Altostrat Media Case Study for the PCA exam: A Closer Look
If you're preparing for the Professional Cloud Architect exam, you probably know already that Google has updated the exam and updated most of the case studies that will be part of the exam. One of the case studies I've gotten asked most about is the Altostrat Media case study. This article will look a little closer at this case study.
This Altostrat scenario represents how Google might be interested in your ability to integrate legacy infrastructure with modern artificial intelligence. The case study imagines that Altostrat is a prominent media player with a huge library of podcasts and videos, and they are currently at a crossroads between their existing Google Cloud setup and their remaining on-premises systems. That's a situation that a lot of companies are in or will be in soon!
Hybrid Environment
Something that stands out is Altostrat's hybrid environment.
"Hybrid" just means both on prem and cloud.
Altostrat already uses Google Kubernetes Engine for scalability and Cloud Storage for their media library, but they still have legacy systems for content ingestion and archiving.
On the exam, you will need to know how to connect these worlds using high-performance connectivity. You should focus on how to provide a consistent Kubernetes experience both on-premises and in the cloud while moving toward a centralized management platform for containerized deployments.
AI transition
One reason I think people are so interested in this case study, aside from the fact that it's new, is the heavy emphasis on generative AI. Altostrat wants to move beyond basic automation to create natural language interactions and 24/7 user support.
This implies that in order to help them, you may need to make recommendations about how LLMs can be used to generate concise summaries of media and how computer vision can extract rich metadata from video assets.
Another specific requirement that might show up on the exam related to this case study is AI safety. Altostrat needs to detect and filter inappropriate content while ensuring that all AI decisions are auditable and explainable to human operators.
Priorities when advising Altostrat
The case study makes clear that Altostrat prioritizes reliability and cost management above almost everything else, and as a cloud architect you would be responsible for keeping that in mind as you design solutions.
Altostrat wants to optimize their storage costs as their media volumes grow, which means you should be ready to answer questions about storage lifecycle policies and cost-efficient data archival too.
Their ultimate goal is to use these technical upgrades to drive revenue through targeted marketing and personalized product suggestions. When you analyze this case study, always look for the solution that balances cutting-edge AI features with strict operational stability and fiscal responsibility.
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