Understanding The Cloud Lesson 1

Objectives Objective Domain Matrix Technology Skill Objective Domain Description Objective Domain Number Understanding Cloud Principles and Delivery Mechanism Describe cloud principles and delivery mechanisms 1.1 Understanding Cloud Security Requirements and Policies Describe cloud security requirements and policies 1.2 Understanding How a Cloud Service Stays Up to Date and Available Describe how a cloud service stays up to date and available 1.3 Understanding the Different Types of Cloud Services Describe the different types of cloud services 1.4

Understanding Cloud Principles and Delivery Mechanisms The cloud is a network of servers, and each server in the network has a different function. Some servers run applications or deliver a service. By using the cloud, you don’t have to have the individual application or services running on the user’s computers.

Differentiating Between Various Funding Models Cloud computing is intended to save costs because of the pay-as-you-go model and because of the economies of scale. The subscription or pay-as-you-go model is a computing billing method that is aimed at organizations and end-users.

Using Cloud Services to Expand Capacity, Scalability, Redundancy, and Availability The advantage of cloud services is that they provide a dynamic infrastructure that allows you to change the services provided based on the changing levels of demand. When planning capacity, you must consider memory, CPU (speed and number of core), disks (speed and capacity), and databases (response times and capacity).

Using Cloud Services to Expand Capacity, Scalability, Redundancy, and Availability Scalability is the ability of a computer application or product to continue to function as the application or product changes in size or volume in order to meet user need. Elasticity is the degree in which a system can adapt to workload changes by provisioning or deprovisioning resources automatically.

Differentiating Between Cloud Services and On-Premises Services On-premises services allow you to configure the following so that you adapt to the needs of an organization: Software Resources Topology Access

Understanding Cloud Security Requirements and Policies When you select a cloud deployment model, you will select a public cloud, a private cloud, a hosted private cloud, or a hybrid cloud. When you select one of these methods, you will base your decision on cost, control, and scalability. Microsoft defines a public cloud as a web-based service that is hosted outside of your organization.

Understanding Cloud Security Requirements and Policies A private cloud is contained within the corporate network and is controlled by the corporate IT department. A hosted private cloud is provided by a third-party company but is accessible only by users within a specific organization. A hybrid cloud is a cloud-computing environment in which the organization provides and manages some of the resources in-house and a third party provides the hosted servers for the organization externally.

Understanding Cloud Security Requirements and Policies A private cloud is contained within the corporate network and is controlled by the corporate IT department. A hosted private cloud is provided by a third-party company but is accessible only by users within a specific organization. A hybrid cloud is a cloud-computing environment in which the organization provides and manages some of the resources in-house and a third party provides the hosted servers for the organization externally.

Understanding How Cloud Services Manage Privacy When you depend on online service providers, you are relying on online service providers to keep your data safe from loss and theft as well as misuse from the third parties, other customers, employees of the hosting company, and even users within your own organization.

Understanding How Compliance Goals Are Met Many organizations have regulations and policies that they must comply with to operate businesses in various industries. Policies can be quite complex based on the industry, the geographical location of the organization, as well as company-based policies. legal and regulatory bodies might change the responsibilities of both the cloud computing tenants and providers.

Understanding How Data is Secured At Rest Or On-the-Wire When running services and storing data on the cloud, follow the standard best practices for security as you would on any on-premise network. Always use strong passwords and ensure passwords are changed regularly. Always set rights and permissions for only what is needed and they should be reviewed on a regular basis. Consider using encryption. Perform auditing and monitoring.

Understanding How Data and Operations Transparency Requirements Are Met Ensure transparency from your cloud provider regarding security and compliance measures that the provider useS to protect your sensitive information and intellectual property. Transparency deals with honesty, openness, and accountability. You must know how individual virtual machines are segregated from other tenant virtual machines. You must know how the data is protected and how networks are secured.

Understanding How a Cloud Service Stays Up to Date and Available Server and services hosted on the cloud have a lot in common. Keep the system up-to-date so that security patches and other critical updates are applied, keeping the system secure and running smoothly. From time to time, upgrade or improve the server or service that is running. Because updates or improvements can create downtime, develop a plan to accommodate these updates and improvements and minimize downtime.

