Google Cloud Addendum: Questions and Answers - April 29
Meeting Purpose
Review and discuss practice test questions for the Google Professional Cloud Architect exam
Key Takeaways
- Covered 110+ practice questions spanning core GCP services, DevOps practices, security, compliance, and architecture design
- Questions focused on real-world scenarios, emphasizing best practices for scalability, reliability, and cost optimization
- Key themes included migration strategies, disaster recovery, data management, and secure application deployment
Topics
Exam Preparation Strategy
- Provided 9 chapters covering core GCP resources
- Practice test focuses on DevOps, DevSecOps, GCP engineering practices, security frameworks, and vulnerability management
- Aims to evaluate organization's security controls, policies, and procedures
- Covers regulatory requirements (PCI-DSS, HIPAA, FERPA) and standards (NIST-853, FedRAMP, HighTrust)
Infrastructure and Deployment Optimization
- Use slim base images (e.g., Alpine Linux) for faster Docker deployments
- Implement canary deployments for gradual rollouts
- Utilize managed instance groups with auto-scaling for improved test execution
Database and Storage Solutions
- BigQuery for large-scale analytics (100+ TB)
- Cloud Bigtable for high-throughput time series data
- Cloud Storage for long-term retention and multi-regional distribution
Networking and Security
- Implement Cloud VPN and Cloud Interconnect for secure, high-bandwidth connections
- Use Cloud Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) for secure authentication with on-premises Active Directory
- Implement firewall rules and VPC design for proper network segmentation
Monitoring and Logging
- Utilize Stackdriver (now Operations Suite) for comprehensive logging and monitoring
- Export logs to BigQuery for long-term retention and analysis
- Implement custom metrics and alerts for proactive issue detection
Compliance and Data Protection
- Use Cloud Data Loss Prevention (DLP) API for PII and sensitive data management
- Design security architecture to meet GDPR requirements
- Implement customer-managed encryption keys for enhanced data protection
Application Modernization and Migration
- Leverage App Engine and Cloud Functions for serverless, auto-scaling applications
- Use Kubernetes Engine (GKE) for container orchestration and microservices architecture
- Implement Cloud SQL proxies and failover replicas for database high availability
Cost Optimization
- Utilize preemptible VMs for batch workloads
- Implement sustained use discounts and committed use contracts
- Use lifecycle management in Cloud Storage for cost-effective data retention
Next Steps
- Review and study the practice questions in detail
- Focus on areas of weakness identified during the practice test
- Implement hands-on labs to reinforce understanding of key concepts
- Schedule the Google Professional Cloud Architect exam when ready