CompTIA CLO-002 - CompTIA Cloud Essentials+

A company that would like to improve its current disaster recovery (DR) plan with an emphasis on high availability should focus on the metrics of recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO). RTO is the maximum duration of time that a system or service can be unavailable after a disaster or disruption before the business suffers unacceptable consequences. RPO is the maximum amount of data loss that a system or service can tolerate in a disaster or disruption before the business suffers unacceptable consequences. Both RTO and RPO measure the impact of downtime on the business and help determine the appropriate recovery strategies and solutions. High availability requires low RTO and RPO values, which means that the system or service should be restored quickly and with minimal data loss in case of a disaster or disruption. References: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002 Study Guide, Chapter 6: Cloud Operations Principles, Section 6.2: Disaster Recovery Concepts, Page 1791 and Service Availability: Calculations and Metrics, Five 9s, and Best Practices – BMC Software | Blogs

Shared responsibility is the cloud principle that states that the security and compliance of the cloud service are shared between the cloud service provider and the cloud customer. The cloud service provider is responsible for securing the cloud infrastructure, such as the hardware, software, networking, and facilities, while the cloud customer is responsible for securing the cloud data, applications, and access, such as the encryption, backup, authentication, and authorization. By following the shared responsibility principle, the cloud customer can manage the risk of a network breach by implementing appropriate security measures and controls on their end, such as firewalls, antivirus, VPNs, and IAM. The cloud customer can also leverage the security features and services offered by the cloud service provider, such as encryption,monitoring, auditing, and incident response. References: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002 Certification Study Guide, Chapter 5: Managing Cloud Security, Section 5.1: Understanding Cloud Security Concepts, Page 1611

 Lift and shift is a cloud migration method that involves moving an application or workload from one environment to another without making any significant changes to its architecture, configuration, or code. Lift and shift is also known as rehosting or forklifting. Lift and shift is best suited for disaster recovery scenarios because it allows for a fast and simple migration of applications or workloads to the cloud in case of a disaster or disruption in the original environment. Lift and shift can also reduce the risk of errors or compatibility issues during the migration process, as the application or workload remains unchanged. Lift and shift can also leverage the cloud’s scalability, availability, and security features to improve the performance and resilience of the application or workload. However, lift and shift may not take full advantage of the cloud’s native capabilities and services, and may incur higher operational costs due to the maintenance of the legacy infrastructure and software. Therefore, lift and shift may not be the best option for long-term or strategic cloud migration, but rather for short-term or tactical cloud migration for disaster recovery purposes. Replatforming, phased, and rip and replace are not the best cloud migration methods for disaster recovery scenarios, as they involve more changes and complexity to the application or workload, which may increase the migration time and risk. Replatforming is a cloud migration method that involves making some modifications to the application or workload to optimize it for the cloud environment, such as changing the operating system, database, or middleware. Replatforming is also known as replatforming or refactoring. Replatforming can improve the performance and efficiency of the application or workload in the cloud, but it may also introduce some challenges and costs, such as testing, debugging, and licensing. Phased is a cloud migration method that involves moving an application or workload to the cloud in stages or increments, rather than all at once. Phased is also known as iterative or hybrid. Phased can reduce the impact and risk of the migration process, as it allows for testing, feedback, and adjustment along the way. However, phased can also prolong the migration time and effort, as it requires more coordination and integration between the source and target environments. Rip and replace is a cloud migration method that involves discarding the existing application or workload and building a new one from scratch in the cloud, using cloud-native technologies and services. Rip and replace is also known as rebuild or cloud-native. Rip and replace can maximize the benefits and potential of the cloud, but it may also entail the highest cost and complexity, as it requires a complete redesign and redevelopment of the application orworkload. References: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002 Study Guide, Chapter 7: Cloud Migration, Section 7.2: Cloud Migration Methods, Page 2111 and Cloud Migration Strategies: A Guide to Moving Your Infrastructure | Rackspace Technology

A gap analysis is a process of comparing the current state and the desired state of a system or a process and identifying the gaps or differences between them. A gap analysis can help an organization to determine the steps and resources needed to achieve its goals and objectives. A gap analysis can be used for cloud migration to assess the readiness and suitability of the existing services and applications for the cloud, and to identify the gaps in terms of performance, security, functionality, compatibility, and cost. A gap analysis can also help to prioritize the migration tasks and to estimate the time and effort required for the migration1.

The other options are not appropriate for the recommendation:

Feasibility study: This is a process of evaluating the viability and benefits of a proposed project or solution. A feasibility study can help an organization to determine whether a project is worth pursuing, and to identify the potential risks and challenges involved. A feasibility study can be used for cloud migration to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of moving to the cloud, and to compare different cloud service models and providers. A feasibility study can also help to define the scope and objectives of the migration project2. However, a feasibility study is not sufficientto inform the CIO of the additional resources necessary for the migration, as it does not provide a detailed analysis of the gaps and requirements of the existing services and applications.

Future requirements: These are the needs and expectations of the organization and its stakeholders for the future state of the system or the process. Future requirements can help an organization to plan and design the system or the process to meet the changing demands and opportunities. Future requirements can be used for cloud migration to envision the desired outcomes and benefits of moving to the cloud, and to align the migration strategy with the business strategy and goals3. However, future requirements are not specific enough to inform the CIO of the additional resources necessary for the migration, as they do not provide a detailed analysis of the gaps and requirements of the existing services and applications.

