Unit 28 Cloud Computing Assignment : The Application of Cloud Computing to an Organization

Assignment Brief 

Submission Format

The assignment submission is in the form of:

• a written report, the recommended word limit is 3000–5000 words, although you will not be penalized for exceeding the total word limit.

You are required to make use of headings, paragraphs and sub-sections as appropriate, and all work must be supported with research and referenced using the Harvard referencing system (or an alternative system). You will also need to provide a bibliography using the Harvard referencing system (or an alternative system). Inaccurate use of referencing may lead to issues of plagiarism if not applied correctly.

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

LO3 Develop cloud computing solutions using service provider frameworks and open source tools

LO4 Analyze the technical challenges for cloud applications and assess their risks.

Transferable skills and competences developed

Computing-related cognitive skills

• Computational thinking (including its relevance to everyday life)
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, principles and theories relating to computing and computer applications
• Use such knowledge and understanding in the modelling and design of computerbased systems for the purposes of comprehension, communication, prediction and the understanding of trade-offs
• Recognise and analyse criteria and specifications appropriate to specific problems, and plan strategies for their solutions
• Analyse the extent to which a computer-based system meets the criteria defined for its current use and future development
• Deploy appropriate theory, practices and tools for the design, implementation and evaluation of computer-based systems
• Recognise the professional, economic, social, environmental, moral and ethical issues involved in the sustainable exploitation of computer technology and be guided by the adoption of appropriate professional, ethical and legal practices

Computing-related practical skills

• The ability to specify, design and construct reliable, secure and usable computer-based systems • The ability to evaluate systems in terms of quality attributes and possible trade-offs presented within the given problem
• The ability to recognise any risks and safety aspects that may be involved in the deployment of computing systems within a given context
• The ability to deploy effectively the tools used for the construction and documentation of computer applications, with particular emphasis on understanding the whole process involved in the effective deployment of computers to solve practical problems.

Generic-skills for employability

• Critical thinking; making a case; numeracy and literacy.
• Self-awareness and reflection; goal-setting and action-planning; independence and adaptability; acting on initiative; innovation and creativity.
• Interaction: reflection and communication.
• Contextual awareness e.g. the ability to understand and meet the needs of individuals, business and the community and to understand how workplaces and organisations are governed.

Vocational Scenario

You have been employed as a junior cloud systems specialist for Vulcan Cloud Solutions Limited (VCS). VCS provides cloud-based design and consultancy services to a range of clients from multiple industry sectors. The services offered by VCS include:

• providing an audit of an organisation’s infrastructure looking at a possible move to a cloud-based service
• reviewing and recommending improvements to an organisation’s existing cloud provision
• advice on implementing cloud-based solutions
• advice on migrating existing systems to cloud-based solutions.

VCS has received an enquiry from a new client and your project manager has decided that this would be ideal for you to handle by yourself as your first solo project.

The client is TCT Digital Solutions Ltd. (TCTDS), a very small software engineering start-up company. The company was founded in 2018 by two friends, the chief executive officer (CEO) and the technical architect, providing bespoke services to the publishing industry.

Such services include:

• converting physical books to eBooks
• copy-editing and proofreading services
• graphics production and image editing services
• document metadata design and tagging.

TCTDS hired its first employee in 2019 and now has a small team of developers and staff members working out of a single office. The business is looking to expand rapidly and has taken the decision to not expand the physical premises but to hire people willing to work remotely.

The business works out of an office that has been partitioned with temporary screens into three areas. There is a development area for the development team, an administrator area for the office administrators and a server area that hosts the company servers. Currently all staff data, both personal and for payroll, is kept on dedicated human resource (HR) servers in the server area.

All TCTDS common data files are currently located on a shared public access file server. This contains all resources created by developers and administrators, as well as areas for each staff member to store their own data files.

TCTDS maintains its own email exchange server, holding all staff and administrator emails as well as historical emails from all previous years. In addition, Office and other development specific software was either installed on each machine or linked from a central application server.

The CEO had initially opened and operated the business on a very restricted budget and reasoned that, as the business was a low security risk, data backups could be performed on a single 2 X 8TB RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks) direct attached storage (DAS) drive, with data backups being carried out within the internal RAID drive array.

The email server, file server, application server, backup DAS drive and network domain server are in a non-secured area within the main office, located on their own network segment.

The business had previously started to develop a shared intranet that provided a web interface to the file server and a way for developers to access business data. In looking at the success of this for the existing business, and because of the imminent rapid expansion using developers working exclusively from home, the client wants you to review the current infrastructure and services provided by TCTDS and look to moving to a cloud-based service. TCTDS has the following requirements.

