IBM Cloud Advocate

Study Guide

This study guide will help prepare you for the IBM
Cloud Advocate Certification Examination.

What’s in the Study Guide

This study guide covers:

q Introduction to Cloud Computing

How to Use this Study Guide

Read the content. Take notes. Answer practice

questions.
 Preparation

Thorough study is essential to a successful outcome on the exam.

• Clear your schedule.

• Find a quiet place to study.
• Focus on the content.

• Open the associated on-line course for reference.

• Locate the study guide.
• Download the study guide.

• Print a copy of the study guide.

• Take notes.

Courses and Objectives

Courses Objectives

1. The Cloud and Why People Use It • Define the cloud and why people use it
2. The History and Evolution of the • Identify benefits and characteristics of cloud computing
Cloud • Summarize the history and evolution of the cloud
3. Cloud Adoption and Migration
• Define cloud adoption and migration
4. Job Roles that Support Cloud
• Identify the strategies needed to develop a successful
migration plan
• Gain awareness of various job roles users of IBM Cloud have

2 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 Introduction to Cloud Computing
Study Guide

Course 1.1: The Cloud and Why People Use It

Introduction and Objectives:

In Course 1.1 of the study guide, the subject matter:

• Focuses on the definition of cloud computing.
• Emphasizes key characteristics of cloud computing.
• Provides information on the benefits of cloud computing.

Lessons
• Introduction and Objectives
• The Cloud
• Characteristics and Benefits of Cloud Computing
• Course Summary
• Knowledge Check Questions

Objectives
• Define the cloud and why people use it
• Identify the benefits and characteristics of cloud computing

3 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 Introduction to Cloud Computing
Study Guide

Course 1.1: The Cloud and Why People Use It

Definition of Cloud Computing

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines cloud computing as a model for
enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources
that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider
interaction. Examples of computing resources include networks, servers, storage, applications, and
services.

Five Essential Characteristics of the Cloud

On-demand self-service
• Processing power, storage, and network via simple interface without any human interaction.

Broad network access

• Via the network through standard mechanisms and platforms such as mobile phones, tablets,
laptops, and workstations.

Resource pooling
• Uses a multitenant model – resources are dynamically assigned and reassigned according to
demand without customer concern regarding the resource’s physical location.

Rapid elasticity
• Access more resources when you need them or scale back when you do not.

Measured service
• Only pay for what you use or reserve.

Types of Cloud Deployment Models

Public Private Hybrid Multi-cloud

Owned by cloud Uses on-premises
Blends different
provider but usage Exclusive use by a private cloud and
clouds of the same
is shared with other single organization a third-party public
type
organizations cloud

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 Introduction to Cloud Computing
Study Guide

Course 1.1: The Cloud and Why People Use It

Benefits of Cloud Computing

Cost
• Allows users to purchase capacity and services as they are being used. Uses
remote resources that are shared with others to save on the cost of servers, equipment,
and IT.

Flexible
• Provides on-demand scaling based on the needs of each workload. Users have a
selection of prebuilt tools and features that fits their specific needs.

Efficient
• Cloud apps and data are accessible from any device with an internet
connection. Frequent technology updates get products quickly to market.

Secure
• Virtual private cloud, encryption, and APIs help secure data. There are redundant
backups, and disaster recovery is generally inexpensive.

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 1.1: The Cloud & Why People Use It
Check Your Knowledge

Question 1

According to NIST, what is cloud computing?

A. A marketing term invented by Amazon Web Services (AWS)

B. Salesforce applications hosted in a remoted data center
C. On-demand network access to shared resources
D. A hardware server divided into multiple virtual servers

Answer C. Cloud computing is an on-demand network access to

shared resources.

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 1.1: The Cloud & Why People Use It
Check Your Knowledge

Question 2

What are on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling,

rapid elasticity, and measured services are considered which of the following?

A. Characteristics of a service provider according to IBV

B. Characteristics of compute options according to Gartner
C. Characteristics of deployment models according to ITG
D. Characteristics of the cloud computing according to NIST

Answer D. According to NIST, on-demand self-service, broad network

access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured services are
considered the five essential characteristics of the cloud.
7 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022
 1.1: The Cloud & Why People Use It
Check Your Knowledge

Question 3

Lower IT costs, flexible, efficient, secure, and faster time to market are all
benefits of ______________.

