Disadvantages of cloud storage

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. You are on a long flight with no Wi-Fi. What happens to files that are stored only in the cloud?

A You cannot open them until you get an internet connection

B You can open them as normal because cloud files are stored on your device

2. Which cost is a disadvantage of cloud storage?

A A subscription fee that keeps being charged for extra space

B A one-off payment that covers unlimited storage forever

3. Who controls the servers where your cloud data is held?

A You, the customer

B A third-party provider

4. Which is a security risk of cloud storage?

A Hackers could break into the provider's servers or your account

B Data can only be read by someone sitting at the server

5. You need to upload a 50 GB video on a slow broadband connection. What is the problem?

A The upload will be instant because the cloud is fast

B The upload will take a very long time

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1cloud storage disadvantages		ACloud storage often needs a paid subscription for more space and always needs an internet connection to access the files
2if internet = OFFLINE then files = NO ACCESS		Bmonthly_fee ← 2.99 * 12
3Cloud storage usually has an ongoing subscription cost, so extra space is paid for every month		Ctime ← file_size / connection_speed
4Large files take a long time to upload or download over a slow internet connection		DCloud data is held by a third-party provider on their servers, so it could be hacked or accessed by others, not just the owner
5Cloud data is on my own device, so only I can ever access it or hack it		EProblems with saving data online, such as needing internet, ongoing fees, third-party security risks and slow transfers of large files
6Cloud storage is always free and works without any internet		FWithout an internet connection, a student cannot open or save files held in the cloud

Definitions

cloud storage disadvantages

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

IF connected = _____ THEN OUTPUT "No access to cloud files" ENDIF

yearlyCost ← monthlyFee * 12 ______ yearlyCost

IF breach = TRUE ____ OUTPUT "Provider data may be hacked" ENDIF

IF fileSize > 5000 ___ speed < 10 THEN OUTPUT "Upload will be slow" ENDIF

IF fileSize > 5000 THEN OUTPUT "Large upload will be slow" _____

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A internet ← FALSE

B IF internet = TRUE THEN

C OUTPUT "Cannot open files"

D ENDIF

Question 2

A total ← 0

B FOR month ← 1 TO 12

C total ← 5

D NEXT month

E OUTPUT total

Question 3

A hacked = TRUE

B IF hacked = TRUE THEN

C OUTPUT "Data may be stolen"

D ENDIF

Question 4

A cloudCost ← 5 * 12

B localCost ← 50

C IF cloudCost > localCost THEN

D OUTPUT "Cloud costs less"

E ENDIF

Question 5

A connected = False

B if not connected:

C print "No access"

Answer Key

Disadvantages of cloud storage

Section A: Quick Questions

A — You cannot open them until you get an internet connection

A — A subscription fee that keeps being charged for extra space

B — A third-party provider

A — Hackers could break into the provider's servers or your account

B — The upload will take a very long time

Section B: Match the Pairs

cloud storage disadvantages → Problems with saving data online, such as needing internet, ongoing fees, third-party security risks and slow transfers of large files

if internet = OFFLINE then files = NO ACCESS → Without an internet connection, a student cannot open or save files held in the cloud

Cloud storage usually has an ongoing subscription cost, so extra space is paid for every month → monthly_fee ← 2.99 * 12

Large files take a long time to upload or download over a slow internet connection → time ← file_size / connection_speed

Cloud data is on my own device, so only I can ever access it or hack it → Cloud data is held by a third-party provider on their servers, so it could be hacked or accessed by others, not just the owner

Cloud storage is always free and works without any internet → Cloud storage often needs a paid subscription for more space and always needs an internet connection to access the files

Section C: Definitions

cloud storage disadvantages — Problems with saving data online: no internet means no access, ongoing subscription fees, data held by a third party that could be hacked, and slow transfers of large files.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

IF connected = FALSE THEN
  OUTPUT "No access to cloud files"
ENDIF

yearlyCost ← monthlyFee * 12
OUTPUT yearlyCost

IF breach = TRUE THEN
  OUTPUT "Provider data may be hacked"
ENDIF

IF fileSize > 5000 AND speed < 10 THEN
  OUTPUT "Upload will be slow"
ENDIF

IF fileSize > 5000 THEN
  OUTPUT "Large upload will be slow"
ENDIF

Section E: Spot the Error

B — With no internet connection, cloud files cannot be reached. The test should be internet = FALSE so the 'Cannot open files' message runs when there is no connection.

C — A subscription is an ongoing cost that builds up each month. The line must add to the running total (total ← total + 5), not overwrite it with 5.

A — In IGCSE pseudocode a value is assigned to a variable with the ← arrow, not =. The line should be hacked ← TRUE.

D — Cloud costs 5 * 12 = 60 a year, which is more than the one-off local cost of 50. The ongoing subscription makes cloud more expensive, so the message should say 'Cloud costs more'.

C — In Python 3, print is a function, so its text must be inside brackets. It should be print("No access").