ASSIGNMENT 1 BRIEF

Qualification BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Computing

Unit number Unit 16: Cloud computing

Assignment title Cloud Computing Solutions

Academic Year 2021 – 2022

Unit Tutor Ho Hai Van

Issue date Submission date

IV name and date

Submission Format:

Format: The submission is in the form of 1 document

You must use font Calibri size 12, set number of the pages and use multiple line spacing at
1.3. Margins must be: left: 1.25 cm; right: 1 cm; top: 1 cm and bottom: 1 cm. The reference
follows Harvard referencing system.
Submission Students are compulsory to submit the assignment in due date and in a way requested by
the Tutors. The form of submission will be a soft copy posted on
http://cms.greenwich.edu.vn/
Note: The Assignment must be your own work, and not copied by or from another student or from
books etc. If you use ideas, quotes or data (such as diagrams) from books, journals or other sources, you
must reference your sources, using the Harvard style. Make sure that you know how to reference properly,
and that understand the guidelines on plagiarism. If you do not, you definitely get failed

Unit Learning Outcomes:

LO1 Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of Cloud Computing and its architectures.

LO2 Evaluate the deployment models, service models and technological drivers of Cloud Computing and
validate their use.

Assignment Brief and Guidance:

Scenario

Page 1
ATN is a Vietnamese company which is selling toys to teenagers in many provinces all over Vietnam. The
company has the revenue over 700.000 dollars/year. Currently each shop has its own database to store
transactions for that shop only. Each shop has to send the sale data to the board director monthly and
the board director need lots of time to summarize the data collected from all the shops. Besides the
board can’t see the stock information update in real time.

The table of contents in your technical report should be as follows:

1. As a developer, explain to the board director the fundamentals of cloud computing and how it is
popular nowadays (about 2500 words)
2. Proposed solution (higher level solution description – around 700 words) and explain the
appropriateness of the solution for the scenario (about 400 words with images and diagrams)
which might include:
a. Architectural design (architectural diagram and description).
b. Detailed design:
i. Deployment model (discussion on why that model was chosen).
ii. Service model (discussion on why that model was chosen).
iii. Programming language/ webserver/database server chosen.
3. Summary.

General guidelines:

 Instead of providing definitions but also provide with examples.

 Provide more own arguments instead of definitions
 Making use of academic references instead of web tutorials
 For a cloud architecture look at the bottom of this document

Page 2
 Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

Pass Merit Distinction

LO1 Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of Cloud Computing

and its architectures
LO1 & 2
P1 Analyse the evolution and M1 Discuss why an organisation D1 Justify the tools chosen to
fundamental concepts of Cloud should migrate to a Cloud Computing realise a Cloud Computing solution.
Computing. solution.

P2 Design an appropriate
architectural Cloud Computing
framework for a given scenario.

LO2 Evaluate the deployment models, service models and technological

drivers of Cloud Computing and validate their use

P3 Define an appropriate deployment M2 Demonstrate these deployment

model for a given scenario. models with real world examples.

P4 Compare the service models for

choosing an adequate model for a
given scenario.

A cloud architecture example:

The dynamic scalability architecture can be applied to a range of IT resources, including

virtual servers and cloud storage devices. Besides the core automated scaling listener and
resource replication mechanisms, the following mechanisms can also be used in this form
of cloud architecture:
Page 3
• Cloud Usage Monitor – Specialized cloud usage monitors can track runtime usage
in response to dynamic fluctuations caused by this architecture.
• Hypervisor – The hypervisor is invoked by a dynamic scalability system to create or
remove virtual server instances, or to be scaled itself.
• Pay-Per-Use Monitor – The pay-per-use monitor is engaged to collect usage cost
information in response to the scaling of IT resources.

Page 4
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
P1. Analyse the evolution and fundamental concepts of Cloud Computing ……………………………………………. 6
P2. Design an appropriate architectural Cloud Computing framework for a given scenario …………………. 11
P3. Define an appropriate deployment model for a given scenario ……………………………………………………… 12
P4. Compare the service models for choosing an adequate model for a given scenario ……………………….. 16

Page 5
 P1. Analyse the evolution and fundamental concepts of Cloud Computing

The evolution:

Embracing cloud computing solutions is becoming increasingly paramount for organizations looking to drive
their business forward over the coming years, with the roles of CTOs and CIOs having to evolve in step. Even
though “digital transformation” continues to be the big buzzword of the moment, with coverage of artificial
intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) increasing as each
day ticks by, cloud transformation remains current – even if it has slipped from the full glare of the limelight
in the popular online press.

