7 - Cloud Computing

Question 1

Cloud Computing

Answer 1

Cloud computing is a model that enables ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources that can rapidly be provisioned at any time and from any location via the
Internet or a network.

Question 2

Characteristics of Cloud Computing

Answer 2

1. Service based IT resources
2. On-demand Self service
3. Ubiquitous Access
4. Multitenancy
5. Location Independence
6. Rapid Elasticity
7. Pay-per-use Billing

Question 3

1. Service based IT resources

Answer 3

All cloud offerings can be expressed as a service (Service Level Agreement defines the functions it offers and commits to upholding certain quality parameters)

Question 4

2. On-demand Self service

Answer 4

enables cloud customers to independently and almost immediately provision computing capabilities (e.g. server tim, network storage)

Question 5

3. Ubiquitous Access

Answer 5

Cloud customers can access any cloud service from any platform or device at any time

Question 6

4. Multitenancy

Answer 6

ability to have multiple customers leverage shared resources

Question 7

5. Location Independence

Answer 7

customer generally has no control over or knowledge of where the provided resources are actually located

Question 8

6. Rapid Elasticity

Answer 8

cloud resources can be adapted (in some cases fully automatically), in order to match the resources to the current needs

Question 9

7. Pay-per-use Billing

Answer 9

allowing cloud customers to use only what they need for the time they need it

Question 10

Cloud Computing Service models

Answer 10

1. Software as a service
2. Platform as a service
3. Infrastructure as a service

Question 11

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

Answer 11

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a cloud computing offering in which a vendor provides users access to computing resources such as servers, storage and networking

Question 12

Key features of IaaS

Answer 12

• Instead of purchasing hardware outright, users pay for IaaS on demand
• Infrastructure is scalable depending on processing and storage needs
• Saves enterprises the costs of buying and maintaining their own hardware
• Enables the virtualization of administrative tasks, freeing up time for other work

Question 13

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Answer 13

Platform as a service (PaaS) is a cloud computing offering
that provides users with a cloud environment in which they can develop, manage and deliver applications.
In addition to storage and other computing resources,
users are able to use a suite of prebuilt tools to develop,
customize and test their own applications.

Question 14

Key features of PaaS

Answer 14

• PaaS provides a platform with tools to test, develop
  and host applications in the same environment
• Enables organizations to focus on development without having to worry about underlying infrastructure
• Providers manage security, operating systems, server software and backups
• Facilitates collaborative work even if teams work remotely

Question 15

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Answer 15

Software as a service (SaaS) is a cloud computing offering that provides users with access to a vendor’s cloud based software

• Users do not install applications on their local devices. Instead, the applications reside on a remote cloud network accessed through the web or an API
• Through the application, users can store and analyze data and collaborate on projects

Question 16

Key features of SaaS

Answer 16

• SaaS provide users with software and applications via a subscription model
• Users do not have to manage, install or upgrade software; SaaS providers manage this
• Data is secure in the cloud; equipment failure does not result in loss of data
• Applications are accessible from almost any internet
  connected device, from virtually anywhere in
  the world

Question 17

Cloud Deployment models

Answer 17

1. Private Cloud Models
2. Public Cloud Models
3. Community Cloud Models
4. Hybrid Cloud Models
5. Virtual Private Cloud Models
6. Multi-Cloud Models

Question 18

1. Private Cloud Models

Answer 18

• used only by a single person or organization and its members
• generally serves internal company purposes
• customers have full control over who, how, and when a cloud service can be used

Question 19

2. Public Cloud Models

Answer 19

• generally provides a selection of services simultaneously for all users (e.g., business processes)
• customer can neither technically, nor contractually, influence which other parties use the cloud service
• customers share the underlying infrastructure

Question 20

3. Community Cloud Models

Answer 20

• used exclusively by a group of people or organizations who have similar demands (same mission, security requirements, policy, or compliance considerations)

Question 21

4. Hybrid Cloud Models

Answer 21

• combination of two, or more, of the above-mentioned models

- create a solution that best meets the concrete requirements of each company

Question 22

5. Virtual Private Cloud Models

Answer 22

• cloud provider supplies the underlying infrastructure exclusively to a single organization
• Access to the cloud service realized by using a Virtual Private Network

Question 23

6. Multi-Cloud Models

Answer 23

• cloud services of different cloud providers are aggregated and combined
• certain cloud service components are specifically used by another cloud provider

Question 24

Reasons to move into the Cloud

Answer 24

1. Low entry barriers
2. Pay-as-you-go
3. Access to Leading Edge IT Resources, Skills, and Capabilities
4. Quality Improvements
5. Cost Savings
6. Focus on Core Capabilities
7. Greater Flexibility and Elasticity
8. Reduced Time to Market
9. Lower IT Barriers to Innovation

