Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals Exam (AZ-900)
What is Serverless Computing? Serverless computing lets you run application code(e.g. functions) without
creating, configuring, or maintaining a server. When compared to VMs and
Containers, it is the lightest and fastest deployment method.
Rob is new to cloud computing and is confused by the Vertical scaling: aka "scaling up", is the process of adding resources to increase
terms: "Vertical Scaling" and "Horizontal" scaling. Give the power of an existing server. Some examples of vertical scaling are: adding
him a brief rundown on the differences between the more CPUs, or adding more memory.
two!
Horizontal scaling: aka "scaling out", is the process of adding more servers that
function together as one unit. For example, you have more than one server
processing incoming requests
Define: Scalability as it relates to cloud computing You can increase or decrease the resources and services used based upon the
needs of your organization.
Define: Elasticity as it relates to cloud computing As your workload changes due to a spike or drop in demand, a cloud
computing system can compensate by automatically adding or removing
resources. (e.g. a web-site during Black Friday Sale)
Define: redundancy as it relates to cloud computing If one component fails, another is available to take its place and its workload.
Define: fault-tolerance as it relates to cloud computing Customers and end-users are not impacted when a disaster occurs.
Misha the cloud computing class nerd wants to engage Economies of scale is the ability to do things more efficiently or at a lower-
you in a discussion on Economies of Scale. Start the cost per unit when operating at a larger scale. In other words, more money is
conversation off with an adequate definition and an saved, when production rates are higher. Users also pay less for power
example. consumption, cooling and network connectivity than they would with on-
premises infrastructure.
Compare / Contrast CapEx(Capital Expenditure) vs. •Capital Expenditure: the spending of money on physical infrastructure up
OpEx(Operational Expenditure) front, and then deducting that expense from your tax bill over time. CapEx is an
upfront cost, which has a value that reduces over time.
•Operational Expenditure: spending money on services or products now and
being billed for them now. You can deduct this expense from your tax bill in the
same year. There's no upfront cost. You pay for a service or product as you use
it.
What is the primary benefit of CapEx? Fixed Costs and a predictable expense for your budget! Companies on a tight
budget will lean here.
What is the primary benefit of OpEx? Grows if demand is increased and shrinks accordingly. For new companies /
startups this will make lots of sense.
, Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals Exam (AZ-900)
What is Cloud agility? Cloud agility is the ability to rapidly change an IT infrastructure to adapt to the
evolving needs of the business. For e.g. if your service peaks one month, you
can scale to demand and pay a larger bill for the month. If the following month
the demand drops, you can reduce the used resources and be charged less.
This agility lets you manage your costs dynamically, optimizing spending as
requirements change.
Describe the Public Cloud Microsoft Azure is a public cloud provider. There is no local hardware to
manage or keep up-to-date - everything runs on your cloud provider's
hardware. In some cases, you can save additional costs by sharing computing
resources with other cloud users.
Give one example of where you would use a public Deploy a website or blog. The web-server is handled by the cloud provider.
cloud solution You only worry about managing the site itself.
Give three disadvantages to using a public cloud •Security Requirements
model. •Government Policies
•Business requirements for a legacy software / application.
Describe the Private Cloud In a private cloud, you create a cloud environment in your own datacenter and
provide self-service access to compute resources to users in your organization
(You take the place of Microsoft Azure).
Give one example of where you would use a private An organization has data that cannot be put in the public cloud, perhaps for
cloud solution legal reasons. An e.g. may be where government policy requires specific data
to be kept in-country or privately.
Give three disadvantages to using a private cloud •Initial CapEx costs and must purchase the hardware for startup and
model. maintenance
•Owning the equipment limits agility - to scale you must buy, install, and setup
new hardware
•Private clouds require IT skills and expertise.
Describe the Hybrid Cloud Combine public and private cloud(on premises data-center). Simple as that.
What can be a primary disadvantage of the Hybrid Humongous expenses. Running both cloud + on premises is typically very
Cloud? costly! (It might be necessary in a scenario with legacy Line-of-Business
software)
Describe Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) You have complete control over the hardware that runs your application
(Servers and virtual machines (VMs), storage, networks, and OSes). Instead of
buying hardware, with IaaS, you rent it. It's an instant computing infrastructure,
provisioned and managed over the internet.
Describe Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) Primarily used to build, test and deploy applications, and you can perform all
of these actions without managing the underlying infrastructure.
