Cloud Computing Important Questions - Answers

1. Explain the concept of privacy and privacy impact assessment in cloud security.

Privacy in cloud security refers to protecting user data stored, processed, or transmitted via cloud

services.

It addresses data access, control, ownership, and compliance with privacy laws like GDPR and

HIPAA. Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is a process for

identifying, analyzing, and mitigating privacy risks in cloud systems. It involves understanding

data flow, assessing risks, and implementing

security measures to safeguard personal data.

2. Describe the architecture of Windows Azure.

The architecture of Windows Azure consists of several layers including the Fabric Controller,

Orchestration Layer, Virtualization Layer,

Azure Resource Manager (ARM), Data Centers, and Networking. It supports IaaS, PaaS, and

SaaS, allowing for global redundancy, auto-scaling, and high availability.

Azure also provides services for computing, storage, networking, and AI capabilities.

3. What are AWS? What types of services does it provide?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud platform offering Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS),

Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).

It provides over 200 services categorized into compute (EC2, Lambda), storage (S3, EBS),

databases (RDS, DynamoDB), networking (VPC, Route 53), and machine learning (SageMaker,

Rekognition).

4. Explain the role of cloud computing in social networking.

Cloud computing enables social networks to handle large-scale data, support real-time interactions,

and provide high availability.

personalized recommendations.

Cloud providers offer auto-scaling, storage, and AI/ML services that make social networking

platforms scalable, efficient, and secure.

5. Explain the role of cloud computing in media.

Cloud computing enables media companies to store, manage, and distribute large amounts of

video, audio, and image files.

It allows for live streaming, video-on-demand (VoD) services, content delivery via CDNs, and

media transcoding for compatibility across devices.

Media companies benefit from cost savings, scalability, and faster global content delivery.

6. Explain the advantages of cloud computing in CRM and ERP.

Cloud computing improves Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource

Planning (ERP) by providing on-demand access to applications,

real-time data, and collaboration tools. Cloud CRM and ERP reduce IT costs, enable remote

access, provide data analytics, and support integration with third-party tools.

7. Explain the role of cloud computing in healthcare analysis.

Cloud computing in healthcare supports data storage, patient record management, and predictive

analytics.

It enables the processing of large healthcare datasets for research, supports telemedicine, and

provides data security and compliance with regulations like HIPAA.

8. Briefly discuss VMM and VM-based threats.

A Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) or hypervisor manages virtual machines on a physical host.

VM-based threats include VM escape (where a malicious VM interacts with the host),

hyperjacking (taking control of the hypervisor), and inter-VM attacks (where one VM attacks
another).

9. With a neat diagram, explain virtual machine security.

Virtual machine security involves protecting the hypervisor, guest OS, and applications.

Key measures include isolating VMs, using encryption, managing patches, and implementing

access control.

A diagram would typically show a physical host, hypervisor, multiple VMs, and the associated

security layers protecting them.

10. Briefly discuss the different classes of cloud security risks.

Cloud security risks include data breaches, insider threats, data loss, misconfigurations, and

insecure APIs.

Other risks involve account hijacking, insufficient identity management, and lack of regulatory

compliance.

Mitigation involves strong encryption, access controls, and security audits.

11. Explain the concept of privacy and privacy impact assessment in cloud security.

Privacy in cloud security ensures data protection and compliance with privacy laws. Privacy Impact

Assessment (PIA) identifies risks in data handling,

proposes mitigation strategies, and ensures privacy compliance. It involves mapping data

flows, assessing risks, and recommending security controls.

12. With a neat diagram, give the architecture of Google App Engine.

Google App Engine (GAE) architecture includes Load Balancers, Front-end Servers, Application

Servers, Datastore, and Blobstore.

It offers a PaaS environment where developers deploy apps that automatically scale based on

demand, with load balancing and caching at the front end.

13. Explain the role of cloud computing in biology.

bioinformatics, and drug discovery.

Cloud platforms offer on-demand compute power and storage, allowing researchers to process

large datasets for gene sequencing, disease prediction, and personalized medicine.

14. Explain the role of cloud computing in geoscience.

Cloud computing facilitates geoscience research by enabling the analysis of satellite images,

seismic data, and geospatial data.

It supports remote sensing, environmental modeling, and disaster prediction. Cloud platforms

offer storage, data processing, and AI tools to analyze geoscience datasets.