Cloud computing has emerged as a critical IT industry component, transforming how businesses operate by offering scalable, efficient, and cost-effective solutions. Among the many cloud service providers, Amazon Web Services (AWS) stands out as a pioneer with its comprehensive service suite and global network of data centers. That’s why AWS remains a popular destination for cloud engineers.

For those who want to enter the world of AWS Cloud, choosing the right AWS course is an important step toward this career. As the demand for talented cloud professionals grows, choosing AWS training can significantly impact your professional trajectory. Whether you aspire to become a cloud engineer, architect, or developer, choosing an AWS course that aligns with your goals is the foundation for your future success.

There are many different types of courses for AWS. In this blog, we will guide you through the essential considerations to Choose an AWS course that best fits your career goals and aspirations. By focusing on critical aspects of courses, we aim to empower you with the knowledge you need to make an informed decision. It’s time to learn, understand, and prepare for a future where the cloud is not just an option but a necessity.

What are the Key Factors to Consider When Choosing an AWS Course?

When becoming a cloud engineer, choosing an AWS Course that suits your professional vision will be your first step towards achieving your career goals. If achieving certifications is part of your career strategy, verify that your chosen course aligns with the certifications recognized in the cloud industry. Consider the community and support provided by the course; access to a network of professionals and a forum for collaboration enhances your AWS training experience. Here are the 5 key factors to consider when selecting courses for AWS:

1. 1. Identify Your Learning Objectives
   2. Review Cloud Computing Platforms
   3. Course Content and Curriculum
   4. Networking Opportunities
   5. Evaluations by Recognized Authorities

1. Identify Your Learning Objectives

Before embarking on your AWS education journey, taking a step back and planning your career goals is crucial. This initial observation will help you choose an AWS course that matches the skills you’ll need to progress on your chosen path.

Determining your learning goals is about understanding where you want to go and where you currently stand in your cloud journey. This self-assessment involves careful examination of your current knowledge base and gaps in your technical skills, which clarifies your starting point and outlines the specific areas you need to focus on to achieve your learning and career objectives effectively.

This clarity not only simplifies the decision-making process but also ensures that the AWS course you choose is a perfect fit for your goals. By identifying your learning goals early, you can focus on courses that offer the most direct path to achieving your career milestones in cloud computing.

2. Review Cloud Computing Platforms

The cloud computing environment is vast and versatile, so researching various cloud platforms helps you choose an AWS course. A thorough understanding of the intricacies and offerings of different platforms, including Azure and Google Cloud, can provide a broader lens through which to view the cloud ecosystem.

By becoming familiar with various platforms, you can more clearly realize the unique advantages and potential applications of the AWS cloud, thus improving your course selection strategy and enhancing your overall education in the cloud.

3. Course Content and Curriculum

Course content and curriculum are very important when choosing an AWS course. A curriculum that aligns with the latest industry standards and practices ensures that the knowledge and skills you gain are relevant and in demand, making you a valuable asset in the job market. Courses for AWS that include hands-on projects and labs provide the practical experience necessary to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world scenarios, which is indispensable for mastering cloud technologies.

4. Networking Opportunities

The importance of the networking opportunities offered by AWS courses must be considered when choosing an AWS course. These opportunities serve as a gateway to expanding your professional network and directly impact your career development. By facilitating connections with industry professionals and peers, AWS training opens up avenues for mentorship, collaboration, and potential job opportunities. Whether through guest lectures, forums, workshops, or industry events, every interaction is a stepping stone toward building a solid professional network that supports your career development.

5. Evaluations by Recognized Authorities

When choosing an AWS course, the importance of considering reviews and testimonials from leading organizations in the education and technology sectors, such as Career Karma, Course Report, or Career Finder, cannot be overstated. 

AWS courses that are positively reviewed by these platforms generally have a comprehensive curriculum that covers key AWS services, best practices, and practical applications. These courses are typically designed and delivered by AWS-certified professionals with significant industry experience, providing students with in-depth knowledge and insight into the cloud environment.

Is a Bootcamp Enough to Learn AWS?

The effectiveness of an AWS bootcamp varies depending on factors such as your goals, knowledge, and career plans. Let’s check both the advantages and limitations of bootcamps:

What are the Advantages of AWS Bootcamps?

AWS bootcamps are an effective way to gain foundational knowledge and skills in cloud computing quickly. Here are the top 4 advantages of AWS bootcamps:

1. Focused Curriculum

Bootcamps often have a curriculum designed to cover the most important aspects of AWS, ensuring learners get a comprehensive understanding of core services.

2. Hands-On Experience

Many bootcamps prioritize practical experience, offering projects and labs that simulate real-world scenarios.

3. Accelerated Learning

For those looking to break into the cloud computing field quickly, bootcamps provide a fast-paced learning environment.

4. Preparation for Certifications

Bootcamps can be an effective way to prepare for AWS certification exams, which are valuable for career advancement.

What are the Limitations of AWS Bootcamps?

Becoming proficient in AWS and cloud engineering often requires ongoing learning and practical experience beyond what a bootcamp alone can offer. Here are the considerations of bootcamps:

1. Depth of Knowledge

While bootcamps provide a solid foundation, the breadth and depth of AWS topics covered may differ from that of longer courses. Some advanced topics or specializations require further study.

2. Learning Style Compatibility

The fast pace and intensity of a bootcamp might only suit some’s learning styles. Some individuals may benefit more from self-paced or longer-term educational programs.

3. Career Objectives

If your career goal involves a highly specialized area of cloud computing, a bootcamp might serve as a stepping stone, but additional training and experience could be necessary.

Conclusion

To choose an AWS course, it is necessary to consider several key factors, such as career goals, course content and curriculum, networking opportunities, and reviews from reputed authorities. Each element is important in determining whether AWS training fits your goals. With these critical considerations in mind, Clarusway stands out as a leading AWS training provider, offering AWS and DevOps courses that really work.

The course curriculum at Clarusway covers the most widely used AWS services in detail, providing students with a thorough understanding of cloud computing. The awards received from reputable platforms such as Career Karma, Course Report, and Intelligent (https://www.intelligent.com/best-online-courses/cloud-computing-certifications/) emphasize the content and quality of his education. Also, Clarusway integrates networking opportunities into its programs, facilitating career development by enabling students to make valuable connections with professionals and peers. 