What is Serverless Computing? Serverless computing lets you run application code(e.g. functions) without
creating, configuring, or maintaining a server. When compared to VMs and
Containers, it is the lightest and fastest deployment method.
Rob is new to cloud computing and is confused by the Vertical scaling: aka "scaling up", is the process of adding resources to increase
terms: "Vertical Scaling" and "Horizontal" scaling. Give the power of an existing server. Some examples of vertical scaling are: adding
him a brief rundown on the differences between the more CPUs, or adding more memory.
two!
Horizontal scaling: aka "scaling out", is the process of adding more servers that
function together as one unit. For example, you have more than one server
processing incoming requests
Define: Scalability as it relates to cloud computing You can increase or decrease the resources and services used based upon the
needs of your organization.
Define: Elasticity as it relates to cloud computing As your workload changes due to a spike or drop in demand, a cloud
computing system can compensate by automatically adding or removing
resources. (e.g. a web-site during Black Friday Sale)
Define: redundancy as it relates to cloud computing If one component fails, another is available to take its place and its workload.
Define: fault-tolerance as it relates to cloud computing Customers and end-users are not impacted when a disaster occurs.
Misha the cloud computing class nerd wants to engage Economies of scale is the ability to do things more efficiently or at a lower-
you in a discussion on Economies of Scale. Start the cost per unit when operating at a larger scale. In other words, more money is
conversation off with an adequate definition and an saved, when production rates are higher. Users also pay less for power
example. consumption, cooling and network connectivity than they would with on-
premises infrastructure.
Compare / Contrast CapEx(Capital Expenditure) vs. •Capital Expenditure: the spending of money on physical infrastructure up
OpEx(Operational Expenditure) front, and then deducting that expense from your tax bill over time. CapEx is an
upfront cost, which has a value that reduces over time.
•Operational Expenditure: spending money on services or products now and
being billed for them now. You can deduct this expense from your tax bill in the
same year. There's no upfront cost. You pay for a service or product as you use
it.
What is the primary benefit of CapEx? Fixed Costs and a predictable expense for your budget! Companies on a tight
budget will lean here.
What is the primary benefit of OpEx? Grows if demand is increased and shrinks accordingly. For new companies /
startups this will make lots of sense.
, Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals Exam (AZ-900)
What is Cloud agility? Cloud agility is the ability to rapidly change an IT infrastructure to adapt to the
evolving needs of the business. For e.g. if your service peaks one month, you
can scale to demand and pay a larger bill for the month. If the following month
the demand drops, you can reduce the used resources and be charged less.
This agility lets you manage your costs dynamically, optimizing spending as
requirements change.
Describe the Public Cloud Microsoft Azure is a public cloud provider. There is no local hardware to
manage or keep up-to-date - everything runs on your cloud provider's
hardware. In some cases, you can save additional costs by sharing computing
resources with other cloud users.
Give one example of where you would use a public Deploy a website or blog. The web-server is handled by the cloud provider.
cloud solution You only worry about managing the site itself.
Give three disadvantages to using a public cloud •Security Requirements
model. •Government Policies
•Business requirements for a legacy software / application.
Describe the Private Cloud In a private cloud, you create a cloud environment in your own datacenter and
provide self-service access to compute resources to users in your organization
(You take the place of Microsoft Azure).
Give one example of where you would use a private An organization has data that cannot be put in the public cloud, perhaps for
cloud solution legal reasons. An e.g. may be where government policy requires specific data
to be kept in-country or privately.
Give three disadvantages to using a private cloud •Initial CapEx costs and must purchase the hardware for startup and
model. maintenance
•Owning the equipment limits agility - to scale you must buy, install, and setup
new hardware
•Private clouds require IT skills and expertise.
Describe the Hybrid Cloud Combine public and private cloud(on premises data-center). Simple as that.
What can be a primary disadvantage of the Hybrid Humongous expenses. Running both cloud + on premises is typically very
Cloud? costly! (It might be necessary in a scenario with legacy Line-of-Business
software)
Describe Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) You have complete control over the hardware that runs your application
(Servers and virtual machines (VMs), storage, networks, and OSes). Instead of
buying hardware, with IaaS, you rent it. It's an instant computing infrastructure,
provisioned and managed over the internet.
Describe Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) Primarily used to build, test and deploy applications, and you can perform all
of these actions without managing the underlying infrastructure.
