Exam Question 91
Which is true about scale-out NAS?
A. It can store billions of files but with a performance tradeoff.
B. It’s a type of NAS used with object storage.
C. It involves clustering NAS appliances together for greater capacity.
D. None of the above.
Correct Answer:
C. It involves clustering NAS appliances together for greater capacity.
Answer Description:
With scale-out NAS, administrators expand storage capacity by adding clustered nodes. A NAS cluster is managed as a single system and the data is managed through a global namespace or distributed file system. It is possible to store billions of files on an enterprise scale-out NAS without a performance trade-off. Object storage and scale-out NAS are alternative ways to provide easily scalable storage for large volumes of unstructured data.
Exam Question 92
What is unified storage?
A. Another storage type that’s much more expensive than SAN and NAS.
B. An approach to storage that consolidates block- and file-based data on one storage array or platform.
C. Storage developed specifically for mission-critical applications.
D. Storage that combines NAS and SAN but requires significantly more hardware.
Correct Answer:
B. An approach to storage that consolidates block- and file-based data on one storage array or platform.
Answer Description:
Unified storage can store and manage both file- and block-based data, using both file- and block-based protocols. Unified storage requires less hardware than NAS and SAN systems and costs about the same. Because of issues with variable or reduced performance, mission-critical applications aren’t usually deployed on these systems.
Exam Question 93
Which type of storage does hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) more closely resemble?
A. DAS
B. NAS
C. SAN
D. None of the above
Correct Answer:
A. DAS
Answer Description:
HCI systems can handle block or file data and replace a SAN or NAS, but the architecture is closest to DAS because HCI requires no separate servers or switching. HCI can attach to other servers, but it doesn’t have to because HCI includes compute in the same chassis as the storage. The major differences between HCI and DAS is that HCI is designed for virtualization, and HCI storage is managed through the hypervisor.
Exam Question 94
What is the top reason that IT decision-makers indicated for implementing a hybrid cloud computing environment?
A. Better services
B. Easier/more efficient
C. Scalability
D. Cost control
E. Resilience/reliability
Correct Answer:
D. Cost control
Answer Description:
Are you surprised? The top reason cited by IT decision-makers in the survey was cost control at 21%. One major advantage for moving to the cloud in the first place, scalability and flexibility, could do no better than a tie for third place at 17%, along with security and compliance. Resilience and reliability ranked second at 19%. Better services, a factor that likely would have scored considerably higher if cloud application developers were among those surveyed, was tied for sixth place at just 12%, in this decision-maker survey.
Exam Question 95
When it comes to cloud computing trends, what is the single biggest challenge cited by IT decision-makers in operating a hybrid cloud computing environment?
A. Migration
B. Costs
C. Security/compliance
D. Managing more systems
E. Training
Correct Answer:
C. Security/compliance
Answer Description:
Security and compliance ranked first at 31% with managing more systems right behind at 30%. That makes sense. As the number of fee-based software-as-a-service offerings a company subscribes to increases, it’s impossible to avoid adding additional layers of complexity — mostly in the name of data integration. Those two factors far outweighed costs (14%), training (9%), support (7%) and migration (6%) as factors. Again, keep in mind that this is a survey of IT decision-makers. It’s a good bet that a survey of DevOps personnel would have ranked migration much higher.
Exam Question 96
When it comes specifically to application development and testing, which of these three workload location residencies is the current runaway leader?
A. Cloud
B. Colocation
C. On premises
Correct Answer:
C. On premises
Answer Description:
Well, here’s a surprise. According to surveyed IT decision-makers, fully two-thirds (66%) of development and test workloads still reside in on-premises infrastructures. Colocation ranked second at 36%, with cloud bringing up the rear at 32%. (Answers add up to more than 100% because respondents could indicate multiple residency locations.) Keep in mind that Peak 10, which conducted this survey, is a provider of colocation services.
What is truly fascinating is that this residency split varies widely depending on workload type. The split for data storage, to cite just one workload type, was 32% cloud, 53% colocation and 61% on premises. That contrasted considerably with line-of-business services (ERP and customer relationship management), with a split of 37% cloud and 46% for both colocation and on premises.
Exam Question 97
Though a major cloud computing trend is migration of apps and data into the cloud, that’s not always the case. What is the top reason cited by IT decision-makers for keeping some workloads on premises?
A. Difficulty of migrating legacy apps
B. Cheaper to keep on premises
C. Security and access requirements
D. Access latency
Correct Answer:
C. Security and access requirements
Answer Description:
At 44%, security and access requirements were the runaway reason IT-decision makers cited for keeping workloads on premises. That can be interpreted in two ways: concern about the security tools and systems safeguarding data and networks and the are-you-sleeping-peacefully-at-night comfort factor with cloud security in general. What is clear from other surveys is that confidence in cloud-based security continues to grow. Giant cloud providers can attract — and afford — the world-class security talent that individual businesses cannot.
Other reasons cited for keeping workloads on premises ranked surprisingly low — costs (16%), legacy apps (14%), access and network latency issues (14%) and staffing considerations (5%).
Exam Question 98
What is the top reason businesses cited for choosing hybrid if they could restart their entire IT operation from scratch?
A. Security/compliance
B. Scalability/flexibility
C. Best of both worlds — cloud vs. on premises
D. Better services
Correct Answer:
C. Best of both worlds — cloud vs. on premises
Answer Description:
There are good reasons for going all cloud or fully on premises. For 28% of IT decision-makers, the promised land — if they were taking a clean-sheet, no-baggage approach to IT — is a combination of the two that mashes up speed, economics, flexibility and security into something that neither scenario can do alone. A hybrid approach is favored by 20% due to security considerations, with 17% and 11% citing security/compliance and scalability/flexibility, respectively.
Alex Lim
Alex Lim is a certified IT Technical Support Architect with over 15 years of experience in designing, implementing, and troubleshooting complex IT systems and networks. He has worked for leading IT companies, such as Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco, providing technical support and solutions to clients across various industries and sectors. Alex has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and a master’s degree in information security from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the author of several best-selling books on IT technical support, such as The IT Technical Support Handbook and Troubleshooting IT Systems and Networks. Alex lives in Bandar, Johore, Malaysia with his wife and two chilrdren. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Website | Twitter | Facebook