Choosing an AWS course requires carefully considering your current skills and future goals to ensure they propel you toward your desired cloud achievements. Explore Clarusway’s diverse AWS offerings to find the course that’s right for you and take the first step toward cloud mastery today.

FAQs about AWS Courses

AWS training may seem confusing, particularly for those new to the cloud. The FAQ section contains questions that will help you make informed decisions about your cloud computing education and career.

Are There Any Prerequisites for AWS Courses?

The prerequisites for courses for AWS vary by level; basic courses typically require no prior experience, welcoming individuals new to cloud computing or those from non-technical backgrounds. However, advanced courses may require a basic understanding of networking, familiarity with programming languages (like Python or Java), and some hands-on experience with AWS services. In certification-oriented courses, practical AWS experience is highly recommended to grasp the application of concepts in real-world scenarios effectively.

What Jobs Can You Get After AWS Courses?

After completing the courses, the range of AWS jobs in cloud computing expands significantly. Here are some of the roles you might pursue:

• • AWS Solutions Architect

• • Cloud Developer

• • DevOps Engineer

• • Cloud Systems Administrator

• • AWS Cloud Consultant

Can You Get An AWS Job With No Experience?

Here is the most asked question “Can You Get An AWS Job With No Experience?”. Transitioning to a career in cloud computing without a traditional technology background is indeed possible. AWS certifications and foundational knowledge gained through AWS courses can significantly bolster your chances by demonstrating your commitment and understanding of cloud concepts, even without traditional work experience.

The key components of the AWS Global Cloud Infrastructure are Regions, Availability Zones, Edge Locations, Wavelength Zones, and Regional Edge Caches. Exploring these key components provides a comprehensive understanding of how the network is structured and optimized for seamless performance and reliability. 

In this blog post, we will explore AWS’s Global Infrastructure. If you’re a cloud enthusiast looking to earn AWS certifications like AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner or AWS Solution Architect, this is where you should begin your adventure.

What is AWS Global Infrastructure?

The AWS Global Infrastructure is a vast network of data centers and resources strategically located throughout the world to provide cloud services. The infrastructure comprises multiple interconnected components, such as Regions, Availability Zones, Local Zones, and Wavelength Zones.

AWS Global Infrastructure’s main component is data centers called Availability Zones (AZ). AZ’s are isolated locations within AWS Regions. The AWS Global Infrastructure Map currently includes 102 Availability Zones spread across 32 geographic regions globally. Moreover, plans are underway to expand with an additional 12 Availability Zones and 4 more AWS Regions, covering countries like Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Thailand.

Additionally, AWS offers 35 Local Zones and 29 Wavelength Zones, catering to the needs of ultralow latency applications. Local Zones extend AWS services to select metropolitan areas, allowing for proximity to end-users and reduced latency. On the other hand, telecommunication providers collaborate in designing Wavelength Zones to bring AWS services even closer to 5G networks, thereby enhancing the performance of latency-sensitive applications.

What are the Key Components of AWS Global Infrastructure?

The AWS Global Infrastructure represents a highly distributed and robust ecosystem of data centers, ensuring global coverage, reliability, and performance for a wide array of cloud-based services and applications. Here is the 6 components of  AWS Global Infrastructure:

• Regions
• Availability Zones (AZs)
• Local Zones
• Edge Locations
• AWS Regional Edge Caches
• Wavelength Zones

AWS Regions

An AWS Region is a distinct geographical area worldwide where a collection of data centers is clustered. This model incorporates multiple Availability Zones and physically and logically separate logical data center groups. Each AWS Region comprises at least three such Availability Zones, ensuring geographic redundancy and high availability.

AWS Regions and Availability Zones are not the same. AWS Regions are the larger geographical areas where data centers are located, while Availability Zones are subsets within those regions. We will discuss AZs deeply in the next part.

AWS operates in several geographic regions, including North America, South America, Europe, China, Asia Pacific, South Africa, and the Middle East.

AWS Availability Zones

People often refer to Availability Zones (AZs) in AWS as data center facilities. Each Availability Zone is a physically separated data center with its own power and infrastructure. AWS has strategically designed these Availability Zones to provide redundancy and resiliency for applications and services.

AWS Availability Zones have their own power, cooling, and networking infrastructure. Deploying resources across multiple Availability Zones ensures that if one AZ experiences issues or downtime, it enables the others to continue operating, thereby enhancing the overall resilience of applications hosted on the AWS platform.

Physical distances are important when comparing the distance between an AWS Region and its corresponding AZ. This separation helps minimize the impact of natural disasters or localized incidents. A significant distance physically separates Availability Zones in AWS. It’s important to note that while the distance between AZs is substantial, all AZs within a given AWS Region remain within 100 kilometers (approximately 60 miles) from each other.

Here is the full list of AWS data center locations in all regions:

Europe / Middle East / Africa

• 11 Geographic Regions
• 33 Availability Zones 
• 39 Edge Network locations 
• 2 Regional Edge Cache locations

Availability Zones:

Bahrain (3), Cape Town (3), Frankfurt (3), Ireland (3), London (3), Milan (3), Paris (3), Spain (3), Stockholm (3), Zurich (3), and UAE (3)

North America

• 7 Geographic Regions
• 25 Availability Zones 
• 44 Edge Network locations 
• 2 Regional Edge Cache locations

Availability Zones:

N. Virginia (6), Ohio (3), N. California (3), Oregon (4), US-East (3), US-West (3), Central (3)

South America

• 1 Geographic Regions
• 3 Availability Zones (in São Paulo) 
• 4 Edge Network locations 
• 1 Regional Edge Cache locations

Asia Pacific and China

• 12 Geographic Regions
• 38 Availability Zones 
• 34 Edge Network locations 
• 5 Regional Edge Cache locations

AWS Local Zones

AWS Local Zones are a part of the AWS Global infrastructure that brings cloud services locally to certain areas with a high concentration of users and applications. Essentially, these Local Zones form a subset of AWS Availability Zones, but they situate themselves in close proximity to specific metropolitan areas.

Local Zones allow customers to deploy applications that require low latency to end-users or specific resources in those geographic areas. They are particularly useful for applications that require real-time processing, such as gaming, interactive multimedia, and financial services, where reducing latency is critical for a seamless user experience.

