Cloud Digital Leader Why cloud technology is transforming business Practice Question
A media company needs to transcode and store thousands of video files daily, with variable demand. They want to minimize costs while ensuring fast processing. How does cloud transformation help?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that serverless functions like Cloud Functions are a universal solution for all processing tasks, but candidates fail to consider execution timeouts and resource limits that make them impractical for long-running or resource-intensive jobs like video transcoding.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Using Cloud Transcoder API and Cloud Storage with lifecycle policies
Cloud Transcoder API provides a serverless, scalable transcoding service that automatically handles variable demand, while Cloud Storage with lifecycle policies (e.g., moving files to Nearline or Archive after 30 days) minimizes storage costs. This combination ensures fast processing without provisioning fixed infrastructure, directly addressing the need for cost efficiency and speed under fluctuating workloads.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Using Cloud Transcoder API and Cloud Storage with lifecycle policies
Why this is correct
Cloud Transcoder auto-scales, and Cloud Storage lifecycle moves old files to cheaper tiers, optimizing cost.
- ✗
Deploying dedicated physical servers in a colocation facility
Why it's wrong here
Physical servers lead to over-provisioning and underutilization with variable demand.
- ✗
Using batch scripts on a fixed number of on-premise servers
Why it's wrong here
Fixed capacity cannot adapt to spikes in demand.
- ✗
Using Cloud Functions to process each video
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Functions have time limits and are not suited for long-running transcoding.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Cloud Digital Transformation
Key term
Serverless
Serverless is a cloud computing model where the cloud provider manages the servers, and you only pay for the actual compute time your code uses, without having to worry about provisioning or maintaining infrastructure.
Key term
Cloud storage
Cloud storage is a service that lets you save data on remote servers accessed over the internet instead of on your computer's hard drive.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This GCDL practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the GCDL exam.