Baseline report: This is a document that records the current state and performance of the system or the process, and serves as a reference point for measuring the progress and improvement. A baseline report can help an organization to monitor and evaluate the system or the process, and to identify the areas of strength and weakness. A baseline report can be used for cloud migration to measure the performance and functionality of the existing services and applications, and to compare them with the cloud-based services and applications4. However, a baseline report is not comprehensive enough to inform the CIO of the additional resources necessary for the migration, as it does not provide a detailed analysis of the gaps and requirements of the existing services and applications.

Availability is one of the security objectives that refers to the ability of authorized users to access and use the system and its resources when needed1. Availability is most improved when moving a system to the cloud, as cloud computing offers several benefits that enhance the reliability and accessibility of the system, such as23:

Scalability: Cloud computing allows the system to dynamically adjust the amount of resources allocated to meet the changing demand, without affecting the performance or availability of the system.

Redundancy: Cloud computing provides multiple copies of the system and its data across different locations and servers, ensuring that the system can continue to operate even if one or more components fail.

Backup and recovery: Cloud computing enables the system to regularly backup the data and configuration to the cloud, and restore them quickly in case of a disaster or a failure.

Maintenance and updates: Cloud computing allows the system to receive timely and automatic updates and patches from the cloud provider, without disrupting the availability of the system or requiring downtime.

Service level agreements: Cloud computing offers service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee a certain level of availability and uptime for the system, and provide compensation or remediation in case of a breach. References: 1: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ Certification StudyGuide, Second Edition (Exam CLO-002), Chapter 4: Cloud Security, Section 4.1: Cloud Security Concepts, Subsection 4.1.1: Security Objectives; 2: IBM, What is Cloud Security? Cloud Security Defined; 3: Spiceworks, What Is Cloud Computing Security? Definition, Risks, and Security Best Practices

According to the CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002 Study Guide, there are four common risk response types: avoid, share or transfer, mitigate, and accept1. These are the appropriate responses to risks, depending on the risk type, assessment, and attitude. The other options are incorrect because they include terms that are not valid risk responses. For example, migrate is not a risk response, but a cloud deployment strategy. Validate is not a risk response, but a quality assurance technique. References: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002 Study Guide, Chapter 4: Cloud Security, Section 4.2: Cloud Security Concepts, Page 153.

Secure Shell (SSH) is a protocol that allows secure and encrypted communication between a client and a server over a network. SSH can be used to log in to a remote Linux server that is hosted in a public cloud, as well as to execute commands, transfer files, or tunnel other protocols. SSH uses public-key cryptography to authenticate the client and the server, and to encrypt the data exchanged between them. SSH is widely supported by most Linux distributions and cloud providers, and it can be accessed by various tools, such as PuTTY, OpenSSH, or WinSCP. SSH is more secure and reliable than other protocols, such as RDP, VNC, or Telnet, which may not support encryption, authentication, or compression. References: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ Certification Exam Objectives1, CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ Study Guide, Chapter 6: Cloud Connectivity and Load Balancing2, How To Use The Remote Desktop Protocol To Connect To A Linux Server2

 Transference is the best description of how a cloud provider helps a company with security risk responses. Transference means shifting the responsibility or liability for the risk to another party, such as an insurance company or a cloud service provider (CSP). By using a CSP, the company can transfer some of the security risks to the provider, who has more expertise and resources to manage them. However, the company still retains the ownership and accountability for the data and applications hosted in the cloud, and must ensure that the CSP meets the agreed-upon service level agreements (SLAs) and security standards. The company cannot transfer all the security risks to the CSP, as some risks are inherent to the cloud environment, such as data breaches, misconfigurations, or compliance violations12.

Change management is the process of controlling the lifecycle of all changes to IT services, enabling beneficial changes to be made with minimum disruption and risk1. Change management involves documenting, assessing, approving, implementing, and reviewing changes to IT resources, such as hardware, software, configuration, or capacity2. Change managementaims to ensure that changes are aligned with the business objectives, requirements, and expectations, and that they are delivered in a timely, efficient, and effective manner3.

A procedure for upgrading an existing IT resource within the cloud is an example of change management, as it describes the steps and actions needed to make a change to the cloud service. A procedure for upgrading an IT resource should include the following elements4:

The reason and objective for the upgrade

The scope and impact of the upgrade

The roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders involved in the upgrade

The prerequisites and dependencies for the upgrade

The schedule and timeline for the upgrade

The risks and mitigation strategies for the upgrade

The testing and validation methods for the upgrade

The communication and notification plan for the upgrade

The rollback and recovery plan for the upgrade

The evaluation and feedback mechanism for the upgrade

A security procedure is a set of rules and guidelines that define how to protect IT resources from unauthorized access, use, modification, or destruction5. A security procedure is not the same as a procedure for upgrading an IT resource, as it focuses on the security aspects of the IT service, rather than the change aspects.

An incident management is the process of restoring normal service operation as quickly as possible after an unplanned disruption or degradation. An incident management is not the same as a procedure for upgrading an IT resource, as it focuses on the incident aspects of the IT service, rather than the change aspects.

A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a document that provides detailed instructions on how to perform a routine or repetitive task or activity. A standard operating procedure is not the same as a procedure for upgrading an IT resource, as it focuses on the operational aspects of the IT service, rather than the change aspects. References: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002 Study Guide, Chapter 6: Cloud Service Management, pages 229-230.