Google Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer Question 100
Single answerGoogle Cloud PlatformA retail company is designing a new e-commerce platform on Google Cloud. The platform must handle high traffic during peak sales events, such as Black Friday, with minimal downtime. The engineering team is considering targeting 99.99% availability (four nines) for the platform. However, achieving this level of reliability will require significant investment in infrastructure and operational costs. Which factor should the team prioritize when deciding the appropriate number of nines for availability?
- A
The cost of implementing additional fault-tolerant infrastructure to achieve higher reliability.
- B
The potential revenue loss for each minute of downtime during peak sales events.
- C
The performance of the platform under normal traffic conditions.
- D
The alignment of availability goals with the business's tolerance for risk and opportunity cost.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
Setting the appropriate availability target (e.g., 99.9%, 99.99%) requires a balance between the cost of achieving higher reliability and the potential risks and losses associated with downtime. Businesses must evaluate their tolerance for risk and weigh the opportunity cost of investing in additional infrastructure against the potential impact of downtime on revenue and customer satisfaction. Option 4 captures this holistic approach, making it the correct answer.
- A. Incorrect.
This is an important consideration, as higher reliability often comes with increased costs. However, it does not fully encompass the decision-making process of balancing cost, risk, and opportunity.
- B. Incorrect.
While revenue loss during downtime is a critical metric, it is only one part of the equation. It does not address the broader concept of opportunity cost and risk tolerance.
- C. Incorrect.
Platform performance under normal conditions is important, but it is not directly related to the decision about availability targets and opportunity cost.
- D. Correct.
This is the correct answer because it encapsulates the broader decision-making process of balancing the cost of higher reliability, the risk of downtime, and the business's tolerance for those risks.