AWS Local Zones Locations:

Local Zones are available in 33 metropolitan areas around the world, where 16 of them are located in the US (specific names not provided), and 17 of them are located outside of the US. Here are 17 Local Zones located outside the US:

1. Lagos
2. Auckland
3. Santiago
4. Bangkok
5. Kolkata
6. Copenhagen
7. Hamburg
8. Helsinki
9. Lima
10. Muscat
11. Perth
12. Querétaro
13. Taipei
14. Warsaw
15. Delhi
16. Buenos Aires
17. Manila

Additionally, AWS plans to broaden Local Zones to encompass 19 additional locations spanning 16 countries:

1. Australia
2. Austria
3. Belgium
4. Brazil
5. Canada
6. Colombia
7. Czech Republic
8. Germany
9. Greece
10. India
11. Kenya
12. Netherlands
13. Norway
14. Portugal
15. South Africa
16. Vietnam

AWS Edge Locations

AWS Edge Locations are endpoints for Amazon Web Services’ CloudFront service. They are strategically distributed data centers situated in various areas around the world. These Edge Locations act as caching servers that store copies of frequently accessed content, such as images, videos, web pages, and other static files, closer to the end users.

The Edge Location closest to the client receives requests for content distributed via CloudFront. This reduces latency and improves the overall performance of the application or website if the content already exists at that Edge Location. If the content still needs to be cached, the Edge Location retrieves it from the origin server (such as an Amazon S3 bucket or a custom origin) and caches it for subsequent requests.

AWS Regional Edge Caches

Like edge locations, Regional Edge Caches are CloudFront service sites strategically placed worldwide near your viewers. They deliver content directly to viewers between your origin server and global edge locations. 

Regional edge caches assist with many sorts of material, especially with content that becomes less popular over time. Examples are user-generated material, e-commerce assets, news, and other content that may rapidly gain popularity.

Wavelength Zones

AWS Wavelength is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) service that brings cloud services to the edge of 5G networks. It supports real-time gaming, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), video streaming, and other applications that require ultra-low latency and high bandwidth connectivity.

A Wavelength Zone is essentially a specialized infrastructure deployment within a data center run by a telecommunications provider. 

These zones are strategically placed in close proximity to 5G base stations, allowing for a direct connection between the AWS resources and the 5G network. The proximity minimizes latency for applications requiring instant responses.

With Wavelength, developers can run their applications and workloads on AWS infrastructure located at the edge of the 5G network, combining the benefits of both AWS services and high-speed, low-latency 5G connectivity.

What are the 6 benefits of AWS Global Infrastructure?

The AWS Global Infrastructure offers 6 key benefits to businesses and organizations that leverage its services, as mentioned on the AWS website: security, availability, performance, scalability, flexibility, and global footprint.

Security

AWS offers robust security measures, including encryption and constant monitoring. You maintain control over your data with encryption, movement, and retention options.

Availability

AWS ensures the utmost network availability among cloud providers. Each region is isolated and divided into multiple Availability Zones (AZs). If one AZ experiences an issue, other AZs can continue to operate without interruption.

Performance

Low latency, minimal packet loss, and high network quality are all characteristics of AWS Global Infrastructure.

Scalability

AWS enables flexible scaling of resources, eliminating over-provisioning. You can instantly adjust resources based on business needs, rapidly deploying hundreds or thousands of servers.

Flexibility

You have the freedom to choose how and where to run workloads, utilizing the same network, control plane, APIs, and services. Options include global AWS Regions, AWS Local Zones, AWS Wavelength for low latency, and AWS Outposts for on-premises deployment.

Global Footprint

AWS has an extensive global infrastructure presence. You can choose to select technology infrastructure close to your intended users, ensuring ideal assistance for a wide range of applications, from those requiring high throughput to those requiring low-latency performance. 

These benefits empower businesses to build, scale, and operate applications efficiently while leveraging a secure and reliable global cloud infrastructure provided by AWS.

What are Essential AWS Certifications and Courses to Learn AWS Global Infrastructure?

To become proficient in understanding and working with AWS Global Infrastructure, you can pursue specific AWS certifications and courses that cover relevant concepts, technologies, and best practices. Here are the top 3 essential AWS certifications and courses that can help you learn about AWS Global Infrastructure: AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification, AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, and AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional.

AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification

The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification provides a solid overview of AWS services, pricing models, architecture, security, and the overall benefits of cloud computing. This certification is ideal for beginners who are new to cloud technology and want to grasp the fundamental concepts, services, and benefits of cloud computing.

The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification is a great starting point for anyone looking to build a foundational understanding of Amazon Web Services and cloud computing concepts. It does not dive into the technical details of specific AWS services.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification covers a broad range of AWS services and architectural best practices, including designing and deploying applications on a global scale using multiple regions and Availability Zones.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification is ideal for individuals who want to showcase their expertise in architecting solutions using AWS services, including global infrastructure-related ones.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification is an advanced-level certification offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS).  AWS Cloud professionals with extensive experience and expertise in designing and deploying complex applications are ideal candidates for this program.

Building on the associate-level certification, AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification goes deeper into advanced architectural concepts, including designing highly available and fault-tolerant systems across a global infrastructure.

How to learn AWS?

AWS provides comprehensive documentation on its global infrastructure, including networking, regions, Availability Zones, and global services. Reading AWS whitepapers related to networking and global infrastructure is also highly recommended. 

Remember that hands-on experience and practical projects are crucial to truly understanding and mastering AWS Global Infrastructure. Consider working on real-world projects, setting up multi-region architectures, and experimenting with AWS services to gain practical expertise. Moreover, remain on top of any new AWS courses that may emerge to enhance your knowledge of AWS Global Infrastructure further.

We will give you a thorough preparation manual and insightful advice in this blog post to assist you in preparing for and passing the AWS SysOps Administrator Associate certification exam. This guide will provide you with the information and tools you need to succeed, whether you’re an experienced IT expert or just beginning your cloud computing adventure. 

What are the Key Topics?

In the exam, there are six key topics, which are referred to as domains. The table below provides an overview of these six key domains and their respective weights in the exam.

Domain 1: Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation 

Domain 1 focuses on your understanding of various monitoring and logging services provided by AWS, such as Amazon CloudWatch. You’ll be tested on your ability to set up and configure monitoring, create alarms and notifications, and analyze and remediate operational issues.

