Shadow IT refers to any IT resource used by employees or end users without the IT department’s

approval or oversight. This can include SaaS applications that are not aligned with corporate policy or

governance. Employees or teams may adopt shadow IT for convenience, productivity, or innovation,

but it can also pose significant security risks and compliance concerns. Therefore, it is important for

IT organizations to have visibility and control over the IT devices, software, and services used on the

enterprise network. Reference: : CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002 Study Guide, Chapter 1, page

14 : CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002 Study Guide, Chapter 1, page 15 : CompTIA Cloud

Essentials+ CLO-002 Study Guide, Chapter 1, page 16Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Cold storage is a type of cloud storage that is designed for data that does not need to be accessible

in a timely manner, such as backup, archive, or historical data. Cold storage offers the lowest cost per

gigabyte of storage, but also the highest cost and latency for data retrieval. Cold storage is suitable

for data that is rarely accessed, has low performance requirements, and can tolerate delays of hours

or days. Cold storage can help a company save on cloud storage costs by reducing the use of more

expensive storage tiers, such as hot, warm, or cool storage. Cold storage can also provide high

durability, security, and scalability for long-term data retention.

Cold storage is different from other storage types, such as block, object, or tape. Block storage is a

type of cloud storage that stores data in fixed-sized blocks that are attached to a virtual machine as a

disk volume. Block storage provides high performance and low latency for data that needs frequent

and random access, such as databases, operating systems, or applications. Object storage is a type of

cloud storage that stores data as objects that consist of data, metadata, and a unique identifier.

Object storage provides high scalability and durability for data that needs simple and direct access,

such as files, images, videos, or documents. Tape storage is a type of physical storage that stores data

on magnetic tapes that are stored in tape libraries or vaults. Tape storage provides low cost and high

capacity for data that needs offline or long-term backup, but also has high retrieval time and risk of

data loss or degradation. Reference: What Is Cold Data Storage? Storing Cold Data in the

Cloud, Amazon S3 Glacier Storage Classes | AWS, The Complete Guide to Cold Data Storage -

NetApp, Hot Storage vs Cold Storage in 2023: Instant Access vs Archiving, How cold storage is

redefining the new data era

Infrastructure as code (IaC) is a DevOps practice that uses code to define and deploy infrastructure,

such as networks, virtual machines, load balancers, and connection topologies1. IaC ensures

consistency, repeatability, and scalability of the infrastructure, as well as enables automation and

orchestration of the provisioning process2. IaC is different from infrastructure templates, which are

predefined configurations that can be reused for multiple deployments3. Infrastructure orchestration

is the process of coordinating multiple automation tasks to achieve a desired state of the

infrastructure4. Infrastructure automation is the broader term for any technique that uses

technology to perform infrastructure tasks without human intervention5.

Reference:

CompTIA Cloud Essentials CLO-002 Certification Study Guide, Chapter 4: Operating in the Cloud,

page 137

What is infrastructure as code (IaC)?, Azure DevOps | Microsoft Learn

CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ Certification Study Guide, Second Edition (Exam CLO-002), Chapter 4:

Operating in the Cloud, page 137

Infrastructure Automation: 7 DevOps Tools for Orchestration, Secrets Management, and More,

Apriorit Blog

Infrastructure As Code Vs Configuration Management, DevOpsCube Blog

A proprietary SaaS solution is one that uses a specific vendor’s software and platform, which may

not be compatible with other vendors’ solutions or industry standards. This can result in vendor lock-

in, which means that the organization becomes dependent on the vendor and cannot easily switch to

another provider or solution without significant costs or risks. Vendor lock-in can also limit the

organization’s ability to negotiate better terms or prices with the vendor. Integration issues can arise

when the proprietary SaaS solution does not support open standards, which are widely accepted and

interoperable protocols or formats that enable different systems or applications to communicate and

exchange data. Open standards can facilitate integration with other cloud or on-premise solutions, as

well as enhance portability and scalability of the cloud services. If the SaaS solution does not adopt

open standards, the organization may face challenges or limitations in integrating the solution with

its existing or future IT environment, which can affect the functionality, performance, and security of

the cloud services. Reference: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ Certification Study Guide, Second Edition

(Exam CLO-002), Chapter 2: Cloud Concepts, Section 2.3: Cloud Service Models, p. 62-63.

A gap analysis is a process of comparing the current state and the desired state of a system or a

process and identifying the gaps or differences between them. A gap analysis can help an

organization to determine the steps and resources needed to achieve its goals and objectives. A gap

analysis can be used for cloud migration to assess the readiness and suitability of the existing

services and applications for the cloud, and to identify the gaps in terms of performance, security,

functionality, compatibility, and cost. A gap analysis can also help to prioritize the migration tasks

and to estimate the time and effort required for the migration1.

The other options are not appropriate for the recommendation:

Feasibility study: This is a process of evaluating the viability and benefits of a proposed project or

solution. A feasibility study can help an organization to determine whether a project is worth

pursuing, and to identify the potential risks and challenges involved. A feasibility study can be used

for cloud migration to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of moving to the cloud, and to compare

different cloud service models and providers. A feasibility study can also help to define the scope and

objectives of the migration project2. However, a feasibility study is not sufficient to inform the CIO of

the additional resources necessary for the migration, as it does not provide a detailed analysis of the

gaps and requirements of the existing services and applications.

