DUE: 17-01-2025
Lab1: Designing Cloud Architecture for an E-commerce Business
Welcome to today's lab session! In this exercise, you will be working on a practical task
where you will design a cloud architecture for a fictional e-commerce company of your
choice. Your goal is to evaluate and choose the best cloud solution based on the
company’s business requirements, then present your decisions.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lab, you will be able to:
1. Identify which cloud computing model (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) is best for the business
scenario.
2. Justify your choice by explaining how it addresses key business needs, such as
scalability and security.
3. Design a simple cloud architecture and explain why it works best for the
business.
4. Present your findings and architecture clearly.
Duration: 1 week
Lab Breakdown:
1. Introduction to the Task
• Introduce the business scenario and the key requirements. This e-commerce
company needs to scale quickly during busy periods (like sales) and securely
handle large amounts of customer data.
• Here are the three types of cloud models for your start:
o IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service): Provides virtualized computing
resources like servers and storage. You manage the OS, apps, and data.
o PaaS (Platform as a Service): A platform for building and hosting
applications. You don't manage hardware or software layers, just your
app.
o SaaS (Software as a Service): Pre-built software applications that you
access online (e.g., email services, CRM software).
2. Group Work: Design the Cloud Architecture (45 minutes)
• You will be divided into small groups. Each group will:
DUE: 17-01-2025
1. Choose the Best Cloud Model: Based on the business case, decide
which cloud model (IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS) is best for your e-commerce
company.
2. Design a Simple Cloud Architecture:
▪ Create a basic diagram that shows how the cloud solution will
work.
▪ Pick which cloud services (e.g., compute, storage, databases) you
need.
▪ Write a brief explanation of why your choice fits the business
needs, focusing on scalability (handling high traffic) and security
(protecting customer data).
o Tip: You may want to research cloud services from providers like AWS,
Azure, or Google Cloud to help guide your decisions.
3. Group Submission
Each group will submit their cloud architecture and choice of model to Lab 1 folder.
o The cloud model you selected (IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS).
o Why this model is the best fit for the e-commerce company (how it
addresses the business needs of scalability and security).
o Summarize the key points, emphasizing the importance of choosing the
right cloud model to meet business needs.
o A simple diagram to show your architecture.
5. Discussion & Wrap-Up
After each group submissions, feel free to ask other groups about their choices.
Assessment Criteria
You will be assessed based on:
1. Cloud Architecture Choice (50%): Did you select a reasonable cloud model
(IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS) for the business?
2. Justification (30%): Did you explain clearly why your cloud choice addresses the
business needs (scalability, security)?
3. Presentation & Diagram (20%): Was your architecture diagram clear and easy to
understand? Did you present your solution confidently?
DUE: 17-01-2025
