CCP (Other exams) key terms

The ability of a cloud environment to automatically add or remove resources as demand rises or falls, so capacity roughly matches workload needs at any moment.

The capacity of a system to grow its resources, vertically by enlarging a single node or horizontally by adding more nodes, to handle increased load.

An architecture in which one physical or logical instance of a service serves many separate customers while keeping each tenant's data and activity isolated from the others.

A division of duties in which the provider secures the underlying cloud infrastructure while the customer secures what they deploy, configure, and store in it.

An isolated location within a cloud region, with independent power and network, used to place resources so a single failure does not take down the whole deployment.

A geographic area containing multiple isolated data center groupings, chosen to place workloads near users and to satisfy data residency or latency requirements.

The property of a system that keeps operating correctly, often without interruption, when one or more of its components fail unexpectedly.

A design goal that minimizes downtime by removing single points of failure and enabling quick recovery, typically measured as a percentage of uptime.

Distributing incoming traffic or work across multiple backend servers so no single instance is overwhelmed and failed instances can be bypassed.

A policy-driven mechanism that adds or removes compute instances based on metrics such as CPU use or queue depth, without manual intervention.

A logically isolated network within a public cloud where you define your own address ranges, subnets, routing, and access rules for your resources.

A subdivided range of IP addresses within a virtual network, used to separate resources by function or to control which resources can reach the internet.

A set of rules that determines where network traffic from a subnet or gateway is directed, such as to a local network, the internet, or a peer connection.

A stateful virtual firewall attached to individual resources that permits or denies inbound and outbound traffic based on protocol, port, and source or destination.

A stateless subnet-level filter that evaluates ordered allow and deny rules for traffic crossing a subnet boundary, applied to all resources in that subnet.

The system of users, groups, roles, and policies that controls who can perform which actions on which cloud resources, and under what conditions.

A security principle of granting each identity only the permissions strictly needed for its task, and no more, to limit the impact of misuse or compromise.

Assigning permissions to job-function roles rather than to individuals, so users inherit the rights of their assigned role and changes are managed centrally.

Trusting an external identity provider to authenticate users so they can sign in to cloud services with existing credentials instead of separate accounts.

An authentication arrangement letting a user log in once and access multiple applications or cloud services without re-entering credentials for each one.

Requiring two or more independent forms of proof, such as a password plus a one-time code, before granting access to an account or resource.

Protecting stored data by converting it into unreadable ciphertext using keys, so the data cannot be read if the storage medium is accessed without authorization.

Protecting data while it moves across a network by encrypting the connection, such as with TLS, so intercepted traffic cannot be read or altered.

The practice of generating, storing, rotating, and controlling access to cryptographic keys used to encrypt cloud data and protect other secrets.

Storing and controlling access to sensitive values such as passwords, API tokens, and certificates in a protected vault rather than in code or configuration files.

A storage model that keeps data as discrete objects in flat containers, each with metadata and a unique key, well suited to large volumes of unstructured files.

Storage presented as fixed-size volumes that attach to a compute instance and behave like a local disk, used for databases and operating system drives.

Classifying stored data by access frequency and moving it between performance and cost tiers so infrequently used data costs less to keep.

A set of automated rules that transitions stored data between tiers or deletes it after a defined age or condition, reducing manual management and cost.

A point-in-time copy of a volume or database captured for backup or recovery, often stored incrementally so only changes since the last copy are saved.

A legal or policy requirement that certain data be stored and processed only within specified geographic boundaries, influencing where cloud resources are deployed.

The policy defining how long data must be kept, where it is stored, and when it must be securely deleted to meet legal and operational requirements.

The maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time, determining how frequently backups or replication must occur for a workload.

The maximum acceptable time to restore a workload after a disruption, guiding the choice of standby capacity and recovery procedures.

The full lifetime cost of a solution, including compute, storage, network, licensing, staffing, and migration, used to compare cloud and on-premises options fairly.

Upfront spending on durable assets such as servers and data centers that are owned and depreciated over time, typical of traditional on-premises IT.

Ongoing pay-as-you-go spending on services consumed, such as hourly compute or per-gigabyte storage, which appears as a recurring operating cost rather than an owned asset.

Attaching key-value metadata to cloud resources so costs and ownership can be grouped, reported, and governed by project, department, or environment.

A notification triggered when spending or forecasted spending for a defined scope crosses a threshold, prompting review before costs exceed expectations.

Reporting cloud costs back to the teams or departments that incurred them, without transferring the actual charges, to build cost awareness and accountability.