- LPU MCA Semester 1
- CAP470
- Unit 1
CAP470 · Unit 1: Introduction to cloud computing
Issues, advantages, disadvantages and applications of cloud computing
10 practice questions · in the MTE and ETE syllabus
Key points
- Pay-as-you-go and scalability are the main advantages
- Connectivity dependence and reduced control are drawbacks
- Vendor lock-in makes switching providers hard
- Compliance and data residency affect where data may be stored
Advantages: no large upfront hardware cost (capital expense becomes operating expense), pay-as-you-go billing, rapid scalability, global access, automatic updates and built-in backup and disaster-recovery options.
Disadvantages: dependence on a reliable internet connection, reduced control over the underlying infrastructure, possible downtime, and ongoing costs that can grow.
Issues: security and privacy of data held by a third party, compliance and data residency (laws about where data may be stored), vendor lock-in (proprietary services and formats make switching costly), interoperability, latency and loss of visibility.
Applications: web hosting with variable traffic, online storage and backup, software development and testing, big data analytics, email and collaboration, streaming and gaming.
Reduce lock-in with open standards, containers and multi-cloud designs; reduce outage risk by spreading workloads across regions.
Exam trap: low upfront cost is an advantage, but total cost can rise with heavy sustained use.
Try two questions
A company keeps all its workloads with a single cloud provider and cannot easily move them. Which risk is this and what reduces it?
- Data residency, reduced by buying more local hard disks
- Over-provisioning, reduced by removing all of the monitoring tools
- Vendor lock-in, reduced by open standards and portability
- Latency, reduced by using a slower network connection
Show the answer
C. Using open standards, containers and multi-cloud designs makes later migration easier.
Why not A: This is a lock-in problem, not a residency problem.
Why not B: Over-provisioning is a cost matter unrelated to portability.
Why not D: Latency is a speed matter unrelated to portability.
Which situation shows the trade-off between cloud convenience and control?
- A customer chooses the colour of their own laptop computer at home
- A customer edits a document they stored locally
- A customer pays a fixed salary to their own staff
- A customer cannot change the provider's hardware or upkeep
Show the answer
D. Cloud users give up control of the underlying infrastructure in exchange for convenience.
Why not A: Choosing a laptop colour is unrelated to cloud control.
Why not B: Local editing does not involve the provider.
Why not C: Salaries do not illustrate the control trade-off.