Domain 2: Reliability and Business Continuity 

In this domain, you’ll be evaluated on your knowledge of implementing and managing high availability and fault tolerance in AWS. This includes topics like designing and implementing backup and restore strategies, understanding AWS services for disaster recovery, and ensuring business continuity.

Domain 3: Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation 

Domain 3 assesses your proficiency in deploying and managing systems and applications on AWS. You’ll be tested on your understanding of AWS Elastic Beanstalk, AWS CloudFormation, and other services for infrastructure provisioning and automation.

Domain 4: Security and Compliance

Domain 4 focuses on your knowledge of AWS security services, identity and access management, and best practices for securing AWS resources.

Domain 5: Networking

This domain evaluates your comprehension of various networking concepts specific to Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). The areas of focus include understanding the core concepts of VPCs, the design and configuration of subnets, the intricacies of route tables, and the different connectivity choices available. Some of the key connectivity options covered are VPC peering, VPN connections, and AWS Direct Connect

Domain 6: Cost Optimization

Domain 6 assesses your knowledge of optimizing costs in AWS. You’ll be evaluated on your ability to identify cost optimization opportunities, understand pricing models, and implement cost-effective solutions using services like AWS Trusted Advisor and AWS Cost Explorer. 

The illustration below shows the key topics covered in the exam.

What are the Exam Tips?

Key Tips and Strategies for Acing the AWS SysOps Administrator Associate Certification Exam:

1. Draft a Study Blueprint:
   • Use the exam guide to break down the exam domains into granular topics.
   • This categorization provides clarity on what exactly needs to be studied, streamlining your preparation process.
2. Engage with Mock Exams:
   • Evaluate your grasp on the various domains through sample exams.
   • Identify and prioritize areas where you lack confidence, using this self-assessment to optimize your study time.
3. Set Clear Goals:
   • Frame realistic milestones based on the domains and topics.
   • Given the weightage distribution in the exam guide, focus more on domains that carry a higher percentage. This ensures you master areas that are crucial for the exam.
4. Manage Your Study Hours:
   • Strategically distribute your study hours. Dedicate specific times for reading, hands-on practice, and mock tests.
   • Uphold a disciplined approach to your study schedule, maintaining regularity to guarantee consistent progress.
5. Prioritize Hands-on Experience:
   • Blend theoretical study with hands-on labs and exercises.
   • This approach not only consolidates your theoretical knowledge but also equips you with practical skills vital for handling AWS services, configurations, and troubleshooting real-time challenges.

How to Study AWS SysOps Administrator Associate Certification?

Tips for Studying the AWS SysOps Administrator Associate Certification:

1. Understand the Exam Format and Content: The exam isn’t just about AWS expertise; practical knowledge of various AWS services is crucial. Familiarize yourself with the AWS SysOps Administrator Associate Exam Guide to grasp the exam’s format, content, and objectives’ weightage.
2. Use AWS’s Own Resources: AWS offers various training tools, including classroom sessions, online courses, whitepapers, and practice exams. Engage with the AWS certification community to interact with fellow aspirants and AWS specialists.
3. Engage in Hands-On Practice: Theoretical knowledge is vital, but hands-on experience is irreplaceable. Use hands-on labs to work with AWS services like EC2, S3, and VPC, among others. These labs not only help in understanding the services but also hone problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
4. Network with AWS Professionals: Join AWS user groups. These groups provide avenues to learn from seasoned AWS professionals and others preparing for certifications, through events, workshops, and discussions.

Additionaly you can find AWS SysOps Administrator Associate Certification example questions prepared by Clarusway instructors here.

What is the Passing Score for the Exam?

The passing score of the AWS SysOps administrator associate certification exam is 720 out of 1000. Exam results are given as a scaled score between 100 and 1,000. The exam allows a total of 130 minutes for completion and consists of 65 questions, which may be in the form of multiple-choice or multiple-response questions.  

How Much Does the AWS SysOps Administrator Associate Certification Cost?

The AWS SysOps administrator associate certification exam cost is $150.

Who’s the Ideal Candidate for AWS SysOps Administrator Associate Certification?

Those with in-depth knowledge of the AWS platform are ideal candidates for the AWS SysOps Administrator Associate certification. Additionally, candidates must be proficient in cloud computing and the AWS Framework. Ideally, they should know about monitoring and troubleshooting and have at least two years of experience working as a systems administrator.

What are the Benefits of AWS SysOps Administrator Associate Certification?

Benefits of AWS SysOps Administrator Associate Certification:

1. Holistic Understanding of AWS Infrastructure: Developers can benefit from a comprehensive understanding of the AWS ecosystem, allowing them to make more informed decisions during application development.
2. Improved DevOps Collaboration: With knowledge of both development and operations, certified developers can better collaborate in a DevOps environment, ensuring smoother deployments and more efficient CI/CD pipelines.
3. Enhanced Troubleshooting Skills: A deep understanding of monitoring, logging, and remediation allows developers to quickly identify and resolve application-related issues that might arise due to infrastructure configurations.
4. Cost Efficiency: Developers with this certification have insights into cost optimization strategies. This knowledge ensures that they can develop solutions that are not only effective but also cost-efficient.
5. Awareness of Security Best Practices: With cybersecurity being a major concern, developers can benefit from knowing how to securely set up and manage resources, enhancing the security posture of the applications they develop.
6. Data Backup and DR Strategies: Developers will be equipped with knowledge about AWS’s backup and disaster recovery solutions, ensuring that applications are resilient and data integrity is maintained.
7. Performance Optimization: Understanding the intricacies of AWS services allows developers to fine-tune applications for optimal performance, ensuring user satisfaction.
8. Increased Employability: Holding an AWS SysOps Administrator Associate Certification can make developers more attractive to potential employers looking for multifaceted skills in their tech teams.
9. Bridging Gaps: Developers often have to collaborate with sysadmins. With certification knowledge, they can better understand sysadmin concerns and priorities, leading to more productive teamwork.
10. Continuous Learning: As AWS services and features evolve, preparing for and maintaining the certification ensures that developers stay updated with the latest AWS advancements.
11. Confidence Boost: Certification validates a developer’s knowledge and skills in AWS, boosting confidence when undertaking AWS-based projects.

