Implications of choosing cloud technologies Exam Questions

Award one mark for each correct factor, up to a maximum of two marks from:

• Frequency of backups/how often data is backed up
• Location of backups/off-site backups
• Time taken to restore data/recovery time
• How much data could be lost/acceptable amount of data loss
• Testing the disaster recovery plan/how often it is tested
• Who is responsible for restoring data (the provider or the organisation)
• How data will be accessed during downtime/failover arrangements
• What data will be backed up

Do not accept: security measures such as antivirus software or a firewall; cost of the cloud service

Accept any other appropriate response.

Award one mark for each correct data security consideration, up to a maximum of two marks from:

• Location of the data/country where the data is stored
• Encryption of the data (at rest or in transit)
• Access controls/user permissions
• Multi-factor/two-factor authentication
• Firewalls/intrusion detection
• Physical security of the provider's data centres
• Security testing/audits carried out by the provider

Allow: encryption at rest or in transit counts as one consideration, not two

Do not accept cost or storage space – these are not data security considerations

Accept any other appropriate response.

Award one mark for a correct reason and one mark for a justification for that reason, up to a maximum of two marks.

• The service works on all the devices staff use/Windows, Mac and Android (1) so every member of staff can open the files on whatever device they have (1)
• The service supports the file formats clients use (1) so the agency can share files with clients without converting them (1)
• The service works in the web browsers staff use (1) so staff can use the same features whichever browser they are on (1)
• Files keep their layout/formatting when opened on different devices (1) so documents look the same to staff and clients (1)

Allow mix and match if it makes sense

Accept any other appropriate wording/phrasing

Award one mark for a correct issue and one mark for a justification for that issue, up to a maximum of two marks.

• The cleaners cannot open the app to see which offices they must clean (1) so some customers' offices may not be cleaned that day (1)
• The cleaners cannot record that a job is finished (1) so the customer cannot be invoiced/charged for the work (1)
• The office staff cannot send the cleaners an updated rota (1) so a cleaner may be sent to the wrong site (1)
• The company cannot answer customers' questions about their bookings (1) so customers may complain/go to another company (1)
• New jobs cannot be added to the system (1) so last-minute bookings may be missed (1)

Do not accept: answers about why downtime happens or how it is avoided or fixed (e.g. the provider carries out the updates), as the question is about the effect of downtime on the company

Allow mix and match if it makes sense

Accept any other appropriate wording/phrasing

Award one mark for a correct issue, one mark for a justification for that issue, and one mark for an expansion of the justification, up to a maximum of three marks.

• Downtime/system unavailable/outages when updates/upgrades/patches are carried out (1) because the park has no control over when the provider/cloud company does this (1) which could be at a busy time when customers are trying to book (1)
• The park's staff may not have the expertise/knowledge to fix problems (1) as the system is maintained by the provider/cloud company (1) so faults take longer to be resolved (1)
• Updates/upgrades/patches can change how the system works (1) so staff need to be trained on the new version (1) which takes time away from dealing with customers (1)

Do not allow mix and match

Do not accept: answers about the security of the customer data, as these are not maintenance issues

Accept any other appropriate wording/phrasing

Award one mark for a correct benefit, one mark for a justification for that benefit, and one mark for an expansion of the justification, up to a maximum of three marks.

• No hardware (computers/servers) needs to be bought and installed (1) because the service is hosted online by the provider (1) so the system will be ready before the new contract starts (1)
• The company can start using the system quicker/sooner (1) as the provider carries out the set-up (1) which means orders for the new contract are not delayed (1)
• There is no need to install software on every computer (1) because staff access the service through a web browser (1) so all staff are using it within a few days (1)
• There is less disruption to the business (1) because the changeover is over quickly (1) so the company does not have to turn work away while it waits (1)
• Staff can be using the system sooner (1) as there is less for the company to set up itself (1) so fewer mistakes are made when the new contract begins (1)

Do not allow mix and match

Do not accept: answers about the cost of the service (e.g. cheaper monthly payments/saving money) as these are not about getting the service up and running quickly

