CLO-002 Leak Questions

A communication policy is a set of guidelines that defines how an organization communicates with its internal and external stakeholders, such as employees, customers, partners, and regulators. A communication policy typically covers topics such as the purpose, scope, methods, frequency, tone, and responsibilities of communication within and outside the organization. A communication policy also establishes the standards and expectations for communication quality, accuracy, timeliness, and security. A communication policy is essential for ensuring effective, consistent, and transparent communication across the organization and with its stakeholders. A communication policy can help to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, and errors that may arise from poor or unclear communication. A communication policy can also help to enhance the reputation, trust, and credibility of the organization.

A communication policy provides the best guidance about notifying users when a database is taken offline for planned maintenance, because it specifies how, when, and to whom such notifications should be sent. A communication policy can help to ensure that users are informed in advance, in a clear and courteous manner, about the reason, duration, and impact of the maintenance, and that they are updated on the progress and completion of the maintenance. A communication policy can also help to address any questions, concerns, or feedback that users may have regarding the maintenance. A communication policy can thus help to minimize the disruption and inconvenience caused by the maintenance, and to maintain a positive relationship with the users.

A communication policy is different from the other policies listed in the question, which are not directly related to notifying users about planned maintenance. An access control policy defines the rules and procedures for granting or denying access to information systems and resources based on the identity, role, and privileges of the users. An information security policy outlines the principles and practices for protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information assets and systems from unauthorized or malicious use, disclosure, modification, or destruction. A risk management policy describes the process and criteria for identifying, assessing, prioritizing, mitigating, and monitoring the risks that may affect the organization’s objectives, operations, and performance. While these policies are important for ensuring the security and reliability of the database and the organization, they do not provide specific guidance about communicating with users about planned maintenance.

References: Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002 Study Guide, Chapter 4: Cloud Service Management, Section 4.2: Explain aspects of change management within a cloud environment, p. 115. What is Cloud Communications? Your Getting Started Guide, Cloud Communications – Defined. Cloud Computing Policy and Guidelines, 1. Introduction. Define corporate policy for cloud governance, Cloud-based IT policies. DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES NO. 306 1 April 2021, 5. Function of cloud security policy and standards, Policy should always address.

Elasticity and pay-as-you-go are two main advantages of using ML/AI for data analytics in the cloud as opposed to on premises. Elasticity refers to the ability of cloud computing to dynamically adjust the amount of resources allocated to a workload according to the changing demand7. This allows ML/AI applications to access a large pool of compute resources when needed, such as GPUs or TPUs, without having to purchase or maintain them on premises8. Pay-as-you-go is a pricing model in which customers pay only for the resources they consume, such as compute, storage, network, or software services9. This allows ML/AI applications to save money by avoiding upfront costs or overprovisioning of resources on premises10.

References:

• What is Cloud Elasticity in Cloud Computing?, The Iron.io Blog
• Machine Learning in the Cloud: Complete Guide [2023], Run.AI
• Consumption and fixed cost models, Microsoft Azure Well-Architected Framework
• CompTIA Cloud Essentials CLO-002 Certification Study Guide, Chapter 2: Business Principles of Cloud Environments, page 51

The capital expenditure (CapEx) model is a financial model where an organization pays for the acquisition of physical assets upfront and then deducts that expense from its tax bill over time1. The CapEx model is typically used for on-premises infrastructure, where the organization has to purchase, install, and maintain servers, software licenses, and other hardware components. The CapEx model requires a large initial investment, but it also provides more control and ownership over the assets2.

The cloud, on the other hand, usually follows the operational expenditure (OpEx) model, where an organization pays for the consumption of cloud services on a regular basis, such as monthly or hourly. The OpEx model is also known as the pay-as-you-go model, and it allows the organization to scale up or down the cloud resources as needed, without having to incur any upfront costs or long-term commitments2. The OpEx model provides more flexibility and agility, but it also introduces more variability and uncertainty in the cloud expenditures3.