What Jobs Are Available for AWS Certified SysOps Administrator?

Here are some of the exciting roles that you can pursue with this certification:

• Cloud Operations Engineer: Manage daily cloud operations, monitor performance, optimize resources, and ensure application scalability on AWS.
• Systems Administrator: Oversee system configurations on AWS, manage security, monitor system health, and ensure industry standard compliance.
• Cloud Support Engineer: Offer technical support to AWS users, troubleshoot issues, and collaborate with developers to optimize application performance.
• DevOps Engineer: Automate AWS infrastructure deployment, manage CI/CD pipelines, and create efficient DevOps workflows using AWS best practices.
• Cloud Consultant: Guide organizations on AWS solution design and implementation, assess client needs, and help in application migrations.
• Solution Architect: Design secure and scalable AWS infrastructures, propose suitable AWS configurations, and implement cloud solutions.

What is the Average Salary for AWS Certified SysOps Administrator?

According to Glassdoor salary estimates, AWS Certified SysOps at Amazon are thought to make a total annual salary of $166,021.  An AWS DevOps engineer’s salary is between $110,000 and $160,000 per year on average but If you are in a senior position, it may be up to $180,000 annually.

Conclusion

Preparing for the AWS SysOps Administrator Associate Certification exam requires a combination of comprehensive study, hands-on experience, practice exams, and staying up-to-date with AWS services. A systematic process and the available resources can improve your chances of success.

If you are starting from scratch or have limited exposure to AWS and DevOps, it may be more beneficial to first participate in AWS/DevOps courses. Courses or Bootcamps are typically fast-paced and immersive, focusing on hands-on experience and practical application. If you prefer a structured and interactive learning environment with guidance from experienced instructors, a bootcamp may be a good fit for you.

Simply The AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification evaluates your ability to effectively deploy and manage applications on AWS while employing DevOps principles. If you want to obtain the certification, you must pass the certification exam, which is officially called AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional exam (DOP-C02). 

This article explores the basics of this professional-level exam, highlights its importance, and provides a comprehensive roadmap to success. In addition to emphasizing its significance within the realm of AWS DevOps engineer certifications, we will outline a comprehensive roadmap that will lead you to continued growth and success.

What are the Key Topics of AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification?

The key topics of AWS DevOps engineer professional certification are SDLC automation, configuration management and infrastructure as code (IaC), resilient cloud solutions, monitoring and logging, incident and event response, security and compliance. So there are 6 key topics or domains in the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification exam. Here is an illustration designed to understand the 6 key topics and their weights.

SDLC Automation (22%): 

SDLC Automation focuses on automating various stages of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). It includes topics such as setting up CI/CD pipelines, automating code deployments, and streamlining application release processes. Candidates should understand how to integrate different tools and services to create efficient and automated development workflows.

Configuration Management and IaC (17%): 

Configuration Management and IaC covers configuration management practices and emphasizes Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles. The domain involves managing and provisioning infrastructure using code, automating resource creation, and maintaining consistency in configuration across environments. It is critical to understand tools like AWS CloudFormation and version control systems.

Resilient Cloud Solutions (15%): 

Resilient Cloud Solutions is all about designing and implementing highly available cloud infrastructure. Candidates should be adept at architecting for scalability, load balancing, and disaster recovery strategies to ensure applications can handle unexpected failures.

There are fundamental building blocks of cloud computing. Servers run applications and process data, storage systems store information, data servers manage databases, and networks facilitate communication between different components. Cloud Resilience means that these components can continue to operate effectively and efficiently, even when faced with unexpected events or failures. 

Monitoring and Logging (15%): 

Monitoring and logging are vital for maintaining system health and performance. This domain covers setting up monitoring tools, creating dashboards, and analyzing logs to detect and address issues promptly. Candidates should understand AWS CloudWatch and other monitoring solutions.

Incident and Event Response (14%): 

Incident and Event Response focuses on handling incidents and events efficiently. The domain entails designing response plans and automatic reactions to incidents and mitigating the impact of incidents on applications and services. Candidates should know how to use AWS services for automated incident response.

Security and Compliance (17%): 

Security is paramount in cloud environments. This domain covers securing applications, data, and infrastructure on AWS. It includes implementing identity and access management (IAM), encryption, compliance frameworks, and best practices for maintaining a secure environment.

What are AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification Exam Tips?

Here are some key tips to consider when preparing for the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification test:

Basic Knowledge and Experience: 

Basic Knowledge and Experience serve as the foundation for success in the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification exam. Because the exam is at an advanced level, it is important that you first have a strong foundation in core AWS services, DevOps principles, and practices. It is better if you have a minimum of two years of AWS experience.

Exam Content: 

Exam Content is a crucial aspect to understand when preparing for the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification. Get a detailed understanding of the exam’s six main subject areas (Domains). Examine each subject area and gain an in-depth understanding of the concepts.

Analyze each subject and acquire a comprehensive grasp of the principles involved.

Hands-on Experience: 

Hands-on Experience is a critical factor in preparing for the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification exam. While theoretical knowledge is important, being able to apply that knowledge in practical scenarios is equally vital to your success. So acquire hands-on experience to put your knowledge into practice. Engage in real-world settings to put your knowledge into action. Practice on the AWS console, work with IaC (Infrastructure as Code) tools, and practice applying real-world scenarios.

Mastery of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Tools: 

Mastery of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Tools is a key aspect that can greatly contribute to your success in the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification exam. IaC lies at the heart of modern DevOps practices, enabling efficient and repeatable infrastructure management through code. So understand and learn to use IaC tools like AWS CloudFormation. Your abilities to manage infrastructure with code are important.

CI/CD Applications: 

Understanding Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) Applications is a critical component of your preparation for the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification exam. This domain evaluates your ability to design, implement, and manage CI/CD pipelines to automate the software delivery process. So learn the principles of Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) and understand how to build these processes with tools like AWS CodePipeline.

Time Management: 

Effective time management is a fundamental aspect to consider when preparing for the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification exam. Exam time is limited, so learn to progress without spending too much time on each question.

By remembering these tricks, you can effectively and thoroughly advance your preparation for the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification questions.

How to Study and Prepare AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification?

The AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification is a challenging exam that requires both theoretical understanding and practical application. Dedicate consistent effort, stay persistent, and maintain a disciplined study routine to increase your chances of success.