Understanding the Service/Feature Improvement Process As with services and applications that run on on-premise networks and servers, there will come a time that the infrastructure, server, or application on the cloud will have to be upgraded or a feature will have to be added. If a service or feature is being upgraded by the host provider, you need to understand how the SLA addresses those improvements.

Monitoring Service Health, Service Maintenance, & Future Roadmap Publishing You need to determine the health of the services or servers located on the cloud. Some cloud providers will have a web-based console that will allow you to review the status of the server or service that is hosted on the cloud. However, since the customer is responsible for the service or service, you should also use other monitoring tools, such as System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager and System Center Global Service Monitor.

Monitoring Service Health, Service Maintenance, & Future Roadmap Publishing System Center 2012 R2/2016 Operations Manager is the part of the System Center suite that is the primary tool for monitoring an enterprise environment. System Center Global Service Monitor is a cloud service that extends the capabilities of System Center by monitoring external web-based applications from multiple locations around the world.

Understanding Guarantees, SLAs, and Capping of Liability of the Cloud Service Provider An unforeseen problem or disaster can cause the service to be unavailable. Before you start using the cloud, thoroughly review the agreement between your organization and the cloud provider. Cloud computing agreements are non-negotiable forms executed by the customer and the cloud provider.

Understanding Guarantees, SLAs, and Capping of Liability of the Cloud Service Provider When reviewing the agreement, assess the following: How does the cloud provider determine whether service levels are being achieved? Who is responsible for measurement? What exceptions apply to service-level performance? When the SLA is not met, what is the remedy for the deficiencies? What happens when maintenance (both scheduled and emergency) is performed?

Understanding Guarantees, SLAs, and Capping of Liability of the Cloud Service Provider What happens when a third party targets your organization or the infrastructure that your organization is running on, which results in downtime? What happens when third-party system failures or services are not under the vendor’s control? What happens when the service is brought down by acts of ware or natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, storms, tornadoes, or hurricanes?

Understanding the Different Types of Cloud Services When defining the cloud, you need to think of cloud computing as a service-oriented model instead of a server-oriented model. The cloud can provide three primary service models: Software as a Service (SaaS) Platform as a Service (PaaS) Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Differentiating Between the Types of Cloud Services and Their Characteristics Software as a Service (SaaS) is the most basic form of cloud computing. It provides software and associated data (such as databases or user documents) that is hosted on the cloud. Platform as a Service (PaaS) goes one step further than SaaS. Instead of providing the applications, it provides the computing platform (such as networks, servers, and storage) on which the organization can host its own applications.

Differentiating Between the Types of Cloud Services and Their Characteristics The Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model provides the hardware for servers, storage, and networking—usually in the form of a standardized virtual server environment—and provides a foundation for PaaS and SaaS.

Integrating the Cloud with On-Premises Services in Hybrid Scenarios A hybrid cloud consists of a private cloud and a public cloud bound together. With the hybrid cloud, you can connect collocations such as an organization data center (private cloud) with a public cloud or by combining two public clouds. Adopting the hybrid cloud requires consideration of a number of factors, such as data security and compliance requirements, level of control needed over data, and the application an organization uses.

Summary The cloud is a network of services, and each server has different function. The cloud is a network of servers, and each server in the network has a different function. Some servers run applications or deliver a service. The advantage of cloud services is that they provide a dynamic infrastructure that allows you to change the services provided based on the changing levels of demand.

Summary When you select a cloud deployment model, you will select a public cloud, a private cloud, a hosted private cloud, or a hybrid cloud (which is based on whether you want the cloud to be shared or dedicated or if you want it to be hosted internally or externally). Transparency deals with honesty, openness, and accountability. You must know how individual virtual machines are segregated from other tenant virtual machines.

Summary In addition, you must know how the data is protected and how networks are secured. When defining the cloud, you need to think of cloud computing as a service-oriented model instead of a server-oriented mode. The cloud can provide three primary service models: Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).