Question 1

Firms that want significant control over the operating system and applications they put 'in the cloud' should choose an IaaS service over an SaaS offering.

Accepted Answer

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides more flexibility and control over the operating system and applications compared to Software as a Service (SaaS), which is a pre-built application hosted in the cloud. Therefore, firms that want significant control over their cloud environment should choose IaaS over SaaS.

Question 2

Consumerization of corporate technology stifles employee creativity.

Accepted Answer

Consumerization of corporate technology actually encourages employee creativity by providing them with tools and resources that are familiar and easy to use, allowing them to work more efficiently and effectively.

Question 3

Many SaaS vendors have improved system customization options and integration with standard software packages.

Accepted Answer

Many SaaS vendors now offer a variety of customizations and integrations with other software applications to improve overall functionality and user experience.

Question 4

Vendors frequently sign _____ with their customers to ensure a guaranteed uptime and define their ability to meet demand spikes.
A) infrastructure provider contracts
B) host vendor terms
C) open source contracts
D) service level agreements
E) requests for information

Accepted Answer

Service level agreements (SLAs) are agreements between vendors and customers that define the level of service to be provided, including uptime guarantees and response time commitments.

Question 5

Products and services designed to target a specific industry are known as _____.
A) mature markets
B) commodities
C) vertical niches
D) parity products
E) unified markets

Accepted Answer

Products and services designed to target a specific industry are known as vertical niches. These products and services are tailored to meet the specific needs and requirements of a particular industry, making them more effective and valuable to businesses within that industry.

Question 6

What are the risks associated with software as a service?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the risks associated with software...

Question 7

Define SaaS. How do firms using SaaS products lower several costs associated with their information systems?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Define SaaS. How do firms using SaaS...

Question 8

SaaS offerings usually work well when the bulk of computing happens at the client end of a distributed system.

Accepted Answer

SaaS offerings work well when the bulk of computing happens at the provider end of a distributed system, with the user only needing a device with internet access to use the software application.

Question 9

Installing a complex set of an organization's legacy systems on third-party hardware can be a brutal challenge. For that reason we can expect most cloud computing efforts to focus on:
A) new software development projects.
B) bettering the options for old software.
C) improving quality of existing code.
D) migrating to a set of robust and well-defined standards.
E) the development of large pools of in-house specially suited hardware.

Accepted Answer

The installation of legacy systems on third-party hardware can be a difficult task, which makes it less likely that organizations will prioritize such efforts in their cloud computing initiatives. Instead, the focus is likely to fall on developing new software projects that take advantage of cloud-based resources and capabilities. Therefore, the best choice is A) new software development projects.

Question 10

_____ is a term used to describe unpredictable, but highly impactful events.
A) Straddling
B) Viral trojans
C) Black swans
D) Power plays
E) Flash outs

Accepted Answer

The term "black swans" is used to describe unpredictable events that have a significant impact. The term comes from the idea that before black swans were discovered in Australia, people believed that all swans were white. The discovery of black swans was an unexpected event that challenged people's assumptions. In the same way, black swan events are unexpected and challenge our assumptions about the future.

Question 11

Employees, at their own initiative, can go to SocialText or Google Sites and set up a wiki, WordPress to start blogging, or subscribe to a SaaS offering like SalesForce.com, all without corporate oversight and approval. This _____ of technology is one of the challenges associated with the adoption of SaaS models.
A) crowdsourcing
B) disintermediation
C) integration
D) scalability
E) consumerization

Accepted Answer

The option described in the question is an example of consumerization of technology, where employees use technology for personal use and bring it into the workplace without IT oversight or approval. This can create challenges for the adoption of SaaS models, as it can lead to security and compliance issues.

Question 12

The term _____ describes the use of cloud computing to provide excess capacity during periods of spiking demand.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The term _____ describes the use of...

Question 13

Which of the following is one of the characteristics of using software as a service model?
A) Longer deployment times
B) Scalable systems
C) Fixed operating expenses
D) Heightened financial risk
E) Higher maintenance costs

Accepted Answer

Scalable systems are a key characteristic of the software as a service model, meaning that the service can easily adapt and grow with the needs of the user without requiring significant changes or investment in infrastructure. The other options (A, C, D, E) are not necessarily associated with the SaaS model.