Future requirements: These are the needs and expectations of the organization and its stakeholders

for the future state of the system or the process. Future requirements can help an organization to

plan and design the system or the process to meet the changing demands and opportunities. Future

requirements can be used for cloud migration to envision the desired outcomes and benefits of

moving to the cloud, and to align the migration strategy with the business strategy and goals3.

However, future requirements are not specific enough to inform the CIO of the additional resources

necessary for the migration, as they do not provide a detailed analysis of the gaps and requirements

of the existing services and applications.

Baseline report: This is a document that records the current state and performance of the system or

the process, and serves as a reference point for measuring the progress and improvement. A

baseline report can help an organization to monitor and evaluate the system or the process, and to

identify the areas of strength and weakness. A baseline report can be used for cloud migration to

measure the performance and functionality of the existing services and applications, and to compare

them with the cloud-based services and applications4. However, a baseline report is not

comprehensive enough to inform the CIO of the additional resources necessary for the migration, as

it does not provide a detailed analysis of the gaps and requirements of the existing services and

applications.

Reference:

Gap Analysis for Cloud Migration

Feasibility Study for Cloud Migration

Future Requirements for Cloud Migration

Baseline Report for Cloud Migration

A statement of work (SOW) is a document that outlines the scope of a project, specific deliverables,

scheduling, and additional specific details from the client/buyer1. A SOW defines what the service

provider will do for the client and how they will do it, as well as the expected outcomes and quality

standards2. A SOW is typically used as a supplement to a master service agreement (MSA) or a

contract that establishes the general terms and conditions of the business relationship3.

Reference:

CompTIA Cloud Essentials CLO-002 Certification Study Guide, Chapter 2: Business Principles of Cloud

Environments, page 65

Statement of Work (SOW): What Is It & How to Write One, The Blueprint

Master Services Agreement vs Statement Of Work, Difference between MSA & SOW, PandaDoc

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a cloud service delivery model that provides on-demand

infrastructure resources to organizations via the cloud, such as compute, storage, networking, and

virtualization4. IaaS is the most suitable cloud service delivery model for patching and updating cloud

resources properly, as it gives the cloud consumer compliance team more control and flexibility over

the operating system, middleware, virtual machines, and any apps or data5. IaaS also enables

automation and orchestration of the provisioning process, as well as scalability and reliability of the

infrastructure6.

Reference:

IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS vs DBaaS: Cloud Service Models Differences, The App Solutions

PaaS vs IaaS vs SaaS: What’s the difference?, Google Cloud

CompTIA Cloud Essentials CLO-002 Certification Study Guide, Chapter 1: Cloud Computing Concepts,

page 23

Private key encryption, also known as symmetric key encryption, is a method of encrypting data

using a single secret key that is shared by both the sender and the receiver of the message1. Private

key encryption ensures that only the authorized parties who have the same key can access the

encrypted data, while preventing unauthorized parties from reading or modifying it. Therefore,

private key encryption is mainly used to protect the confidentiality of data, which is the security

concern that deals with preventing unauthorized disclosure of information2.

Confidentiality is one of the three main goals of information security, along with integrity and

availability. Integrity refers to the security concern that deals with preventing unauthorized

modification or corruption of information. Availability refers to the security concern that deals with

ensuring timely and reliable access to information2. Authorization, on the other hand, is not a

security concern, but a security mechanism that deals with granting or denying access rights to

information based on predefined policies and rules3.

A cloud developer chooses to use private key encryption for all traffic in a new application. This best

describes the security concern of confidentiality, as the developer wants to ensure that only the

intended recipients can access the encrypted data, while keeping it secret from anyone

else. Reference: 1: https://www.comptia.org/training/books/cloud-essentials-clo-002-study-guide,

Chapter 8, page 274-275 2: https://www.comptia.org/training/books/cloud-essentials-clo-002-studyguide, Chapter 8, page 263-264 3: https://www.comptia.org/training/books/cloud-essentials-clo-

002-study-guide, Chapter 8, page 268-269

Data sovereignty is the most important aspect to consider when defining the company’s needs for a

multicloud model. Data sovereignty refers to the legal and regulatory requirements that apply to the

data based on its location and ownership. Different cloud providers and regions may have different

laws and regulations that affect how the data can be stored, processed, accessed, and transferred.

For example, some countries may require that data generated within their borders must be stored

locally and not transferred to other jurisdictions. Some cloud providers may also have different

policies and practices regarding data security, privacy, and compliance. Therefore, the company

needs to understand the data sovereignty implications of using multiple cloud platforms and ensure

that they comply with the relevant laws and regulations.

Reference: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ CLO-002 Study Guide, Chapter 2: Cloud Concepts and Models,

Section 2.3: Cloud Deployment Models, p. 66-67.

Object storage is a type of cloud storage that stores data as objects, which consist of data and

metadata. Object storage is ideal for storing large amounts of unstructured data, such as images,

videos, audio, documents, etc. Object storage provides high scalability, durability, and availability, as

well as easy access via HTTP or REST APIs. Object storage is also more cost-effective than other types

of storage, such as block or file storage, which are more suitable for structured data or applications

that require high performance or low latency. Reference: CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ Certification

Exam Objectives1, CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ Study Guide, Chapter 4: Cloud Storage2