?

Azure term for virtual firewall controlling traffic to/from resources. Contains security rules

What is a Network Security List?

Oracle Cloud term for security rules controlling traffic (similar to security groups/NSGs)

What is a cloud network ACL?

Network Access Control List - firewall rules at subnet level (additional layer beyond security groups)

What's the difference between security groups and network ACLs?

Security groups = stateful, instance level. Network ACLs = stateless, subnet level

What is cloud load balancing?

Distributes incoming traffic across multiple cloud instances for reliability and performance

What is cloud auto-scaling?

Automatically adds or removes instances based on demand/policies

What is a cloud availability zone?

Isolated data center within a cloud region. Used for high availability and fault tolerance

What is a cloud region?

Geographic area containing multiple availability zones

Why use multiple availability zones?

High availability - if one zone fails, others keep running

What is cloud disaster recovery?

Using cloud for backup and recovery. Can restore quickly from another region/zone

What is cloud backup?

Storing copies of data in the cloud for protection and recovery

What is cloud replication?

Continuously copying data to another location (region/zone) for redundancy

What is RPO in cloud context?

Recovery Point Objective - how much data loss is acceptable (time between backups)

What is RTO in cloud context?

Recovery Time Objective - how quickly you must restore service after failure

What is cloud API?

Application Programming Interface - allows programs to interact with cloud services programmatically

What is cloud orchestration?

Automating the management, coordination, and deployment of cloud resources

What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?

Managing and provisioning cloud infrastructure through code/scripts instead of manual processes

What are examples of IaC tools?

Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, Azure Resource Manager, Ansible

What is a cloud snapshot?

Point-in-time copy of virtual machine or storage volume

What is cloud metering?

Tracking resource usage for billing purposes

What is cloud chargeback?

Allocating cloud costs back to specific departments/projects based on usage

What is the shared responsibility model?

Security responsibilities split between cloud provider and customer

What does the cloud provider secure in shared responsibility?

Physical infrastructure, network infrastructure, hypervisor, physical security

What does the customer secure in shared responsibility?

Data, applications, access management, OS (in IaaS), network configuration

Who is responsible for data security in all cloud models?

Customer (always responsible for their own data)

What is cloud encryption at rest?

Data is encrypted when stored in cloud

What is cloud encryption in transit?

Data is encrypted when moving between locations (TLS/SSL)

What is cloud identity and access management (IAM)?

Controls who can access what resources in the cloud

What is cloud MFA?

Multi-Factor Authentication for accessing cloud resources (more secure)

What is cloud single sign-on (SSO)?

One login gives access to multiple cloud services

What is cloud federation?

Linking identity management systems across organizations for access

What is a cloud VPN?

Encrypted connection from on-premises network to cloud VPC

What is a cloud gateway?

Virtual router that connects VPC to Internet or other networks

What is a cloud NAT gateway?

Allows resources in private subnet to access Internet without exposing them to incoming Internet traffic (outbound only)

How does a cloud NAT gateway work?

Translates private IPs to public IP for outbound traffic, blocks all inbound traffic from Internet

What is a cloud direct connection?

Dedicated private connection from your network to cloud (not over Internet). Examples: AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, Google Cloud Interconnect

What are advantages of direct connection vs VPN?

More reliable, consistent performance, higher bandwidth, more secure (private line)

What is AWS Direct Connect?

AWS service providing dedicated network connection from on-premises to AWS (not over Internet)

What is Azure ExpressRoute?

Azure service providing dedicated private connection from on-premises to Azure cloud

What is Google Cloud Interconnect?

Google Cloud service for dedicated private connection to Google Cloud

What is cloud CDN (Content Delivery Network)?

Network of servers that cache and deliver content from locations close to users (faster)

What is cloud edge computing?

Processing data closer to where it's generated (at the edge) instead of in central cloud

What is serverless computing?

Running code without managing servers. You just upload code, provider handles everything. Example: AWS Lambda, Azure Functions

What is a cloud container?

Lightweight package containing application and all its dependencies. Runs consistently anywhere

What is cloud container orchestration?

Automating deployment, scaling, and management of containers. Example: Kubernetes

What is cloud virtual desktop (VDI)?

Desktop environment hosted in cloud, accessible from any device

What is cloud monitoring?

Tracking performance, availability, and security of cloud resources

What is cloud logging?

Collecting and storing logs from cloud resources for analysis and troubleshooting

What are cloud performance metrics to monitor?

CPU usage, memory usage, disk I/O, network throughput, latency, error rates

What is cloud cost optimization?

Strategies to reduce cloud spending (right-sizing, reserved instances, auto-scaling, shutting down unused resources)

What is right-sizing in cloud?

Matching instance size to actual workload needs (not over-provisioning)

What are reserved instances?

Committing to use cloud resources for 1-3 years for discount (vs on-demand pricing)

What are spot instances?

Using unused cloud capacity at steep discount (can be terminated by provider)

What is cloud vendor lock-in?

Difficulty moving to another provider due to proprietary technologies

How do you avoid cloud vendor lock-in?

Use standard technologies, portable formats, multi-cloud strategy, containers

What is multi-cloud?

Using services from multiple cloud providers (AWS + Azure + Google Cloud)

What are advantages of multi-cloud?

Avoid vendor lock-in, use best services from each, geographic coverage, redundancy

What are disadvantages of multi-cloud?

More complex, harder to manage, need expertise in multiple platforms, potentially higher costs