A. Cluster computing
B. Personal computing
C. Time sharing computing
D. Cloud computing

Answer D. Benefits of cloud computing include cost savings, flexible,

efficient (faster time to market), and secure.

8 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.1: The Cloud & Why People Use It
Check Your Knowledge

Question 4

Users can take advantage of cloud computing by using the __________ that
the cloud provides to react more quickly to changing business needs.

A. Monitoring
B. Artificial Intelligence
C. Agility
D. Security

Answer C. Cloud Computing offers improved agility, resulting in a

faster time to market.

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 1.1: The Cloud & Why People Use It
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Question 5

Cloud providers have redundancy built into their ______, data _______, and
disaster _______.

A. Systems, storage, recovery

B. Networks, backup, recovery
C. Networks, storage, recuperation
D. Cloud, backup, recovery

Answer B. Cloud providers have redundancy built into their networks,

data backup, and disaster recovery.

10 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.1: The Cloud & Why People Use It
Check Your Knowledge

Question 6

Which of the following are considered three types of cloud deployment

models?

A. Public, Private, Hybrid

B. Network, Public, Private
C. Public, Server, Private
D. Public, Private, Application

Answer A. Three types of cloud deployment models include Public,

Private, and Hybrid.

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 Introduction to Cloud Computing
Study Guide

Course 1.2: The History & Evolution of IBM Cloud

Introduction and Objectives:

In Course 1.2 of the study guide, the subject matter:
• Highlights the history and evolution of cloud computing.
• Provides information on virtualization, containers, and serverless computing.

Lessons
• Introduction and Objectives
• History of the Cloud
• Virtualization and Containers
• Serverless
• Course Summary
• Knowledge Check Questions

Objectives
• Summarize the history and evolution of the IBM Cloud
• Describe virtualization, containers, and serverless computing

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 Introduction to Cloud Computing
Study Guide

Course 1.2: The History & Evolution of IBM Cloud

Cloud computing is an evolution of technology over time.

• Concept of cloud computing evolves.

• The practice of time sharing or resource pooling evolved to make more efficient use
1950s of computing power via the mainframe.
• Shared access to the mainframe is limited by geographical constraints.

• In 1966, the ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) project is

initiated to enable access to remote computers.
1960s • IBM invents virtualization in 1967, which allows multiple virtual machines to run on
a single physical host.

• The release of an operating system called Virtual Machine (VM) made it possible for
mainframes to have multiple virtual systems or VMs on a single physical node.
1970s • Virtualization became a technology driver and a huge catalyst for the
largest evolutions in communications and computing.

• IBM invents the PC allowing more and more households and companies to own
1980s computers.
• Wired Ethernet networks allow companies to connect their computers.

• Over 1 million computers are connected to the Internet by 1992.

1990s • E-commerce starts to Emerge – Amazon is founded in 1995.
• Compaq coins the term "Cloud Computing" in 1995.

• Off-site, centrally managed hosting in data centers become more prevalent.

• Server virtualization becomes the norm, with VMware as a dominant player.
2000s • In 2006, Amazon launches its Elastic Compute Cloud.
• Both IBM and Microsoft have entered the cloud computing market by the end of the
2000s.

• Office 365 is launched in 2011, bringing SaaS to the masses.

• Dockers is established in 2013 and Kubernetes in 2014, paving the way for
container-based solutions.
• Serverless computing on the cloud is established in 2014.
2010s • Technologies such as the Internet of Things, Blockchain, and IBM Watson become
established.
• Edge Computing, Fog Computing, and advances in Machine Learning as well as
quantum computing are among likely future developments.

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 Introduction to Cloud Computing
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Course 1.2: The History & Evolution of IBM Cloud

What is virtualization?
Virtualization is the foundation of cloud computing, allowing multiple virtual machines to run on a single
physical host.