Scenario-Based Study: 

The exam may contain questions based on real-world scenarios. Therefore, improve your ability to understand, evaluate, and solve specific scenarios. Rather than memorizing definitions or theoretical concepts, the scenario-based study requires understanding how these ideas work in real situations. This involves analyzing complex situations and identifying the relevant principles and practices that should be applied.

Take Mock Exam and Prepare Notes: 

Understand the exam format and question types by doing practice exercises before the exam. This will assist you in adjusting to the exam format. Beyond that, prepare practice exam notes, especially for the wrong answers.

Preparing mock exam notes helps you understand the exam’s content areas, review relevant AWS services and best practices, and improve your ability to analyze your solutions effectively. Your own mock exam notes can be a valuable tool to improve your overall readiness and preparation for certification.

Official AWS Resources: 

Study using AWS’ official documentation and training materials. AWS documentation often provides up-to-date and comprehensive information.

 You can download AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification example questions prepared by Clarusway instructors here.

Who’s the Ideal Candidate for AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification? 

The AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification is specifically designed for individuals who have achieved significant expertise at the intersection of AWS services and DevOps practices. An ideal candidate for this certification has different qualifications that reflect a comprehensive understanding of cloud computing and software development.

Candidates must have extensive hands-on expertise in addition to adequate theoretical knowledge of AWS services for this exam. This requires expertise in deploying and managing AWS resources spanning computing, storage, databases, networking, and beyond. The ability to navigate and optimize AWS environments is essential.

Mastering DevOps principles is a really important point for this exam. The candidate should be familiar with the collaborative dynamics between development and operations teams, have a deep understanding of continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, and demonstrate proficiency in automating both software development and infrastructure orchestration. This is why AWS certified devops engineers stand out in this exam.

Advanced cloud skills are another hallmark of the ideal candidate. This requires a thorough understanding of complex cloud concepts, including building scalable and resilient architectures, creating solutions for high availability and fault tolerance, and adeptly tuning performance in cloud-based environments.

FAQs about AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification

The last section of the article aims to clarify various aspects of AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional Certification. By addressing these common queries, we’ve tried to gather the information you need to confidently begin your journey to mastering the certification exam.

What are the benefits of obtaining the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification? 

Obtaining the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification offers several significant benefits. Firstly, it demonstrates your expertise in designing and managing distributed systems on the AWS platform, which can boost your career prospects and earning potential. Additionally, it validates your proficiency in implementing continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, a crucial skill in modern DevOps practices. The certification also helps you stand out in a competitive job market and provides access to a global community of AWS-certified professionals. Moreover, it deepens your understanding of AWS services and best practices, enhancing your ability to architect and maintain highly available and scalable systems.

What prerequisites do I need to meet before pursuing the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification? 

Before achieving the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification, it is advisable to establish a solid foundation in essential domains.

First of all, a substantial amount of practical experience is highly recommended. Amazon Web Services suggests a minimum of two years of hands-on experience with AWS services and the management of cloud environments. 

A solid understanding of core cloud computing principles is essential. This covers a thorough grasp of AWS’s main services and their applications. Being familiar with infrastructure as code (IaC) ideas and automation technologies is also important. 

While there are no mandatory prerequisites, having obtained the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Associate certification can significantly boost your foundational knowledge and skills. This associate-level certification acts as a stepping stone to the professional-level certification, providing you with a strong foothold in the field.

What are the key differences between the AWS DevOps Engineer Associate and Professional certifications? 

The AWS DevOps Engineer Associate and Professional certifications represent two distinct levels of expertise in the field of DevOps and cloud computing. While both certifications focus on DevOps practices and AWS services, there are notable differences between them.

The AWS DevOps Engineer – Associate certification is intended for those who have a solid understanding of AWS concepts and DevOps methods. It covers fundamental concepts of cloud computing and AWS services such as DevOps principles, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) practices, and automation using AWS services like AWS CodePipeline and AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

The AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional certification is designed for highly experienced individuals who have a thorough grasp of development and operations processes as well as sophisticated AWS services. It covers complex scenarios, architectural design, and comprehensive deployment strategies. The Professional-level certification delves into more advanced areas such as code (IaC) infrastructure using AWS CloudFormation, hybrid environments, high availability, disaster recovery, and security considerations in DevOps workflows.

How much does the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification cost? 

The AWS professional-level certification exam registration costs $300 USD.  However, please note that certification pricing may change over time, and it’s possible that AWS has adjusted their pricing since then. To get the most up-to-date and accurate pricing information for the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional certification exam, it is recommended to visit the official AWS Certification website or contact AWS directly for the latest details.

What is the passing score for the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification exam? 

The exam often includes a combination of multiple-choice and multiple-response questions alongside questions based on scenarios that need written responses. The exam lasts around 180 minutes.

The overall exam score is 1000, and the passing score is 750. The AWS DevOps Engineer Professional exam has 75 questions in total. The test contains ten unscored questions that have no impact on your overall score. AWS collects information on unscored questions to evaluate the variety of questions for future use. You will not know which one is unscored as they are not specified in the exam.

What is the average salary for an AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional? 

In the United States, the typical annual AWS DevOps engineer salary amounts to $137,000. Newcomers to the field can expect starting salaries of around $119,643 annually, while seasoned experts often command as much as $165,000 per year.

Conclusion

AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification can open the door to making a difference and advancing your career as a professional in the rapidly evolving world of cloud technology. Certification is a way to demonstrate your ability to use AWS services skillfully and demonstrate to employers and customers that you are a trusted cloud expert.

If you want to make more impact in the world of cloud computing, further your technical capabilities, and lead industry trends, the AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification may be a destination for you. This certification is just one step in your professional-level journey. Take action now to move forward with stronger steps to the future and be among the pioneers of cloud technology.

If you’re interested in learning more about DevOps, getting started with AWS and Devops courses will be a good choice. Remember, this is just the beginning – Continue making new discoveries and boosting your knowledge!

We hope this article has been a guiding and inspiring resource for you about AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Certification. Good luck!

Before February 27, 2023, the certification was called DVA-C01. After that time, a new exam version DVA-C02 is launched with significant modifications. In the context of exam domain weights, the DVA-C02 exam prioritizes development and troubleshooting.