Accept any other appropriate wording/phrasing

A description of how cloud storage allows a quick set-up. To include three from

• No need to buy/install their own servers/hardware
• No need to install cabling/network equipment in the new building
• The provider sets up the service/servers (so the nursery does not have to)
• The service is ready to use as soon as an account is created/is paid for
• Staff can log in/access the storage straight away from their existing devices (using an internet connection, not Wi-Fi)

Do not accept: answers about cost/saving money, as these do not explain a quick set-up

Accept any other appropriate response

A description of how communication technologies affect cloud performance. To include three from

• A slow connection/low bandwidth (1) makes the cloud software lag/buffer (1) so staff wait longer to see the changes they have made to the film (1)
• An unreliable connection that keeps dropping out (1) interrupts an upload/download (1) so the film file has to be transferred again (1)
• Using mobile data instead of broadband (1) can be slower/uses up a data allowance (1) so it is unsuitable for transferring large film files (1)
• Sharing a home connection with other devices (1) reduces the bandwidth available (1) so the software responds more slowly (1)

Do not allow mix and match, as the points are linked.

Do not accept: answers about the specification/power of the staff's laptops, as these are not communication technologies.

Accept any other appropriate wording/phrasing.

A description of what the venue should consider in its disaster recovery policy. To include three from

• The data is backed up regularly/automatically
• Backups are kept off-site/in a different location
• The procedure for restoring the data/how the data will be recovered
• What the service provider will do if the data is lost/its disaster recovery policy
• Who is responsible for recovering the data/the roles of staff

Accept any other appropriate wording/phrasing

Award one mark for each correct performance consideration and one mark for a justification of each consideration, up to a maximum of four marks.

• Responsiveness to the user (1) because customers may leave the online shop if pages take too long to load / slow responses lose sales (1)
• Complexity of the task (1) as processing many orders at busy times / large product images can slow the service down (1)
• The available devices (1) because customers use phones and tablets so the shop must work well on these / older devices may struggle to load the shop (1)
• The communication technologies (1) because the workshop's broadband speed affects how quickly staff can upload products / use the service (1)
• The number of users at busy times (1) which can slow response times when many customers shop at once (1)

Do not accept answers about cost or security, as these are not performance considerations.

Allow mix and match if the response makes sense.

Accept any other appropriate wording/phrasing.

Award one mark for each correct reason and one mark for a justification of each reason, up to a maximum of four marks.

• The task is complex (1) as it needs more processing power from the cloud server (1)
• The file/data being used is large (1) as it takes longer to upload/download (1)
• The device used is less powerful/has a low specification (1) as it cannot run the software/process the data as quickly (1)
• The internet/broadband connection is slow (1) so data takes longer to travel between the device and the cloud service (1)
• The communication technology has a weak signal (1) so the connection drops/the software stops responding (1)
• The cloud service is slow to respond to the user (1) so the screen lags/freezes when staff type or click (1)

Do not accept: answers about maintaining/updating the software or staff training, as these are not about performance

Allow mix and match if the response makes sense

Accept any other appropriate wording/phrasing

Award one mark for each correct performance issue and one mark for a justification of each issue, up to a maximum of four marks.

• Old/less powerful tablets (1) so the system responds slowly or freezes (1)
• A slow broadband connection (1) so pages take a long time to load and customers have to wait (1)
• Many staff using the broadband at once/a shared connection (1) which reduces the bandwidth so the system is slow for everyone (1)
• Completing complex tasks such as searching all the bookings (1) as these need more processing power/a faster connection (1)
• Thick stone walls/weak Wi-Fi signal in parts of the building (1) so the tablets lose their connection to the system (1)
• The tablets' operating system may not be supported (1) so the software runs badly/not at all on that device (1)
• The cloud service may be busy at peak times (1) so responses to staff are delayed (1)

Do not accept: answers about security, e.g. hacking, or about the provider's maintenance/updates

Allow mix and match if the response makes sense

Accept any other appropriate wording/phrasing