Types of Virtualization

Desktop Network Application Server

Runs multiple operating Uses software to create Runs application Allows multiple 'guest'
systems on the same an overview of the software without servers to share the
computer in their own network that an admin needing it to be installed same physical hardware
VM. can use to manage in the OS. by installing a
without needed access hypervisor.
to the physical
components.
2 types: 2 types: 3 types:
• Virtual desktop • Software-defined • Local application
• Local desktop networking (SDN) • Application streaming
• Network function • Server-based
virtualization (NFV) application

Benefits of Virtualization
• Resource efficiency
• Easier management
• Minimal downtime
• Faster provisioning

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 Introduction to Cloud Computing
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Course 1.2: The History & Evolution of IBM Cloud

What are containers?

Containers are an executable unit of software in which application code is packaged, along with its
libraries and dependencies, in common ways so that it can be run anywhere, whether it be on desktop,
traditional IT, or the cloud.

Container Characteristics
Containers are small, fast, and portable, and unlike VMs, they do not need to include a guest OS in every
instance. They can instead simply leverage the features and resources of the host OS.

Benefits of Containers

Includes
Streamline
Portable Allow for agile application's
development
DevOps and code, system
and
Lightweight continuous tools and
deployment of
integration and libraries,
cloud-native
Scalable delivery runtime, and
applications
settings

What is serverless computing?

Serverless is a cloud execution model that offloads management responsibility, such as patching,
provisioning, scheduling, and scaling to cloud providers while developers can spend their time and effort on
coding or building their applications.

Despite what the name implies, serverless environments are still built on a server infrastructure; however,
they are invisible in the sense that the clients do not see, manage, or interact with the servers.

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 1.2: The History & Evolution of IBM Cloud
Check Your Knowledge

Question 1

How does virtualization assist with cloud computing?

A. Speeds up mathematical calculations

B. Facilitates the management of keys
C. Slower provisioning
D. Efficient use of physical computer hardware

Answer D. Virtualization assists with cloud computing by efficiently

using physical computer hardware.

16 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.2: The History & Evolution of IBM Cloud
Check Your Knowledge

Question 2

Which company is responsible for introducing virtualization?

A. IBM
B. Microsoft
C. Compaq
D. Amazon

Answer A. IBM introduced visualization in 1967.

17 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.2: The History & Evolution of IBM Cloud
Check Your Knowledge

Question 3

What are resource efficiency, easier management, minimal downtime, and

faster provisioning the benefits of?

A. Visualization
B. Resource management
C. Virtualization
D. Dematerialization

Answer C. These are all benefits of virtualization.

18 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.2: The History & Evolution of IBM Cloud
Check Your Knowledge

Question 4

What is a type of application virtualization?

A. Virtual desktop
B. Software-defined networking (SDN) virtualization
C. CPU virtualization
D. Local application virtualization

Answer D. Local application virtualization is a type of application

virtualization, along with application streaming and server-based
application virtualization.
19 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022
 Introduction to Cloud Computing
Study Guide

Course 1.3: Cloud Adoption & Migration

Introduction and Objectives:

In Course 3 of the study guide, the subject matter:

• Explores the reasons organizations are moving some or all of their workloads to the cloud.
• Provides information on what cloud migration entails.
• Highlights the benefits of developing a cloud migration plan.
• Focuses on how to manage a successful migration.

Lessons
• Introduction and Objectives
• Cloud Adoption and Migration
• Course Summary
• Check Your Knowledge

Objectives
• Define adoption and migration
• Explore the strategies needed to develop a successful migration plan

20 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 Introduction to Cloud Computing
Study Guide

Course 1.3: Cloud Adoption & Migration

Cloud adoption is a strategy used by organizations to improve customer service and reduce costs while
increasing efficiencies. By migrating workloads to a cloud, organizations can improve operational
performance and agility, workload flexibility and scalability, and security.

Key Drivers Related to Cloud Migration

1. Agility
2. Flexibility
3. Competitiveness

Benefits of Cloud Adoption

1. Scalability – Investments in data center infrastructure and servers can be minimized by using the cloud
to maximize scalability.
2. Cost-Effectiveness – Customers pay only for the capacity needed now and can scale on demand.
3. Security – Complies with applicable industry standards and government regulations.
4. Backup and Recovery – Offers simple, yet effective solutions to protect data migrated to the cloud.
5. Accelerated Adoption – Allows customers to adopt new technologies faster, while also enabling
affordable, just-in-time technology adoption in response to business opportunities.
6. Cloud Dashboards – Offers real-time statistics and analytics, improving efficiencies of cloud strategies.