Are you aspiring to become a Cloud/DevOps engineer with AWS Certified Developer – Associate Certification? Passing the certification exam can open up exciting career opportunities in cloud application development. This article explains the key topics, benefits, what the AWS Developer Associate Certification (DVA-C02) exam entails, and how to get ready for it with expert tips.

What are the Key Topics (or Domains) of AWS Developer Associate Certification?

The key topics (or domains) of AWS Developer Associate Certification are development with AWS services, security, deployment, troubleshooting, and optimization.

The key topics (or domains), their weightings, and details are listed in the table below. 

This infographic shows the key topics (domain) and their weightings.

What are AWS Developer Associate Certification Exam Tips?

Here are some AWS Developer Associate Certification Exam Tips:

• 1. Relax and Rest: In the final days leading to the exam, prioritize rest and relaxation. Avoid cramming and ensure you get a good night’s sleep before the exam day.
• 2. Tackle the easy questions first: When taking the AWS Developer Associate Certification exam, it’s important to employ effective strategies to maximize your chances of success. One key tip is to tackle the easy questions first. You’ll often find a mix of difficulty levels within each set of questions. By starting with the easier ones, you can quickly breeze through them, saving valuable time for the more challenging ones. This approach helps build confidence and ensures that you don’t get stuck on difficult questions early on, potentially causing time management issues later.
• 3. Use your time effectively: Time management is essential for exam performance. With 130 minutes to complete 65 questions, you have nearly 2 minutes for each question. It is critical to keep this timeline in mind and pace yourself correctly. Make every minute count by not devoting too much time to specific queries. 
• 4. Remember to flag the hard questions: Consider flagging a question and returning to it later if you’ve spent a substantial amount of time. The flag feature will be your ally during the AWS Developer Associate Certification exam.
• 5. Stay calm: Maintaining a consistent pace throughout the exam ensures that you have enough time to answer all questions and avoids the stress of rushing to the conclusion. Remember that AWS adds unscored questions in each test for future assessment purposes; these questions will not influence your final score. 

Maintaining a consistent pace throughout the exam ensures that you have enough time to answer all questions and avoids the stress of rushing to the conclusion.

How to Study and Prepare for AWS Developer Associate Certification? 

Here are some tips on how to study and prepare for the exam:

1. Set a realistic timeline for your preparation. The AWS Certified Developer Associate exam is not an easy exam, so it’s important to set aside enough time to study properly. If you’re a beginner to AWS, I recommend allowing yourself at least 4-6 weeks to prepare.
2. Start by learning the AWS foundational concepts. The AWS Certified Developer Associate exam covers a wide range of AWS services, so it’s important to understand the foundational concepts before diving into the individual services. I recommend starting with the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam, which will give you a good foundation in the basics of AWS.
3. Master the AWS Architecture. To excel in the exam; it’s crucial to have a solid grasp of the AWS architecture. Get familiar with the different AWS services such as EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda, VPC, and API Gateway and understand how they interact within the cloud ecosystem.
4. Use a variety of study materials. There are many great resources available to help you study for the AWS Certified Developer Associate exam. I recommend using a combination of official AWS documentation, online courses, and practice exams.
5. Get hands-on experience with AWS. The best way to learn AWS is by doing. I recommend setting up a free AWS account and experimenting with the different services. You can also find many free tutorials and labs online.
6. Take practice exams. Practice exams are a great way to assess your knowledge and identify areas where you need more practice. I recommend taking at least 2-3 practice exams before taking the actual exam. You can download AWS Developer Associate Certification example questions prepared by Clarusway instructors here.
7. Take mock exams. Mock exams are the most significant aspect of your preparation since they allow you to gauge your degree of preparedness. According to experts, once you start consistently scoring above 80 on mock exams, you can consider yourself ready.
8. Join a study group or community. Studying with others can be a great way to stay motivated and learn from others. There are many online and offline study groups and communities for the AWS Certified Developer Associate exam.
9. Use the AWS documentation. The AWS Documentation at https://docs.aws.amazon.com is a valuable resource that covers all aspects of AWS services in detail. Check this documentation carefully to reinforce your understanding of the services, explore implementation examples, and gain insights into recommended best practices.

What are the Benefits of AWS Developer Associate Certification?

The benefits of the AWS Developer Associate Certification, as highlighted by the IT Skills and Salary Report 2022, are manifold. Firstly, AWS certifications are among the top-paying ones globally. Specifically, 19% of the participants reported an increase in their salary after obtaining certification. Beyond the financial incentives, the certification also seems to drive qualitative improvements in professional endeavors. Most respondents observed a noticeable enhancement in the quality of their work after certification. Additionally, 41% of them felt more engaged at their workplace, and 36% reported an ability to perform their job duties more swiftly. Other notable benefits encompass receiving a raise or promotion, landing a new job, and witnessing a marked reduction in errors in their tasks.

To ensure addressing each topic, I have compiled a list of frequently asked questions about the AWS Developer Associate Certification. In this section, you’ll find answers to these FAQs.

FAQs about AWS Developer Associate Certification

What is the Passing Score for the AWS Developer Associate Certification Exam?

To pass the AWS Developer Associate Certification exam, you need to achieve a minimum passing score of 720. The exam results are graded on a scale of 100 to 1,000 points. The exam consists of 65 questions, out of which 50 questions will affect your final score. Your score reflects your overall performance on the exam and determines whether you have successfully passed the certification.

How Much Does the AWS Developer Associate Certification Cost?

AWS Developer Associate Certification exam cost is $150. However, the price is subject to change, so it is better to check the AWS Certification page for the latest pricing information.

How Long is the AWS Developer Associate Certification Valid?

The certification is valid for three years. Individuals must recertify when the validity term expires in order to keep their certified status. Recertification ensures that professionals’ skills remain current and relevant as AWS services, best practices, and industry trends evolve.

What Jobs Are Available for AWS Certified Developer Associate?

As an AWS Developer Associate, you can work on roles including the design, development, and maintenance of the AWS. AWS Developer, Cloud Developer, Application Developer, and DevOps Engineer are frequent job titles connected with this qualification. You can apply for these top 5 AWS jobs after certification.

What is the Average Salary for AWS Certified Developer Associate?