Behind the scenes, however, cloud computing is still a hot topic. In fact, it’s no longer a question of whether
or not a company will undergo a cloud transformation. Rather, questions about precisely what services and
operations should be shifted into the cloud, how much will they cost, how much will they save the business,
and how quickly can it all happen, are dominating the conversation.

But where has the cloud computing revolution come from? What are its origins, where are we today, and
where’s it going next? Let’s consider the history and evolution of cloud computing that has brought us up to
the present, and examine the trends that will impact the future.

A Brief History of Cloud Computing

When we think of the cloud, rarely do we cast our minds back to times before the 21stcentury. After all, it’s
really just been over the past decade or so that cloud computing really started to develop into the giant,
omnipresent and all-powerful behemoth we know today.

But the truth is that concepts of the cloud have existed for many, many years, and in fact can be traced as
far back as the 1950s with mainframe computing. In those early days, mainframe computers were huge
machines, and very, very expensive – too expensive to buy and maintain one for every single employee. And
of course, not every single employee needed access to one at all times like they do today. As such, most
organizations would purchase just one or two machines, and then implement “time-sharing” schedules
which enabled multiple users to access the central mainframe computer from connected stations. These
stations were known as “dumb terminals”, and provided no processing power of their own. Even so, this type
of shared computational power is the basic, underlying premise of cloud computing, and where it all began.

In the mid-1960s, a major advancement in cloud computing came when American computer scientist J.C.R.
Licklider conceptualized an interconnected system of computers. In 1969, “Lick”, as he is often known,
helped develop a very primitive version of the Internet, known as the Advanced Research Projects Agency
Network (ARPANET). ARPANET was the first network that allowed digital sources to be shared among

Page 6
computers that were not in the same physical location. Lick’s vision was also for a world where everyone
would be interconnected by way of computers and able to access information from anywhere. Sound
familiar? Of course it does – it’s the Internet as we know it, and a necessity for accessing all the benefits that
the cloud realizes.

Over the decades that followed, many further advancements in cloud technology came into being. In 1972,
for example, IBM released an operating system (OS) called the Virtual Machine (VM) operating system.
Virtualization describes a virtual computer that acts just like a real one, with a fully-operational OS. The
concept evolved with the Internet, and businesses began offering “virtual” private networks as a rentable
service, eventually leading to the development of the modern cloud computing infrastructure in the 1990s.

(Cloud Computing. 2022.)

Also in this decade, telecommunications companies began offering virtualized private networks, which had
the same service quality as their dedicated point-to-point data connections at a reduced cost. Instead of
building out physical infrastructure to allow for more users to have their own connections,
telecommunications companies were now able to provide users with shared access to the same physical
infrastructure.

In the early 2000s, Amazon Web Services (AWS) emerged, and Amazon launched Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)
in 2006, allowing companies and individuals to rent virtual computers through which they could use their
own programs and applications. In the same year, Google launched its Google Docs services, allowing users
to save, edit and transfer documents in the cloud.

Page 7
In 2007, IBM, Google, and several universities joined forces to develop a server farm for research projects. It
was also the year that Netflix launched its video streaming service, using the cloud to stream movies and
other video content into the homes and onto the computers of thousands (and eventually millions) of
subscribers worldwide.

Cloud Computing Today

Over the past decade, cloud computing adoption has seen explosive growth – at both consumer and
enterprise levels. Legacy software providers such as Microsoft, Oracle and Adobe have all made huge,
concerted efforts to encourage users of their on-premises software offerings to upgrade to their cloud
equivalents, which are usually offered on a subscription pay-as-you-go basis.

At the same time, we have seen a cornucopia of cloud-native providers – such as Zendesk, Workday and
ServiceNow – emerge with Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings that are (and have always been) only
available in the cloud. And it’s not only Software as a Service that has emerged, of course, but Platform as a
Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Backup as a Service (BaaS) and Disaster Recovery as a Service
(DRaaS) as well. Pretty much Everything as a Service (or XaaS, as it is peddled by companies like Google and
Microsoft who offer such holistic resources) is now available.

Over the course of the last ten years or so, cloud computing has evolved from being something that service
providers told companies they should be adopting, to the very lifeblood that runs through most modern
enterprises. As such, organizations have become increasingly accustomed to the pay-as-you-go cloud billing
model, and now look upon IT purchases as a day-to-day expense, rather than a one-off investment that they
will be stuck with for the foreseeable future.

