Google Cloud Digital Leader glossary of cloud fundamentals, AI, security, and business terms.
Use this glossary when Google Cloud Digital Leader (Cloud Digital Leader) terms start to blur together. The goal is practical recognition, not encyclopedia coverage.
| Term | Exam meaning |
|---|---|
| Shared responsibility | Division of security and operational duties between cloud provider and customer. |
| Modernization | Changing systems and processes to use cloud-native capabilities and operating models. |
| Data-driven decision | Using governed data and analytics to guide business action. |
| FinOps | Operating discipline for cloud cost visibility, accountability, and optimization. |
| Reliability | Ability of a system to continue meeting requirements despite failures. |
| Governance | Policies, ownership, and controls that guide safe cloud use. |
| Pair | How to separate them |
|---|---|
| Cloud value and strategy vs Google Cloud services | Ask which layer the scenario is testing, then match the answer to that layer only. |
| Control vs evidence | A control changes behavior; evidence proves behavior or supports investigation. |
| Managed service vs custom build | Managed services win for lower operational effort unless the requirement needs unsupported customization. |
| Prevention vs detection | Prevention blocks or reduces a bad event; detection finds or reports that it happened. |
Do not memorize terms in isolation. For each term, write one scenario where it is the best answer, one scenario where it is a distractor, and one signal that proves it worked.