Challenge 01: What is Cloud Computing?
20-30 min | Cost: Free | Domain: Cloud Concepts (25-30%)
Exam skills covered
- Define cloud computing
- Describe the shared responsibility model
- Define cloud models (public, private, hybrid)
- Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud model
Overview
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services — servers, storage, databases, networking, software — over the internet ("the cloud"). Instead of buying and maintaining physical hardware, you rent resources from a cloud provider like Microsoft Azure.
Think of it like electricity: you don't build a power plant to turn on a light. You plug into the grid and pay for what you use. Cloud computing works the same way — you access computing power on demand and pay only for what you consume.
The shared responsibility model defines who is responsible for what. The cloud provider always manages the physical infrastructure (hardware, network, datacenter). What YOU manage depends on the service type (IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS).
Explore
Task 1: Understand cloud models
There are three cloud deployment models. Review the differences:
| Model | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Public cloud | Resources owned by cloud provider, shared across customers | Azure, AWS, Google Cloud |
| Private cloud | Resources dedicated to a single organization | Azure Stack, on-premises datacenter |
| Hybrid cloud | Combination of public and private clouds | On-prem AD + Microsoft Entra ID |
Your task: Think about your current or previous organization. Which cloud model would fit best? Why?
Task 2: Explore the shared responsibility model
Navigate to: Microsoft's shared responsibility documentation
Review this table:
| Responsibility | On-premises | IaaS | PaaS | SaaS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data & access | You | You | You | You |
| Applications | You | You | Shared | Provider |
| Network controls | You | You | Shared | Provider |
| Operating system | You | You | Provider | Provider |
| Physical infrastructure | You | Provider | Provider | Provider |
Key insight: YOU are always responsible for your data, accounts, and access management — regardless of cloud model.
Task 3: Visit the Azure Portal
- Open portal.azure.com
- Look at the top search bar — this is how you find any Azure service
- Click All services in the left menu
- Browse the categories: Compute, Networking, Storage, Databases, etc.
- Notice how many services exist — Azure offers 200+ services across these categories
Task 4: Explore Azure's global presence
- Visit azure.microsoft.com/explore/global-infrastructure
- Notice the number of regions worldwide
- This is the "cloud" — massive datacenters distributed globally
# List all Azure regions
az account list-locations --output table
# Show your current subscription
az account show --output table
Key Concepts
| Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cloud computing | On-demand delivery of IT resources via the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing |
| Public cloud | Multi-tenant environment managed by a cloud provider |
| Private cloud | Single-tenant environment, can be on-premises or hosted |
| Hybrid cloud | Combines public and private clouds, allowing data/apps to move between them |
| Shared responsibility | Security/management duties split between provider and customer |
| Multi-cloud | Using services from multiple cloud providers |
Knowledge Check
1. Which cloud model makes resources available to multiple organizations over the public internet?
2. In the shared responsibility model, who is ALWAYS responsible for the data stored in the cloud?
3. A company wants to keep sensitive data on-premises but use Azure for additional compute capacity during peak periods. Which cloud model describes this approach?
4. In a public cloud model, who is responsible for maintaining the physical hardware?
5. Which of the following is a characteristic of cloud computing?
Learn More
- 📚 Study Guide AZ-900 — Curated study materials
- Microsoft Learn: Describe cloud computing
- Shared responsibility in the cloud