Technology: Core AWS services, global infrastructure (regions, AZs, edge locations)
Billing and Pricing: Pricing models, account structures, billing support resources
Response Types
Two Types:
Multiple Choice: One correct response out of four options
Multiple Response: Two or more correct responses out of five or more options
White Papers (Recommended Reading)
Not Necessary for CCP, but you can refer to:
Overview of Amazon Web Services
Architecting for the Cloud: AWS Best Practices
How AWS Pricing Works
Cost Management in AWS Cloud
Comparison of AWS Support Plans (webpage)
Key Concepts in Cloud Computing
What is Cloud Computing?
Definition: Practice of using remote servers on the internet to store, manage, and process data instead of local servers or personal computers
On-Premise vs Cloud Providers:
On-Premise: Own servers and hardware, hire IT staff, maintain real estate, take full risk
Cloud Providers (like AWS, GCP, Azure): Someone else owns and maintains hardware, IT staff, and data centers; shared responsibility model for security and configuration
Cloud vs On-Prem Benefits:
Cost Management: Pay as you go, benefit from economies of scale
Flexibility: Scale up/down based on needs
Speed and Agility: Quick resource launch
Focus: Reduce distraction on IT maintenance
Global Reach: Easily deploy applications globally
Types of Cloud Computing
SaaS, PaaS, IaaS Breakdown
SaaS (Software as a Service): Completed product managed by service provider (e.g., Gmail, Office 365)
PaaS (Platform as a Service): For developers, focus on app deployment (e.g., AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Heroku)
IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service): Basic infrastructure like networking, computing, and storage (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP)
Deployment Models
Cloud Deployment Models
Cloud: Fully utilizing cloud, suited for startups, projects, minimal cost
On-Prem: Resources deployed on site; preferred for data sensitivity and regulation reasons (e.g., government, large enterprises)
Hybrid: Combination of cloud and on-prem; used by banks, FinTechs, professional service providers
AWS Global Infrastructure
Summary of Global Infrastructure
Regions, AZs, and Edge Locations:
Regions: Physical locations with multiple AZs, isolated from each other
AZs (Availability Zones): Discrete data centers within a region
Edge Locations: Data centers that cache content closer to users
Gov Cloud: Special regions for controlled, classified info, operated by US citizens, complying with regulations such as ITAR, DoD
AWS Account Setup and Management
AWS Account Setup
Creating an Account: Fill in personal details, set up credit card information, verify phone number
Billing Preferences and Alerts: Set up budgets and billing alarms to avoid overbilling, use billing dashboard
Creating IAM Users and MFA: Secure root account with MFA, create IAM users for specific roles and access
Working With AWS Services:
Launching EC2 instances, AMIs, Auto Scaling Groups, Elastic Load Balancers
Using S3 for object storage, CloudFront for CDN, RDS for managed databases, Lambda for serverless functions
Utilize CloudWatch for monitoring and alarms, AWS Marketplace for software procurement
AWS Support Plans
Overview of Support Plans
Basic: Billing and account emails
Developer: $20/month, technical support via email
Business: $100/month, 24/7 chat and phone support, screen sharing, third-party support
Enterprise: $15,000/month, dedicated TAM, 15-min response for critical issues, all checks by Trusted Advisor, cost management support
Compliance and Security on AWS
AWS Compliance Programs
AWS Artifact: Access compliance reports for AWS services
Security and Compliance Services:
Inspector: Run security benchmarks on EC2 instances
WAF (Web Application Firewall): Protects web applications from common exploits
Shield: DDoS protection; Standard and Advanced (for larger, sophisticated attacks)
Pen Testing: Permitted on eight services; some activities prohibited (e.g., DDoS, port flooding)
GuardDuty: Detects anomalies and unauthorized access in AWS accounts
KMS (Key Management Service): Manages encryption keys for data
Amazon Macie: Monitors and protects sensitive data stored in S3
Security Groups and NACLs (Network ACLs): Firewalls at instance and subnet levels
Additional AWS Topics and Comparison
Cloud-Named Services
CloudFormation: Infrastructure as Code (IaaC), uses templates
CloudTrail: Logs API calls for auditing
CloudFront: Content Delivery Network (CDN)
CloudWatch: Monitoring service; includes logs, metrics, events, alarms, and dashboards
CloudSearch: Managed search service
Various Connect Services
Direct Connect: Dedicated network connection from on-premises to AWS