Challenges and Perceived Risks of Cloud Computing

• Data security

• Governance and sovereignty issues

• Legal, regulatory, and compliance issues

• Lack of standardization

• Choosing the right deployment and service models

• Partnering with the right cloud service providers

• Business continuity and disaster recovery

21 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 Introduction to Cloud Computing
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Course 1.3: Cloud Adoption & Migration

Key Considerations for Organizations Developing Their Cloud Strategy

1. Infrastructure and workloads – cost of building and operating data centers.

2. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and development platforms – paying for application access is
more viable versus buying off-the-shelf software and required upgrades.
3. Speed and productivity – getting a new application up and running in a few hours in the cloud
versus several weeks/months.
4. Use of cloud dashboards – efficiencies gained from cloud dashboards offers real-time
statistics and active analytics.
5. Risk exposure – invest in hardware/software versus renting by the hour; work on a plan to
build, write, test, and release the code if uncertain about adoption; or pay-as-you-go option
versus little or no trial or adoption.

Cloud adoption is no longer an option for the future.

Today anyone can access the computing capacity needed via the cloud. An IBM Institute for
Business Value study indicated more than three-quarters of enterprises today are using cloud
computing to expand into new industries:

A value of cloud adoption is the collaboration it allows between teams across

widespread geographical regions, including international locations.

To remain competitive, businesses need to be able to respond quickly to marketplace

changes, use analytics to understand customer experience, and apply that understanding to
adapt their products and services based on what they learn.

22 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.3: Cloud Adoption & Migration
Check Your Knowledge

Question 1

When thinking about migrating workloads to IBM Cloud, what is a common

key driver?

A. Agility
B. DevOps
C. Latency
D. Security

Answer A. Agility is a key driver when thinking about migrating to IBM

Cloud.

23 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.3: Cloud Adoption & Migration
Check Your Knowledge

Question 2

What is a primary benefit for companies who are considering adopting a cloud
computing model?

A. Latency
B. Efficiency
C. Integration
D. Stability

Answer B. Efficiency is a primary benefit for companies who are

considering adopting a cloud computing model.

24 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.3: Cloud Adoption & Migration
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Question 3

When considering risk, what should banks keep in mind when adopting a
cloud computing strategy?

A. Market trends
B. Competitors
C. Integration
D. Regulatory and compliance standards

Answer D. Banks need to be keeping regulatory and compliance

standards in mind when adopting a cloud computing strategy.

25 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.3: Cloud Adoption & Migration
Check Your Knowledge

Question 4

According to IBM Institute of Business Value, which of the following is a

reason companies often migrate to cloud computing when they consider
expanding into new industries?

A. Be seen as innovative
B. Protection against security threats
C. Improve the customer experience
D. Need to modernize infrastructure

Answer C. According to a study by the IBM Institute of Business

Value, companies want to improve the customer experience when
considering expanding into new industries.
26 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022
 1.3: Cloud Adoption & Migration
Check Your Knowledge

Question 5

What process is recommended for consideration if an international company

wants to adopt a cloud computing model?

A. Relocate some of the organization's data, applications, and

workloads to a cloud infrastructure.
B. Translate the organization's data, applications, and workloads into
the local languages.
C. Redistribute the organization's data, applications, and workloads to
the various countries.
D. Choose local cloud providers in each country and move their data.

Answer A. International companies planning to adopt a cloud computing

model should consider relocating some of the organization's data,
applications, and workloads to the cloud infrastructure.
27 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022
 1.3: Cloud Adoption & Migration
Check Your Knowledge

Question 6

What are considered benefits of cloud adoption?

A. Infrastructure security
B. Fixed costs and DevOps
C. Scalability and cost-effectiveness
D. Outsourcing and integration

Answer C. Scalability and cost-effectiveness are considered benefits

of cloud adoption.

28 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.3: Cloud Adoption & Migration
Check Your Knowledge

Question 7

Which of the following is considered a value provided by adopting a cloud

computing model?

A. Collaboration between teams from international locations

B. Elimination of the IT department
C. Elimination of jobs due to automation
D. Independence from local regulatory laws

Answer A. A cloud computing model encourages collaboration

between teams from international locations.

