CompTIA CLO-002 - CompTIA Cloud Essentials+

Auto-scaling is a feature that helps to adjust the capacity of a system automatically based on its current demand. The goal of auto-scaling is to maintain the performance of the system and to reduce costs by only using the resources that are actually needed1. If the cloud administrator configures auto-scaling for the application, the system can scale out (add more instances) during the peak hours of 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. every day, and scale in (remove instances) when the demand is low. This way, the application can handle the increased workload without degrading its performance, and the users can have a better experience. References: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ Certification Study Guide, Second Edition (Exam CLO-002), Chapter 2: Cloud Computing Concepts, pages 41-42.

A lift and shift migration approach, also known as rehosting, is a cloud migration strategy where applications and infrastructure are moved from one environment to another without making substantial changes to the underlying architecture123. This approach can be faster, cheaper, and less risky than other migration strategies, as it does not require extensive redesign or reconfiguration of the applications. However, it may also limit the ability to leverage the native features and benefits of the cloud platform, such as scalability, elasticity, and performance1245.

One of the challenges of a lift and shift migration is transferring large amounts of data and virtual machines over the network, which can be time-consuming, costly, and prone to errors. To overcome this challenge, some cloud providers offer a technique where the customer can transfer all of their on-premises data and virtual machines to an appliance, such as a physical storage device or a server, and then ship it to the cloud provider. The cloud provider then uploads the data and virtual machines to the cloud platform, where they can be accessed by the customer12. This technique can reduce the network bandwidth and latency issues, as well as the security risks, associated with transferring data over the internet. However, it may also introduce additional costs and delays for shipping and handling the appliance, as well as the risk of damage or loss during transit2.

Therefore, transferring all of a customer’s on-premises data and virtual machines to an appliance, and then shipping it to a cloud provider is a technique used in a lift and shift migration approach. References:

1: Lift and Shift: An Essential Guide | IBM

2: What Is Lift and Shift? | 5 Strategies to Consider | NetApp

3: What Is Lift and Shift Migration? | Pure Storage

4: Lift and Shift: Business Benefits, Planning and Execution - NetApp

5: Lift and Shift Cloud Migration: Benefits, Disadvantages and Use Cases …

A firewall is a network security device that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predefined security rules1. A firewall can block or allow connection requests to cloud resources based on the source, destination, port, protocol, or content of the packets2. A firewall can be deployed as a hardware appliance, a software application, or a cloud service3.

Capital expenditures are costs that a business incurs to acquire or improve long-term assets that will provide benefits beyond the current year. Capital expenditures are also known as PP&E, which stands for Property, Plant, and Equipment. Capital expenditures are usually one-time purchases of fixed assets that have a high initial cost and a long useful life. Capital expenditures are recorded as assets on the balance sheet and depreciated over time12

Data center wiring and server purchases are examples of capital expenditures, because they are part of the physical infrastructure that supports the IT operations of a business. Data centerwiring and server purchases have a high upfront cost and a long lifespan, and they provide benefits for several years. Data center wiring and server purchases are also recorded as assets on the balance sheet and depreciated over time34

Cloud consultant fees, data center electric bill, spot instances, and disposable virtual machines are not examples of capital expenditures, but rather operating expenses. Operating expenses are costs that a business incurs to run its day-to-day operations and generate revenue. Operating expenses are also known as OPEX, which stands for Operating Expenses. Operating expenses are usually recurring payments for variable or consumable resources that have a low cost and a short useful life. Operating expenses are recorded as expenses on the income statement and deducted from revenue to calculate profit12

Cloud consultant fees are operating expenses, because they are payments for professional services that help a business implement or optimize its cloud strategy. Cloud consultant fees are recurring payments that vary depending on the scope and duration of the project, and they do not result in the acquisition or improvement of any long-term assets. Cloud consultant fees are also recorded as expenses on the income statement and deducted from revenue to calculate profit5

Data center electric bill is an operating expense, because it is a payment for the utility service that powers the data center equipment. Data center electric bill is a recurring payment that varies depending on the consumption and the rate of electricity, and it does not result in the acquisition or improvement of any long-term assets. Data center electric bill is also recorded as an expense on the income statement and deducted from revenue to calculate profit.

Spot instances and disposable virtual machines are operating expenses, because they are payments for cloud computing resources that are available on-demand and for a short duration. Spot instances and disposable virtual machines are recurring payments that vary depending on the usage and the market price of the resources, and they do not result in the acquisition or improvement of any long-term assets. Spot instances and disposable virtual machines are also recorded as expenses on the income statement and deducted from revenue to calculate profit.

 The financial impact to the business is the amount of revenue lost due to the outage of the customer-facing e-commerce website. To calculate the financial impact, we can use the following formula:

Financial impact = Revenue loss per minute x Outage duration

Using this formula, we can find the financial impact as follows:

Financial impact = $25000 x 15 minutes = $375000

Therefore, the financial impact to the business is $375000, which is the product of the revenue loss per minute and the outage duration. Option C is the correct answer. Option A is incorrect because it is the product of the revenue loss per minute and the RTO, which is the maximum acceptable outage duration, not the actual outage duration. Option B is incorrect because it is the product of the revenue loss per minute and the time elapsed since the outage, not the outage duration. Option D is incorrect because it is the product of the revenue loss per minute and the sum of the RTO and the outage duration, which is not relevant to the financial impact calculation. References: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002 Study Guide, Chapter 6: Cloud Operations Principles, Section 6.2: Disaster Recovery Concepts, Page 179 and [How to Calculate the Cost of Downtime for Your Business | LogicMonitor]