Question 14

Cloud computing is not typically suited for situations:
A) involving offloading of expensive computing tasks.
B) where complex legacy systems have to be ported.
C) with no existing regulatory compliance issues.
D) where pricing economics favor buying over renting.
E) characterized by limited-time tasks.

Accepted Answer

Cloud computing may not be well-suited for situations where complex legacy systems have to be ported, as this process can require significant time and resources to ensure compatibility with cloud infrastructure.

Question 15

What are benefits afforded to vendors by SaaS?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are benefits afforded to vendors by...

Question 16

Which of the following is one of the benefits enjoyed by SaaS vendors?
A) Development across multiple platforms
B) Limits accessibility to resources by just about anybody
C) Lower distribution costs
D) Lower hardware maintenance costs
E) Faster product deployment

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is one of...

Question 17

In _____, clients can select their own operating systems, development environments, underlying applications like databases, or other software packages, while the cloud firm usually manages the infrastructure.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In _____, clients can select their own...

Question 18

Which of the following is true of software as a service (SaaS)?
A) Firms spend more using SaaS.
B) It refers to software that is made available by a third-party online.
C) Due to US and European legal requirements, there are no accounting and corporate finance implications for SaaS in these regions.
D) Saas firms face diseconomies of scale.
E) SaaS vendors are less attuned to customer needs.

Accepted Answer

SaaS refers to software that is made available by a third-party online. This is the defining characteristic of SaaS and distinguishes it from traditional software. Other options are false.

Question 19

Cloud vendors that hosting hardware, operating system, database, and other software, which clients can then use to build their own applications, are said to be providing:
A) Software as a Service.
B) Hardware as a Service.
C) Platform as a Service.
D) Service Oriented Architecture.
E) Service Level Agreement.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Cloud vendors that hosting hardware, operating system,...

Question 20

One of the risks associated with SaaS is the:
A) dependence on a single vendor.
B) inability to migrate to new versions of software.
C) reduced reliance on a network connection.
D) costs associated with storing large amounts of data in-house.
E) user interface of Web-based software being more sophisticated than desktop alternatives.

Accepted Answer

SaaS involves outsourcing software services to a third-party vendor, which means the success of the software is dependent on the vendor's ability to provide a stable and reliable service. If the vendor goes out of business, experiences a system outage or security breach, or has a data loss disaster, it can affect the access and security of the user's data. Hence, there is a risk associated with dependence on a single vendor.

Quiz 14: Software in Flux: Partly Cloudy and Sometimes Free

Firms that want significant control over the operating system and applications they put 'in the cloud' should choose an IaaS service over an SaaS offering.

Consumerization of corporate technology stifles employee creativity.

Many SaaS vendors have improved system customization options and integration with standard software packages.

Vendors frequently sign _____ with their customers to ensure a guaranteed uptime and define their ability to meet demand spikes.

Products and services designed to target a specific industry are known as _____.

What are the risks associated with software as a service?

Define SaaS. How do firms using SaaS products lower several costs associated with their information systems?

SaaS offerings usually work well when the bulk of computing happens at the client end of a distributed system.

Installing a complex set of an organization's legacy systems on third-party hardware can be a brutal challenge. For that reason we can expect most cloud computing efforts to focus on:

_____ is a term used to describe unpredictable, but highly impactful events.

The term _____ describes the use of cloud computing to provide excess capacity during periods of spiking demand.

Which of the following is one of the characteristics of using software as a service model?

Cloud computing is not typically suited for situations:

What are benefits afforded to vendors by SaaS?

Which of the following is one of the benefits enjoyed by SaaS vendors?

In _____, clients can select their own operating systems, development environments, underlying applications like databases, or other software packages, while the cloud firm usually manages the infrastructure.

Which of the following is true of software as a service (SaaS) ?

Cloud vendors that hosting hardware, operating system, database, and other software, which clients can then use to build their own applications, are said to be providing:

One of the risks associated with SaaS is the: