Duration 2 days – 14 hrs
Overview
Cloud computing is the term given to the availability of IT resources usually supplied by an external 3rd party service provider and accessed using the Internet and in which the end user has constant on-demand access. These resources can be provided with minimal user manage mentor service provider interaction.
Cloud Computing Certification will give individuals and the organizations they work for a comprehensive understanding of cloud computing and the possible delivery models.
This two-day classroom training course provides an overview of Cloud computing and its relationship with other areas of information management. This training is based on acknowledge of the fundamental concepts of Cloud computing and an understanding of the deployment, architecture and design of a Cloud computing platform.
Objectives
- Understand the business case for going to the cloud
- Understand virtualization architecture
- Describe security and privacy issues
- Technical and organizational challenges
- Public, private & hybrid delivery models
- Understand federation and presence
- Describe cloud computing standards and best practice
- Describe how mobile device can be used in the cloud
- Creating a cloud action plan
Audience
- Individuals who are researching, planning or supporting an implementation of Cloud computing
Pre- requisites
- There are no formal entry requirements but delegates are expected to have a basic understanding of computing, IT networks and how they are used to support the requirements of users in an organization
Course Content
The Concept and Evolution of Cloud Computing
- Origins: Time-sharing mainframes (1960s), ARPANET, Project MAC
- “Cloud” metaphor early uses (1993–1994 by General Magic / AT&T)
- Adoption milestones: AWS (2002/2006 EC2 & S3), Google Docs (2006), Azure (2010), OpenStack (2010), iCloud (2011)
- Driving forces: virtualization, scalability, elasticity, shifting from CapEx to OpEx models
- Standards & definitions: NIST essential characteristics and ISO updates
Cloud Computing Architectures: SOA, Tiered, Multi-, and Data Center
- SOA foundations: loosely coupled services, modular component services, integration into cloud design
- Tiered architectures: front-end (web), application, database layers
- Multi-tier & multi-cloud: combining services across providers, balancing load, avoiding vendor lock-in
- Data center/cloud synergy: on‑premise virtualization vs. cloud infrastructure; hybrid/cloud bursting concepts
- Core architectural components: front-end clients (thin/fat/mobile), back-end servers, storage, delivery, and network interlinks
Benefits and Limitations of Cloud Resources
Benefits:
- Scalability and elasticity, dynamic provisioning of resources
- Cost-efficiency—pay-as-you-go model, reduced CapEx
- Accessibility over diverse device types and global reach
Limitations:
- Security and privacy concerns, shared infrastructure vulnerabilities, loss of control
- Visibility and governance challenges, complexity in debugging and abstraction leakage
- Cost overruns, inefficient resource use, unanticipated configuration expenses
Using and Accessing the Cloud from Desktop and Mobile Devices
- NIST’s “broad network access”: access via laptops, mobile phones, tablets, thin/thick clients
- Client types: fat clients, thin clients, zero clients, mobile interfaces and browser-based/cloud apps
- Access mechanisms: REST APIs, web portals, SDKs, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)
- Considerations: network latency, bandwidth, responsive UI, secure authentication
Security in the Cloud and Identity Management
- Shared responsibility model across IaaS, PaaS, SaaS layers
- Cloud threats: insecure APIs, data leakage, hyperjacking, multitenancy risks
- Identity & Access Management (IAM): access control, multifactor authentication, privilege segmentation
- Mitigation: encryption at rest/in transit, key management (KMS/HSM), logging, compliance frameworks
Build Local Cloud Network
- Core concepts: virtualization, local data centers, on-premise/cloud hybrid model
Techniques:
- Private cloud via virtualization platforms (e.g., VMware, OpenStack)
- Hybrid integration: connecting local to public clouds using VPN or direct links
- Tooling: setting up VMs, hypervisors, private cloud orchestration
- Considerations: resource pooling, redundancy, scalability, fault tolerance
- Supporting Cloud Use with VPN Access, Scripting Languages, and Data Backup
- VPN setup: secure tunnel to cloud environments (site-to-site or client-to-site)
- Scripting & automation: Terraform, Ansible, Shell/Python scripts for provisioning and deployment
Backup strategies:
- Cloud-native solutions (snapshots, versioning, replication)
- On-premise or hybrid backup tooling for data protection
- Scheduling, retention policies, and restore mechanisms
Understanding the Business Case (Costs & Benefits) of Cloud Computing
Cost drivers:
- OpEx model characteristics, cost optimization needs
- Hidden costs: data egress, idle resources, SLA credits vs penalties
Benefits analysis:
- Improved agility, faster deployments, resource elasticity
- Managed services reduce internal burden, support remote workforce
Financial governance:
- FinOps practices, cloud cost management tools (e.g., AWS Cost Explorer, Azure Cost Management)
- ROI and TCO modeling, budget forecasting, governance
How to Evaluate the Performance of Your Cloud Implementation
Key metrics:
- Latency, response time, resource utilization, SLA compliance
- Scalability: load testing, auto-scaling thresholds
Tools & Techniques:
- Monitoring solutions – cloud-native (CloudWatch, Azure Monitor) and third-party (Nagios, SolarWinds)
- Load testing (JMeter, Locust), real user monitoring
Analysis:
- Baseline performance vs cloud
- Cost-performance trade-offs, fine-tuning autoscaling and provisioning
