ICT - Information Communication Technology Cloud Computing and Virtualization Questions and Answers

Question 1

A company wants to migrate its application development and testing environment to the cloud. They need a service model that provides the operating system, databases, and development tools, allowing their developers to focus solely on writing and deploying applications without managing the underlying hardware. Which cloud service model BEST fits this requirement?

Accepted Answer

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Answer

Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides a complete development and deployment environment in the cloud. It includes the infrastructure (servers, storage, and networking) plus middleware, development tools, business intelligence services, database management systems, and more. This allows developers to focus on the application lifecycle without worrying about managing the underlying infrastructure. IaaS only provides the raw infrastructure, SaaS delivers complete software applications over the internet, and FaaS is a more granular model for running individual functions.

Question 2

A technician needs to set up a virtualized environment for a corporate data center that will host critical production servers. The primary requirements are maximum performance, high security, and direct access to hardware resources for the virtual machines. Which type of hypervisor should be used?

Accepted Answer

Type 1 (Bare-metal)

Answer

A Type 1 hypervisor, also known as a bare-metal hypervisor, runs directly on the host's physical hardware without a host operating system. This direct access to hardware resources results in better performance, scalability, and security, making it the ideal choice for enterprise data centers and production environments. A Type 2 hypervisor runs as an application on top of a host OS, introducing latency and a larger attack surface, making it more suitable for development and testing.

Question 3

Which of the following is an essential characteristic of cloud computing, as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), that allows a consumer to provision computing capabilities automatically without requiring human interaction with the service provider?

Accepted Answer

On-demand self-service

Answer

According to the NIST definition of cloud computing, 'On-demand self-service' is one of the five essential characteristics. It means that a consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with each service's provider. The other options are also NIST characteristics, but they refer to different aspects: resource pooling (sharing resources among multiple consumers), measured service (metering usage), and broad network access (availability over the network).

Question 4

A financial services company needs to maintain strict control over its sensitive customer data for regulatory compliance. However, they also want to leverage the scalability of a public cloud for their non-sensitive, customer-facing web application, especially during peak trading hours. Which cloud deployment model would be most appropriate for this scenario?

Accepted Answer

Hybrid Cloud

Answer

A Hybrid Cloud model combines a private cloud (or on-premises infrastructure) with a public cloud, allowing data and applications to be shared between them. This approach enables the company to keep sensitive data in a secure private cloud while taking advantage of the public cloud's scalability and cost-effectiveness for less sensitive applications. This strategy, sometimes involving 'cloud bursting,' is ideal for managing fluctuating workloads while maintaining compliance.

Question 5

What is a primary advantage of server virtualization that directly enhances business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities?

Accepted Answer

Encapsulation of workloads into hardware-independent files.

Answer

Server virtualization encapsulates an entire server, including its OS, applications, and data, into a set of files (a virtual machine image). These files are independent of the physical hardware, allowing them to be easily backed up, replicated, and restored to any other compatible physical server. This significantly simplifies and speeds up disaster recovery, as a failed virtual server can be brought back online quickly on different hardware, enhancing business continuity. While cost savings, increased productivity, and test environments are also benefits, encapsulation is the core feature that directly improves disaster recovery.

ICT - Information Communication Technology Practice Test

ICT - Information Communication Technology Practice Test

ICT - Information Communication Technology Cloud Computing and Virtualization Questions and Answers