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Information Systems and Controls/Blueprint/1.A

IT infrastructure and architecture

Area 1: Information Systems and Data Management (35-45%)

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Topics

  • Network architecture and components
  • Cloud computing models
  • Hardware and operating system concepts

Lessons

  • IT Infrastructure and Architecture

Study Frameworks

IT Infrastructure Layers

IT Infrastructure Stack
Hardware Layer
Servers, workstations, mobile devices
Storage (SAN, NAS, DAS)
Network hardware (routers, switches, firewalls)
Network Layer
LAN, WAN, VPN, WLAN
TCP/IP protocol stack
DNS, DHCP, load balancers
Operating System Layer
Resource management and process scheduling
User access and file system permissions
Patch management and hardening
Application Layer
ERP, CRM, financial reporting systems
Custom vs. commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)
SDLC controls and change management
Data Layer
Relational databases (SQL) and NoSQL
Data warehouses, data lakes, ETL processes
Encryption at rest and in transit

Cloud Computing Models — Shared Responsibility

Cloud Service Models
IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
Provider manages: physical hardware, networking, virtualization
Customer manages: OS, middleware, applications, data
Examples: AWS EC2, Azure VMs, Google Compute Engine
PaaS (Platform as a Service)
Provider manages: everything through runtime environment
Customer manages: applications and data only
Examples: Azure App Service, Google App Engine, Heroku
SaaS (Software as a Service)
Provider manages: entire stack including application
Customer manages: user access, configuration, data governance
Examples: Salesforce, Microsoft 365, QuickBooks Online
Deployment Models
Public — shared infrastructure, multi-tenant
Private — dedicated infrastructure, single tenant
Hybrid — mix of on-premises and cloud
Community — shared by organizations with common concerns

Cloud Deployment Model Selection

Does the organization require full control over physical infrastructure and data sovereignty?
Yes
On-premises — maximum control, highest cost, organization manages everything
No
Does the organization need to manage the OS, middleware, and runtime environment?
Yes
IaaS — provider manages hardware/networking; customer manages OS through applications
No
Does the organization need to deploy and manage custom application code?
Yes
PaaS — provider manages through runtime; customer manages application code and data
No
SaaS — provider manages entire stack; customer manages configuration and user access only
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