In fact, 451 Research has found that 90% of organizations will be using some form of cloud computing
services in the next two years, with 60% saying that the majority of their IT will be off-premise. What’s more,
49% of organizations have adopted a cloud-first approach for deploying net new applications. 451 Research
also predicts the cloud computing market will reach $53.3 billion in 2021 – up from $28.1 billion in 2017.

Fundamental concepts:

1. Understand what you’re responsible for – different cloud services require varying levels of responsibility.
For instance, while software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers ensure that applications are protected and that
data security is guaranteed, IaaS environments may not have the same controls. To ensure security, cloud
customers need to double check with their IaaS providers to understand who’s in charge of each security
control.

Page 8
2. Control user access – a huge challenge for enterprises has been controlling who has access to their cloud
services. Too often, organizations accidently publically expose their cloud storage service despite warnings
from cloud providers to avoid allowing storage drive contents to be accessible to anyone with an internet
connection. CSO advises that only load balancers and bastion hosts should be exposed to the internet.
Further, do not allow Secure Shell (SSH) connections directly from the internet as this will allow anyone who
finds the server location to bypass the firewall and directly access the data. Instead, use your cloud provider’s
identity and access control tools while also knowing who has access to what data and when. Identity and
access control policies should grant the minimum set of privileges needed and only grant other permissions
as needed. Configure security groups to have the narrowest focus possible and where possible, use reference
security group IDs. Finally, consider tools that let you set access controls based on user activity data.

3. Data protection – data stored on cloud infrastructures should never be unencrypted. Therefore, maintain
control of encryption keys where possible. Even though you can hand the keys over to cloud service providers,
it is still your responsibility to protect your data. By encrypting your data, you ensure that if a security
configuration fails and exposes your data to an unauthorized party, it cannot be used.

4. Secure credentials – AWS access keys can be exposed on public websites, source code repositories,
unprotected Kubernetes dashboards, and other such platforms. Therefore, you should create and regularly
rotate keys for each external service while also restricting access on the basis of IAM roles. Never use root
user accounts – these accounts should only be used for specific account and service management tasks.
Further, disable any user accounts that aren’t being used to further limit potential paths that hackers can
compromise.

5. Implement MFA – your security controls should be so rigorous that if one control fails, other features keep
the application, network, and data in the cloud safe. By tying MFA (multi-factor authentication) to usernames
and passwords, attackers have an even harder time breaking in. Use MFA to limit access to management
consoles, dashboards, and privileged accounts.

6. Increase visibility – to see issues like unauthorized access attempts, turn on security logging and
monitoring once your cloud has been set up. Major cloud providers supply some level of logging tools that
can be used for change tracking, resource management, security analysis, and compliance audits.

7. Adopt a shift-left approach – with a shift-left approach, security considerations are incorporated early
into the development process rather than at the final stage. Before an IaaS platform goes live, enterprises
need to check all the code going into the platform while also auditing and catching potential
misconfigurations before they happen. One tip – automate the auditing and correction process by choosing
security solutions that integrate with Jenkins, Kubernetes, and others. Just remember to check that

Page 9
workloads are compliant before they’re put into production. Continuously monitoring your cloud
environment is key here.

Page 10
 P2. Design an appropriate architectural Cloud Computing framework for a given scenario
Cloud architecture is the way technology components combine to build a cloud, in which resources are
pooled through virtualization technology and shared across a network. The components of a cloud
architecture include:

 A front-end platform (the client or device used to access the cloud)

 A back-end platform (servers and storage)
 A cloud-based delivery model
 A network
Together, these technologies create a cloud computing architecture on which applications can run, providing
end-users with the ability to leverage the power of cloud resources.

(App.diagrams.net. 2022.)

- Utility Provider: Mobile Operator, Internet Provider and Electricity Provider, they are the necessary
suppliers for us to operate the point of sale system

Page 11
- Store Platform: a place where the purchasing process was done.

- Mobile Service Network: can help customer doing their purchase on their phone.

- These parts are where we handle all the information like the prices, the products and the purchasing of the
customers
Scenario:
Problems: Each shop has to send the sale data to the board director monthly and the board director need lots of time
to summarize the data collected from all the shops. Besides the board can’t see the stock information update in real
time.
Solution: To solve the problem, the shop will be the “Store Platform”, and through this board, all the information the
“Store Platform” got will be transfer to the “Shop Account Server” and will be put into the “Information Server” and
the data they collected will be sorted by the “Administrator” to help the board director save a lot of time when
summarizing the data. And, the Administrator will also show all the stock information that update in real time.

