1.12: Assessments

Learning Objectives

• Define cloud computing and explain how it transforms IT from a capital investment into an on-demand, pay-as-you-go utility service.
• Identify and explain the key business drivers for cloud adoption, including cost efficiency, scalability/elasticity, business agility, improved collaboration, operational efficiency, and reliability/security.
• Distinguish between the three core cloud service models — IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS — describing what each provides, the level of customer vs. provider responsibility, and when each is most appropriate.
• Describe the broader "Everything-as-a-Service" (XaaS) ecosystem, including emerging models like FaaS (serverless), CaaS, and DBaaS, and explain how organizations compose solutions from multiple service types.
• Explain the shared responsibility model for cloud security, describing how security duties are divided between the cloud provider and the customer across different service models.
• Describe the foundations of cloud governance, security, and compliance, including the role of policies, identity and access management, encryption, and regulatory frameworks (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS).
• Analyze real-world case studies — such as Netflix, Zoom, Amazon, and Google — to illustrate how cloud computing enables scalability, resilience, innovation, and new business models.
• Evaluate the strategic business impact of cloud computing, explaining how it can drive revenue growth, enable global reach, support business continuity, and shift organizational focus from infrastructure management to core competencies.