Question 25

1. Low entry barriers

Answer 25

* customers sharing a significant amount of infrastructure which reduces costs per customer * allows for economies of scale from both a service management and computing resource perspective * enables small and medium-sized organizations to enter new markets quickly * opportunity for emerging countries to ‘leapfrog’ to advanced technology

Question 26

2. Pay-as-you-go

Answer 26

* no large upfront investments | * Customers can optimize the use of IT resources by transferring fixed costs to variable cost

Question 27

3. Access to Leading Edge IT Resources, Skills, and Capabilities

Answer 27

• important driver of outsourcing decisions • providers benefit from economies of scale (multi-tenant platform architecture, virtualizing) and learning curve effects • customers benefit from economies of skill (leveraging skills, resources, and capabilities of the providers)

Question 28

4. Quality Improvements

Answer 28

* cloud services are assumed to provide better reliability and availability due to a robust architecture * faster response time to end-users, or higher-quality user interfaces and features

Question 29

5. Cost Savings

Answer 29

``` • cloud providers can provide IT functions, such as managed application services, at lower costs than customers can (see Low Entry Barriers) ```

Question 30

6. Focus on Core Capabilities

Answer 30

• free up resources (can be used more productively in areas that create value)

Question 31

7. Greater Flexibility and Elasticity

Answer 31

* easily scalable and on-demand provision of IT resources | * easier for organizations to respond to business-level volatility

Question 32

8. Reduced Time to Market

Answer 32

• almost immediate access to hardware resources, with no upfront capital

Question 33

9. Lower IT Barriers to Innovation

Answer 33

* makes possible new classes of applications, and delivers services that were not possible * interactive mobile applications that are location, environment, and context-aware, Parallel batch processing, that allows users to take advantage of huge volumes of processing power to analyze terabytes of data; Extensions of compute-intensive desktop applications that can offload the data

Question 34

Risks and Challenges

Answer 34

1. Loss of Control 2. Vendor Lock-In 3. Location Intransparency

Question 35

1. Loss of Control

Answer 35

- Cloud customers lose the administrative power, as well as operational and security control over the cloud system - Hidden actions of the provider might never be detected because the customer cannot continuously monitor providers' actions

Question 36

2. Vendor Lock-In

Answer 36

- Customers are confronted with uncertainty about whether they can leave the cloud service without incurring social or economic losses - In their current form load computing infrastructures and platforms do not employ standard methods of storing user data and applications and thus data portability is limited

Question 37

3. Location intransparency

Answer 37

- Different countries and regions have different requirements regarding how its citizens’ information should be handled - The customer doesn’t know where all the cloud provider’s assets reside - It is difficult to determine with which legislation the customer has to comply

Question 38

Hot topics in Cloud Computing

Answer 38

1. Cloud Gaming 2. AI as a Service 3. GAIA-X

Question 39

1. Cloud Gaming

Answer 39

Cloud gaming refers to a new way to deliver computer games to users, where computationally complex games are executed on powerful cloud servers, the rendered game scenes are streamed over the Internet to gamers with thin clients on heterogeneous devices, and the control events from their devices are sent back to cloud servers for interactions

Question 40

Types of Cloud Gaming

Answer 40

1. file based: only a small fragment of the required data is transferred to the users’ devices before they start the game. 2. command based: the computer game is executed locally but the game’s logic processing is outsourced on cloud servers. 3. video based gaming: entire outsourcing of all relevant gaming components, including the game logic and graphic processing

Question 41

AI as a Service (AIaaS)

Answer 41

AIaaS refers to cloud based systems providing on demand services to organizations and individuals to deploy, develop, train, and manage AI models

Question 42

AIaaS Benefits

Answer 42

``` - optimizing users’ core business with the support of cloud based AI services - achieving short time to market - no need to rely on AI engineers - achieving higher performance and resilience ```

Question 43

AIaaS Challenges

Answer 43

- trade off between user control and ease of use - technical robustness and interoperability of services - data governance and protection mechanisms - trade off between accuracy and fairness vs. generalizability

Question 44

Trouble with using regular AI

Answer 44

One major challenge for organizations is the complex and demanding process of adopting and integrating AI, which is rather considered “a journey and not a destination” - Scarcity of AI experts - Challenge to collect and process data appropriately - Lack of organizations’ abilities and budgets to set up and maintain the extensive IT resources - Limited knowledge on how to deploy and configure the AI based systems

Question 45

GAIA-X: A federated Data infrastructure for Europe

Answer 45

- Developing the foundations for a federated, open data infrastructure based on European values - Connecting centralized and decentralized infrastructures in order to turn them into a homogeneous, user friendly system - The resulting federated form of data infrastructure strengthens the ability to both access and share data securely and confidently