The least costing server is the application server because it has the lowest used space and allocated space. The file server should have storage increased due to over 70% utilization because it has the highest used space and allocated space. To calculate the cost of each server, we can use the following formula:

Cost = ($1.50 x Used space) + ($0.75 x Allocated space)

Using this formula, we can find the cost of each server as follows:

Application server: Cost = ($1.50 x 186 GB) + ($0.75 x 250 GB) = $279 + $187.50 = $466.50

Mail server: Cost = ($1.50 x 250 GB) + ($0.75 x 300 GB) = $375 + $225 = $600

File server: Cost = ($1.50 x 450 GB) + ($0.75 x 500 GB) = $675 + $375 = $1050

The application server has the lowest cost of $466.50, while the file server has the highest cost of $1050. To find the utilization percentage of each server, we can use the following formula:

Utilization = (Used space / Allocated space) x 100%

Using this formula, we can find the utilization percentage of each server as follows:

Application server: Utilization = (186 GB / 250 GB) x 100% = 74.4%

Mail server: Utilization = (250 GB / 300 GB) x 100% = 83.3%

File server: Utilization = (450 GB / 500 GB) x 100% = 90%

The file server has the highest utilization percentage of 90%, which means that it is running out of storage space and may affect its performance and availability. The application server has the lowest utilization percentage of 74.4%, which means that it has some unused storage space andmay be overprovisioned. Therefore, the file server should have storage increased to reduce its utilization and improve its efficiency, while the application server is costing the firm the least and does not need any changes in its storage allocation. References: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002 Study Guide, Chapter 3: Cloud Business Principles, Section 3.4: Cloud Billing and Cost Management, Page 87 and [Cloud Storage Utilization and Optimization | CloudHealth by VMware]

A baseline is a snapshot of the current state of a system or an environment that serves as a reference point for future comparisons. A baseline can capture various aspects of a system, such as performance, cost, configuration, and resource utilization. By generating a baseline while the application is running on-premises, the company can better predict the cloud budget for the project by estimating the cloud resources and services that would match or exceed the baseline values. A baseline can also help the company to monitor and optimize the cloud deployment and identify any anomalies or deviations from the expected behavior. References: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002 Study Guide, Chapter 5: Cloud Migration, page 1971; Addressing Cloud Security with Infrastructure Baselines - Fugue2

 Disposable resources are cloud resources that are not needed for the long-term operation of an application or service, and can be easily created and deleted on-demand. Examples of disposable resources include temporary storage, spot instances, and disposable virtual machines. Disposable resources can help to reduce costs and improve flexibility, but they also incur charges when they are in use or attached to other resources. Therefore, when a company decommissioned its testing environment, it should detach and delete disposable resources first to avoid charges12

Emptying the logging directory is not the best option to avoid charges, because logging directory is a folder that stores the records of events and activities that occur in an application or service. Logging directory can help to monitor and troubleshoot the performance and issues of the application or service, but it does not directly affect the charges of the cloud resources. Emptyingthe logging directory may also result in the loss of valuable information and insights that can be used for future improvement or analysis.

Deleting infrastructure as code templates is not the best option to avoid charges, because infrastructure as code templates are files that define and configure the cloud resources using code or scripts. Infrastructure as code templates can help to automate and standardize the deployment and management of the cloud resources, but they do not directly affect the charges of the cloud resources. Deleting infrastructure as code templates may also make it harder to recreate or modify the cloud resources in the future.

Disabling alerts and alarms is not the best option to avoid charges, because alerts and alarms are notifications that are triggered by certain conditions or thresholds that are set for the cloud resources. Alerts and alarms can help to notify and respond to the changes or issues of the cloud resources, but they do not directly affect the charges of the cloud resources. Disabling alerts and alarms may also make it difficult to detect and resolve any problems or anomalies that may occur in the cloud resources.

Big Data is a term that refers to data sets that are too large, complex, or diverse to be processed by traditional methods1. Big Data is characterized by four V’s: volume, variety, velocity, andveracity2. Volume refers to the amount of data being generated and collected. Variety refers to the different types of data, such as structured, unstructured, or semi-structured. Velocity refers to the speed at which the data is created, processed, and analyzed. Veracity refers to the quality and reliability of the data.

The first step for the business analyst to select a cloud provider for the new cloud project is to gather business and technical requirements for key stakeholders. Business requirements are the needs and expectations of the business units and end users, such as the goals, benefits, and outcomes of the project. Technical requirements are the specifications and constraints of the cloud solution, such as the performance, availability, security, and scalability. Gathering business and technical requirements is essential to understand the scope, objectives, and criteria of the project, and to evaluate and compare different cloud providers based on their capabilities and offerings1.

Conducting a feasibility study of the environment is a possible next step after gathering the requirements, to assess the viability and suitability of the cloud project, and to identify the risks, costs, and benefits of moving to the cloud2. Conducting a benchmark of all major systems is another possible step after gathering the requirements, to measure the current performance andutilization of the existing systems, and to determine the optimal configuration and resources for the cloud solution3. Drawing a matrix diagram of the capabilities of the cloud providers is a possible step after gathering the requirements and conducting the feasibility study and the benchmark, to compare and contrast the features and services of different cloud providers, and to select the best fit for the project4.