29 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 Introduction to Cloud Computing
Study Guide

Course 1.4: Job Roles that Support Cloud

Introduction and Objectives:

In Course 1.4 of the study guide, the subject matter:

• Focuses on the various career paths and job roles that interact with the IBM Cloud environment.
• Provides information on the different skills necessary for the job roles.
• Highlights a typical day for various jobs users of IBM Cloud have.

Lessons
• Introduction and Objectives
• Job Roles that Support Cloud
• Course Summary
• Check Your Knowledge

Objectives
• Gain awareness of different job roles users of IBM Cloud have
• Identify various career paths that interact with the IBM Cloud environment

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 Introduction to Cloud Computing
Study Guide

Course 1.4: Job Roles that Support Cloud

Various Job Roles that Interact with IBM Cloud:

IBM Cloud Architect

• Designs cloud solutions to solve client problems

• Focuses on data management, which includes designing, creating, deploying, and
managing an organization's data architecture

IBM Cloud Developer

• Takes a conceptional design to build solutions and applications

• Responsible for writing code to create and maintain cloud application

IBM Cloud Security Engineer

• Detects risk and protects vulnerable systems to keep clients and customers safe in
the cyberworld
• Responds to security incident escalations and proactively engineers security and
compliance best practices

IBM Cloud Site Reliability Engineer

• Ensures users have successful interactions by analyzing and learning from system
issues to automate IT operations and improve system availability and reliability
• Helps clients build a modern network operations center

IBM Cloud Sales Engineer

• Assists clients in creating action plans to help them resolve critical business
problems
• Accountable for partner enablement goals by driving innovative technical programs
and overseeing day-to-day technical account-level activities

31 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.4: Job Roles that Support Cloud
Check Your Knowledge

Question 1

What IBM Cloud role designs cloud solutions?

A. IBM Cloud Site Reliability Engineer

B. IBM Cloud Architect
C. IBM Cloud Developer
D. IBM Cloud Security Engineer

Answer B. IBM Cloud Architects recommend and design cloud solutions

to solve client problems.

32 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.4: Job Roles that Support Cloud
Check Your Knowledge

Question 2

What IBM Cloud role assists clients in creating action plans to help them resolve
critical business problems?

A. IBM Cloud Architect

B. IBM Cloud Site Reliability Engineer
C. IBM Cloud Sales Engineer
D. IBM Cloud Security Engineer

Answer C. IBM Cloud Sales Engineers assist clients in creating action

plans to help them resolve critical business problems.

33 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.4: Job Roles that Support Cloud
Check Your Knowledge

Question 3

What IBM Cloud role automates IT operations and improves system availability
and reliability?

A. IBM Cloud Architect

B. IBM Cloud Site Reliability Engineer
C. IBM Cloud Developer
D. IBM Cloud Security Engineer

Answer B. IBM Cloud Site Reliability Engineers automate IT operations and

improve system availability and reliability.

34 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.4: Job Roles that Support Cloud
Check Your Knowledge

Question 4

What IBM Cloud role can assist a client with the build a modern network
operations center?

A. IBM Cloud Developer

B. IBM Cloud Site Reliability Engineer
C. IBM Cloud Sales Engineer
D. IBM Cloud Security Engineer

Answer B. IBM Cloud Site Reliability Engineers can help clients build a
modern network operations center.

35 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022

 1.4: Job Roles that Support Cloud
Check Your Knowledge

Question 5

What IBM Cloud role is responsible for writing code to create and maintain cloud
applications?

A. IBM Cloud Sales Engineer

B. IBM Cloud Site Reliability Engineer
C. IBM Cloud Security Engineer
D. IBM Cloud Developer

Answer D. IBM Cloud Developers are responsible for writing code to create
and maintain cloud applications.

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 Introduction to Cloud Computing
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Acronyms

Acronym Acronym Expansion

API Application Programming Interface

ARPNET Advanced Research Projects Agency Network

AWS Amazon Web Services

DevOps Development - Operations

IBV Institute for Business Value

IT Information Technology

ITG Information Technology Governance

NFV Network function virtualization

NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology

OS Operating system

PC Personal computer

SaaS Software-as-a-Service

SDN Software-define networking

VM Virtual machine

37 © Copyright IBM Corp. 2022