Cloud Architect

Day 1 - provides end-to-end coverage of fundamental cloud computing topics as they relate to both technology and business. The module is divided into a series of sections, each of which is accompanied by a hands-on exercise.

Day 2 - explores technology-related topics that relate to cloud computing platforms. It does not get into implementation or programming details, but instead keeps coverage at a conceptual level, focusing on topics that address cloud service architecture, cloud security threats and technologies, virtualization and data processing.

Day 3 - provides a technical insight into foundational cloud computing platforms. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) environments are explored as compound patterns, comprised of unique and shared building blocks. This module is structured as a guided tour through these architectural layers, describing primary components, highlighting shared components and explaining how building blocks can be assembled and implemented via cloud computing mechanisms and practices

Day 4 - builds upon Day 3 to provide a deep dive into elastic, resilient and multitenant technology architectures, as well as specialized solution architectures, such as cloud bursting and cloud balancing. Through the study of architectural mechanisms, industry technologies and design patterns, both core and extended components are described that combine to realize elasticity, resiliency and multitenancy as primary characteristics of cloud platforms. By leveraging these native and enhanced scalability and failover-related feature-sets, specialized solution architectures are described to enable bursting between clouds and on-premise and cloud environments, as well as the balancing of runtime loads across clouds for performance and failover purposes.

Day 5 - presents participants with a series of exercises and problems that are designed to test their ability to apply their knowledge of topics covered previously.

Day 1 - Fundamental Cloud Computing

• Fundamental Cloud Computing Terminology and Concepts
• Basics of Virtualization
• Specific Characteristics that Define a Cloud
• Understanding Elasticity, Resiliency, On-Demand and Measured Usage
• Benefits, Challenges and Risks of Contemporary Cloud Computing Platforms and Cloud Services
• Cloud Resource Administrator and Cloud Service Owner Roles
• Cloud Service and Cloud Service Consumer Roles
• Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Cloud Delivery Models
• Combining Cloud Delivery Models
• Public Cloud, Private Cloud, Hybrid Cloud and Community Cloud Deployment Models
• Business Cost Metrics and Formulas for Comparing and Calculating Cloud and On-Premise Solution Costs
• Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for Cloud-based IT Resources
• Formulas for Calculating and Rating SLA Quality of Service Characteristics

Cloud Technology Concepts

• Cloud Computing Mechanisms that Establish Architectural Building Blocks
• Virtual Servers, Ready-Made Environments, Failover Systems, and Pay-for-Use Monitors
• Cloud Balancing and Cloud Bursting Architectures
• Common Risks, Threats and Vulnerabilities of Cloud-based Services and Cloud-hosted Solutions
• Cloud Security Mechanisms Used to Counter Threats and Attacks
• Understanding Cloud-Based Security Groups and Hardened Virtual Server Images
• Cloud Service Implementation Mediums (including Web Services and REST Services)
• Cloud Storage Benefits and Challenges
• Cloud Storage Services, Technologies and Approaches
• Non-Relational (NoSQL) Storage Compared to Relational Storage
• Cloud Service Testing Considerations and Testing Types

Day 3 - Fundamental Cloud Architecture

• Technology Architectural Layers of Cloud Environments
• Public and Private Cloud Technology Architecture
• laaS, PaaS and SaaS Technology Architecture
• Cloud Computing Mechanisms as part of Platform and Solution Technology Architectures
• Bare-Metal and Elastic Disk Provisioning
• Multipath Resource Access, Broad Access and Intelligent Automation Engines
• Usage and Pay-as-You-Go Monitoring
• Platform Provisioning and Rapid Provisioning
• Resource Management and Realtime Resource Availability
• Shared Resources, Resource Pools and Resource Reservation
• Self-Service and Usage and Administration Portals
• Workload Distribution and Service State Management
• Other technology architecture topics pertaining to cloud platforms, cloud-based solutions and services may also be explored.

Advanced Cloud Architecture

• Elastic Environment
• Resilient Environment
• Multitenant Environment
• Direct I/O Access and Direct LUN Access
• Dynamic Data Normalization
• Zero Downtime and Storage Maintenance Window
• Load Balanced Virtual Servers
• Burst In, Burst Out and Cloud Bursting
• Cloud Balancing
• Redundant Storage and Storage Workload Management
• Elastic Disk Provisioning, Elastic Resource Capacity and Elastic Network Capacity
• Intra-Storage and Cross-Storage Device Vertical Tiering
• Redundant Physical Connections for Virtual Servers and Persistent Virtual Network Configurations
• Load Balanced Virtual Switches and Service Load Balancing
• Hypervisor Cluster
• Dynamic Failure and Recovery
• Synchronized Operating State
• Resource Reservation
• Other technology architecture topics pertaining to cloud platforms, cloud-based solutions and services may also be explored.

Day 5 - Cloud Architecture Lab

• As a hands-on lab, this module provides a set of detailed exercises, that require participants to solve a number of inter-related problems, with the ultimate goal of evaluating, designing and correcting technology architectures to fulfill specific sets of solution and business automation requirements.