• The client is not sure what ‘the cloud’ is and needs help in understanding this concept.
• The client needs to understand the range of cloud providers available, what services they offer and how this could benefit TCTDS.
• The cloud system must duplicate the current hardware and software infrastructure (see Annexe A – Infrastructure documents).
• Due to data protection concerns, the HR data cannot be located on a cloud server and needs to be stored on site.
• The HR data must be accessible from any cloud software.
• All data must be backed up to the cloud.
• The cloud system must provide guaranteed levels of network security so that a loss of data can never happen.
• TCTDS wants all staff to be able to access public file data from any location and from any device, with appropriate authentication and authorisation in place.
• TCTDS wants the ability to customise any application to streamline and improve the workplace experience for its staff.
• TCTDS wants to know how much of this is actually feasible. You have been given the current infrastructure requirements from TCTDS in Appendix A – Infrastructure documents). Make sure you study them before attempting this assignment.

As part of your work for VCS, your CEO wants you to put together a presentation on cloud services that you will present to the client as well as four senior VCS cloud systems analysts, so that you can demonstrate you have the breadth of knowledge required to begin to work with larger clients on your own.

Assignment Activity and Guidance

You will produce a report that will explain the purpose, benefits and limitations of cloud computing to a non-technical audience. Your report should include:

• an analyse of the evolution and fundamental concepts of cloud computing. (P1)
• Discussion of why an organization should migrate to a cloud computing solution. (M1)

You will review the requirements of TCTDS and produce a report on a cloud-based system design that meets the company’s needs. Your report should go on to design a deployment model for the new TCTDS system to be hosted in the cloud, including:

• a demonstration of deployment models with real-world examples. (M2)
• a definition of appropriate deployment model for TCTDS. (P3)
• a comparison of the cloud service models and choose the appropriate models for TCTDS. (P4)

You will review the requirements of TCTDS and produce a report on a cloud-based system design that meets the company’s needs. Your report should include:

• a design for a simple deployment model to include the service models and technologies of cloud computing for TCTDS. (P2)
• a review of how different deployment models, service models and technologies will work together in the design for TCTDS. (P2)
• a justification of the tools chosen to realise a cloud computing solution. (D1)

Finally, when considering the recommended design. You should also produce a report  summarises and explains how different CSPs offer alternative approaches to providing a cloud architecture for TCTDS. Your research notes should include:

• a comparison of the services offered by a range of CSPs. (P5)
• an explanation of the frameworks and tools offered by CSPs. (P5)
• Implementation and configuration a cloud computing platform with selected CSP. (P5, P6).
• a discussion of the issues and constraints that can be faced during the development process. (M3)
• a critical discussion of strategies and methods to surmount challenges and limitations encountered throughout the developmental process. (D2)
• an analysis of the problems and technical challenges that arise in a cloud computing platform and discussion of appropriate solutions. (P7)
• an assessment of the most risks in moving IT systems to the cloud solution. (P8)
• a discussion of how to overcome security issues when building a secure cloud platform. (M4)
• a critical discussion of how the organsation should protect its data when migrating to a cloud solution. (D3)

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

LO1 Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of cloud computing and its architectures

Pass

• P1 Analyse the evolution and fundamental concepts of cloud computing.
• P2 Design an appropriate architectural cloud computing framework for a given scenario.

Merit

• M1 Discuss why an organisation should migrate to a cloud computing solution.

Distinction

• D1 Justify the tools chosen to realise a cloud computing solution.

LO2 Evaluate the deployment models, service models and technological drivers of cloud computing and validate their use

Pass

• P3 Define an appropriate deployment model for a given scenario.
• P4 Compare the service models for choosing an adequate model for a given scenario.

Merit

• M2 Demonstrate selected deployment models with real-world examples.

LO3 Develop cloud computing solutions using service provider frameworks and open source tools

Pass

• P5 Configure a cloud computing platform with a cloud service provider’s framework.

• P6 Implement a cloud platform using open source tools.

Merit

• M3 Discuss the issues and constraints that can be faced during the development process.

Distinction

• D2 Critically discuss how issues and constraints during the development process can be overcome.

LO4 Analyse the technical challenges for cloud applications and assess their risks

Pass

• P7 Analyse the most common problems that arise in a cloud computing platform and discuss appropriate solutions.

• P8 Assess the most common security issues in cloud environments.

Merit

• M4 Discuss how to overcome security issues when building a secure cloud platform.

Distinction

• D3 Critically discuss how an organisation should protect its data when migrating to a cloud solution.

Systems infrastructure

Answer

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