Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)Cloud Concepts, Architecture and DesignHard
An organization is migrating its legacy applications to a public cloud. They discover that one critical application relies on a specific operating system version and proprietary hardware that is not supported by the cloud provider's standard Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings. Which cloud computing security challenge does this scenario primarily represent?
- AVendor lock-in
- BLack of data sovereignty
- CCompliance with regulatory frameworks
- DInteroperability and portability
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Interoperability and portability
The inability to easily move or adapt an application due to incompatible underlying infrastructure or software (like specific OS versions or proprietary hardware) directly relates to challenges in interoperability (how systems work together) and portability (ability to move workloads).
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Vendor lock-in is a consequence, but the direct challenge presented by the scenario is the technical difficulty of moving the application due to incompatibilities.
- B. Lack of data sovereignty relates to legal control over data based on its location, not technical compatibility.
- C. Compliance involves meeting legal/regulatory standards, not technical compatibility issues with specific OS/hardware.
Cloud Interoperability and Portability
The ability of cloud systems to work together and the ease with which data and applications can be moved between different cloud environments or between on-premises and cloud.
- Lack of interoperability can lead to vendor lock-in.
- Challenges arise from proprietary APIs, data formats, and infrastructure dependencies.
- Standards and open-source technologies aim to improve both.
Memory trick: Interoperability and Portability: Can your 'app-boat' sail between different 'cloud-seas'?