Page 12
 P3. Define an appropriate deployment model for a given scenario

Public Cloud

Public Cloud is a type of cloud hosting that allows the accessibility of systems & its services to its clients/users
easily. Some of the examples of those companies which provide public cloud facilities are IBM, Google,
Amazon, Microsoft, etc. This cloud service is open for use. This type of cloud computing is a true specimen of
cloud hosting where the service providers render services to various clients

Server infrastructure belongs to service providers that manage them and administer pool resources, which is
why there is no need for user companies to buy and maintain their hardware. Provider companies offer
resources as a service both free of charge or on a pay-per-use basis via the Internet connection. Users can
scale resources when required.

The public cloud deployment model is the first choice for businesses that operate within the industries with
low privacy concerns. When it comes to popular public cloud deployment models, examples
are Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) the top service provider, Microsoft Azure, Google App
Engine, IBM Cloud, Salesforce Heroku and others.

Advantages:

 Flexible

 Reliable

 High Scalable

 Low cost

 Place independence

Disadvantages:

 Less Secured

 Poor Customizable

Private Cloud

There is little to no difference between a public and a private model from the technical point of view, as their
architectures are very similar. However, opposed to a public cloud that is available to the general public, only
one specific company owns a private one. That is why it is also called an internal or corporate cloud.

Page 13
‘Internal Cloud’ means that it allows the accessibility of systems and services within a specific boundary or
organization. The cloud platform is implemented in a cloud-based secure environment that is guarded by
advanced firewalls under the surveillance of the IT department that belongs to a particular organization.
Private clouds permit only authorized users, providing the organizations greater control over data and its
security. Business organizations that have dynamic, critical, secured, management demand based
requirement should adopt Private Cloud.

Advantages:

 Highly private and secured: Private cloud resource sharing is highly secured.

 Control Oriented: Private clouds provide more control over its resources than public cloud as it can be
accessed within the organization’s boundary.

Disadvantages:

 Poor scalability: Private type of clouds is scaled within internal limited hosted resources.

 Costly: As it provides secured and more features, so it’s more expensive than a public cloud.

 Pricing: is inflexible; i.e., purchasing new hardware for up-gradation is more costly.

 Restriction: It can be accessed locally within an organization and is difficult to expose globally.

Community Cloud

A community deployment model largely resembles a private one; the only difference is the set of users. While
a private type implies that only one company owns the server, in the case of a community one, several
organizations with similar backgrounds share the infrastructure and related resources. Example of such a
community is where organizations/firms are there along with the financial institutions/banks. A multi-tenant
setup developed using cloud among different organizations that belong to a particular community or group
having similar computing concern.

For joint business organizations, ventures, research organizations and tenders community cloud is the
appropriate solution. Selection of the right type of cloud hosting is essential in this case. Thus, community-
based cloud users need to know and analyze the business demand first.

Advantages:

· Cost reduction

· Improved security, privacy and reliability

Page 14
· Ease of data sharing and collaboration

Disadvantages:

· High cost if compared to a public deployment model

· Sharing of fixed storage and bandwidth capacity

· It is not widespread so far

Hybrid Cloud

Hybrid Cloud is another cloud computing type, which is integrated, i.e., it can be a combination of two or more
cloud servers, i.e., private, public or community combined as one architecture, but remain individual entities.
Non-critical tasks such as development and test workloads can be done using public cloud whereas critical
tasks that are sensitive such as organization data handling are done using a private cloud. Benefits of both
deployment models, as well as a community deployment model, are possible in a hybrid cloud hosting.

Hybrid cloud deployment model not only safeguards and controls strategically important assets but does so
in the most cost- and resource-effective way possible for each specific case. Also, this approach facilitates data
and application portability.

Advantages:

 Flexible

 Secure

 Cost Effective

 Rich Scalable

Disadvantages:

 Complex networking problem

 Organization’s security Compliance

Scenario:

Page 15
The best cloud deployment model for ATN is private cloud in my opinion, despite the fact that it is fairly
expensive, but for the exchange of rather excellent security, it is a fantastic decision.