However, some cloud providers offer reservation models, where an organization can reserve cloud resources in advance for a fixed period of time, such as one or three years, and receive a discounted price compared to the pay-as-you-go rate. Reservation models can help an organization plan for cloud expenditures in a way that most closely aligns with the CapEx model, as they involve paying a lump sum upfront and then amortizing that cost over the reservation term4. Reservation models can also provide more predictability and stability in the cloud costs, as well as guarantee the availability and performance of the reserved resources5.

One example of a reservation model is the Amazon EC2 Reserved Instances (RI), which allow an organization to reserve EC2 instances for one or three years and save up to 75% compared to the on-demand price. Another example is the Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances (RIs), which allow an organization to reserve VMs for one or three years and save up to 72% compared to the pay-as-you-go price. Reservation models are also available for other cloud services, such as databases, containers, storage, and networking.

Therefore, using reserved cloud instances is the best strategy to plan for cloud expenditures in a way that most closely aligns with the CapEx model, as it involves paying a fixed amount upfront and receiving a discounted price for the reserved resources over a specified term. References: 1: https://www.browserstack.com/guide/capex-vs-opex  2: https://www.comptia.org/training/books/cloud-essentials-clo-002-study-guide, Chapter 6, page 215-216  3: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-adoption-framework/strategy/financial-considerations/  4: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/latest/cost-optimization-reservation-models/welcome.html  5: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/well-architected/cost/design-price : https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/pricing/reserved-instances/ : https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/reserved-vm-instances/ : https://www.comptia.org/training/books/cloud-essentials-clo-002-study-guide, Chapter 5, page 179-180

Resource tagging is the best option for a client’s finance department to identify the cost of cloud use in a public cloud environment shared by different projects and departments. Resource tagging is a feature that allows users to assign metadata to their cloud resources. These tags, which consist of a key and a value, make it easier to manage, search for, and filter resources1. Resource tagging can help to manage costs effectively, especially in large-scale cloud environments, by enabling the following capabilities2:

• Cost allocation: Resource tagging can help to allocate costs to different projects, departments, or business units based on the tags that are associated with each resource. For example, a tag can indicate the owner, purpose, or environment of a resource, such as ProjectA, Marketing, or Dev. By using these tags, the finance department can generate reports that show the breakdown of cloud spending by different categories and attributes.
• Cost optimization: Resource tagging can help to optimize costs by identifying unused, underutilized, or overprovisioned resources based on the tags that are associated with each resource. For example, a tag can indicate the status, expiration date, or performance of a resource, such as Active, 2023-12-31, or High. By using these tags, the finance department can monitor and analyze the usage and efficiency of cloud resources and make recommendations for cost savings or improvements.
• Cost governance: Resource tagging can help to enforce cost governance policies and best practices by applying tags that are consistent, standardized, and mandatory across all cloud resources. For example, a tag can indicate the compliance, security, or quality of a resource, such as PCI-DSS, Confidential, or Approved. By using these tags, the finance department can audit and verify that the cloud resources are following the rules and regulations that are set by the organization or external authorities.

The other options are not as suitable as resource tagging for the client’s finance department to identify the cost of cloud use because:

• Reserved instances: Reserved instances are a pricing model that allows users to reserve cloud resources for a fixed period of time and pay a lower rate than on-demand resources. Reserved instances can help to reduce costs by offering discounts for predictable and steady usage patterns, but they do not provide a way to track and allocate costs across different projects and departments3.
• Service level agreement: A service level agreement (SLA) is a contract that defines the level of service and performance that a cloud service provider (CSP) guarantees to its customers. An SLA can help to ensure the reliability, availability, and quality of cloud services, but it does not provide a way to measure and report costs for different projects and departments.
• RFI from the CSP: An RFI (request for information) is a document that solicits information from a CSP about its products, services, and capabilities. An RFI can help to evaluate and compare different CSPs based on various criteria, such as features, benefits, and pricing, but it does not provide a way to monitor and manage costs for existing cloud resources that are used by different projects and departments.

References:

• 2: Define your tagging strategy - Cloud Adoption Framework
• 3: What are Reserved Instances? - Amazon Web Services
• 1: What is Tagging in cloud computing?
• : What is a service-level agreement (SLA)? - IBM Cloud
• : What is an RFI? - TechTarget