Page 16
 P4. Compare the service models for choosing an adequate model for a given scenario
Cloud computing is offered in three different service models which each satisfy a unique set of business
requirements. These three models are known as Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS),
and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

SaaS

Software as a Service offers applications that are accessed over the web and are not managed by your
company, but by the software provider. This relieves your organization from the constant pressure of
software maintenance, infrastructure management, network security, data availability, and all the other
operational issues involved with keeping applications up and running. SaaS billing is typically based on factors
such as number of users, usage time, amount of data stored, and number of transactions processed. This
service model has the largest market share in cloud computing; according to Gartner, its sales will reach 117
billion USD by the year 2021. Current applications for SaaS include Field Service solutions, system monitoring
solutions, schedulers and more.
PaaS

Platform as a Service is halfway between Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS).
It offers access to a cloud-based environment in which users can build and deliver applications without the
need of installing and working with IDEs (Integrated Development Environments, which are often very
expensive. Additionally, users can often customize the features they want included with their subscription.
According to Gartner, PaaS has the smallest market share of the three service models, with a projected

Page 17
revenue of 27 billion USD by the year 2021[2]. In today’s market, PaaS providers offer applications such as
Microsoft Azure (also IaaS), Google App Engine, and Apache Stratos.

IaaS

Infrastructure as a service offers a standardized way of acquiring computing capabilities on demand and over
the web. Such resources include storage facilities, networks, processing power, and virtual private servers.
These are charged under a “pay as you go” model where you are billed by factors such as how much storage
you use or the amount of processing power you consume over a certain timespan. In this service model,
customers do not need to manage infrastructure, it is up to the provider to guarantee the contracted amount
of resources and availability. According to Gartner, this service model is forecasted to grow by 35.9% in
2018[2]. IaaS services offered today, include Google Cloud Platform and Amazon EC2.

Cloud computing has been around for quite some time now; however, it will continue to evolve as faster and
more reliable networks offer increased benefits to service providers and consumers alike. With these
advancements, there are growing opportunities to develop business models in an increasingly-connected
economy.

Open Smartflex is the only holistic CIS solution that spans across the whole business lifecycle of Smart Utilities
and runs on any service model and any cloud provider. It has a Customer Information System (CIS) at its core
and has been extended with superior capabilities in four dimensions: on the metering side, with Meter Data
Management (MDM) features; on the customer side with Customer relationship management (CRM) with
digital customer engagement features such as self-service portal; on the field dimension with Mobile
Workforce Management features; and, finally, with the Analytics dimension, all of them streamlined for
mobility.

Scenario:

Paas is the finest option for ATN in this category. We chose paas because of the advantages it provides, such
as low cost, the ability to be completed by multiple teams, and the ability to accomplish it fast and efficiently.

Page 18
 REFERENCES
The-report.cloud. 2022. The Evolution of Cloud Computing – Where’s It Going Next? – The Cloud Report | News, articles,
interviews and tests. [online] Available at: <https://the-report.cloud/the-evolution-of-cloud-computing-wheres-it-going-next>
[Accessed 12 June 2022].
Cloud Computing. 2022. History of Cloud Computing. [online] Available at:
<https://cloudcomputing521.wordpress.com/2017/05/01/history-of-cloud-computing/> [Accessed 12 June 2022].
Stefanini.com. 2022. 7 Fundamentals of Cloud Security: Tips to Future Proof Your Business | Stefanini. [online] Available at:
<https://stefanini.com/en/trends/news/7-fundamentals-of-cloud-security-tips-to-future-proof-your-
busin#:~:text=There%20are%20many%20protective%20methods,not%20using%20public%20internet%20connections.>
[Accessed 12 June 2022].
App.diagrams.net. 2022. Flowchart Maker & Online Diagram Software. [online] Available at:
<https://app.diagrams.net/#G1pZqL04s31M-_KpnGIFKc3HDCUJDlzAnS> [Accessed 13 June 2022].
VMware. 2022. What is Cloud Architecture? | VMware Glossary. [online] Available at:
<https://www.vmware.com/topics/glossary/content/cloud-architecture.html> [Accessed 13 June 2022].
Medium. 2022. Cloud Computing Deployment Models: Technical know how.. [online] Available at: <https://manrai-
tarun.medium.com/cloud-computing-deployment-models-technical-know-how-33a3ad30cb66> [Accessed 12 June 2022].
Openintl.com. 2022. [online] Available at: <https://www.openintl.com/the-three-service-models-of-cloud-computing/> [Accessed
12 June 2022].

Page 19