The average salary of an AWS Certified Developer – Associate salary is around $133,000 per year in the United States and $130,000 in Canada. You can also read the “How Much Is An AWS & DevOps Engineer Salary?” for specific locations.

Can I Become an AWS Certified Developer Associate AWS on my own?

You can become an AWS Certified Developer Associate on your own by following a strategic approach. To start, it’s crucial to choose online courses that offer hands-on exercises and practical examples. This approach solidifies your understanding of AWS concepts and services, aligning well with the practical nature of AWS certifications.

For newcomers to cloud computing and AWS, enrolling in a comprehensive AWS training program or an AWS DevOps course can establish a strong foundation. By committing to continuous learning, seeking hands-on experiences, and staying current with the latest AWS services and best practices, you can confidently pursue the AWS Developer Associate Certification.

The certification exam assesses candidates’ knowledge and skills in designing architectures that meet specific business requirements, considering factors such as scalability, reliability, performance, security, and cost optimization. Candidates are tested on their ability to make architectural decisions, recommend best practices, and troubleshoot complex issues in AWS environments.

This thorough guide will bring you through all the necessary processes, advice, and tactics to help you pass the AWS Solution Architect Professional certification exam and advance your professional standing.

What are the Key Topics of the AWS Solution Architect Professional Certification Exam?

The AWS Solution Architect Professional certification covers a wide range of advanced topics related to designing and deploying complex solutions on the AWS platform. The key topics covered in the AWS Solution Architect Professional certification include:

Domain 1: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity

Domain 2: Design for New Solutions

Domain 3: Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions

Domain 4: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization

The AWS Solution Architect Professional certification is intended to vouch for a wide variety of abilities and knowledge in creating complex AWS solutions. Candidates may be required to use their knowledge and make architectural suggestions based on particular business requirements in scenario-based questions on the certification test.

What are AWS Solution Architect Professional Certification Exam Tips?

The AWS Solutions Architect Professional exam is well known for being challenging, with a success rate of only approximately 50%. Here are some tips to help you pass the AWS Solution Architect Professional exam:

1. Deep Dive into Whitepapers and FAQs: AWS provides a plethora of whitepapers and FAQs on their services. These are invaluable resources that cover best practices, architectures, and advanced features.
2. Hands-On Practice: Concepts in AWS need to be practiced to be understood thoroughly. Use the AWS Free Tier or set up your own personal projects to understand various services.
3. Master AWS Storage Solutions: Understand S3, Glacier, EFS, and their use cases. Know the different storage classes, lifecycle policies, and cross-region replication.
4. Master Networking: Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is a significant portion of the exam. Understand VPC peering, Direct Connect, VPN, security, NACLs, subnets, and endpoint services.
5. Know AWS Migration Tools: Familiarize yourself with the Database Migration Service, Server Migration Service, and the AWS Migration Hub.
6. Dive Deep into Databases: Know the difference between RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, Redshift, and Elasticache. Understand replication, backups, and disaster recovery for each.
7. Study Cost Optimization Strategies: Being able to design cost-effective architectures is crucial. Understand Reserved Instances, Spot Instances, and AWS Savings Plans.
8. Practice Exams: AWS offers practice exams. These won’t have the same questions, but they will give you a feel for the type of questions to expect.
9. Join a Study Group or Online Community: Engaging with peers can provide new perspectives and fill in knowledge gaps. AWS forums, A Cloud Guru, and other online platforms can be beneficial.
10. Understand Security and Compliance: Know the AWS Shared Responsibility Model, IAM best practices, KMS, Shield, and WAF.
11. Stay Updated: AWS is ever-evolving. Keep an eye on AWS’ “What’s New” page to stay informed about the latest updates and services.
12. Review the AWS Well-Architected Framework: It provides a consistent approach to evaluate architectures and provides guidance to implement designs that scale with application needs.
13. Use AWS Training Resources: AWS offers both digital and classroom training. Their advanced architecting course can be particularly useful for this certification.
14. Manage Your Time: The exam has a time limit. Practice pacing yourself so you can attempt all questions. Remember, you can flag questions and revisit them later if unsure.
15. Relax Before the Exam: It’s a rigorous exam, so ensure you get a good night’s sleep before the test day, eat a healthy meal, and arrive at the exam center with time to spare.

The exam has a duration of 180 minutes, allowing candidates ample time to complete the assessment. The cost of the exam is $300, but additional cost information can be found by visiting the exam pricing page on the AWS website. 

The exam format consists of 75 questions, which can be multiple-choice or multiple-response. Candidates can take the exam either at a Pearson VUE testing center or through an online proctored exam, providing flexibility and convenience in exam delivery.

How to Study AWS Solution Architect Professional Certification?

Studying for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification requires a structured approach and dedication. A study plan for the AWS Solution Architect Professional certification can help you stay organized and ensure comprehensive preparation. Before directly building a plan, carefully review the official AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional exam guide provided by AWS. It outlines the exam objectives, recommended knowledge areas, and key topics to focus on. 

The following step is to develop a preparation strategy and compile pertinent study resources after you thoroughly understand the exam topics and coverage. Create a study schedule that includes your objectives, resources, and time frame. 

Lastly, determine your study materials. Consider using a combination of resources such as books, online courses, video tutorials, practice exams, and documentation.

You can find AWS Solution Architect Professional Certification example questions here.

What are the Recommended Resources for Studying AWS Solution Architect Professional Certification?

For the AWS Solution Architect Professional certification, AWS officially supports training courses. These courses contain practical laboratories and exercises and thoroughly cover the test objectives.

AWS provides a wealth of documentation and whitepapers that cover various AWS services, architectural best practices, and specific use cases. Some key resources to review include:

AWS Well-Architected Framework: This framework provides a methodical way to assess and enhance architectures across five important pillars: Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, and Cost optimization.

AWS Architecture Center: This resource provides architectural patterns, reference architectures, and guidance for designing solutions on AWS.

Security Best Practices: Review AWS whitepapers that cover security best practices for different AWS services and compliance frameworks.

Online courses can be highly beneficial for preparing for the certification exam. Online programs and boot camps cover all of the exam’s topics in detail. They are structured to guide you through all the necessary topics and ensure you understand the required knowledge areas.

Many of them incorporate visual aids, diagrams, and demonstrations to facilitate learning. These visual elements can enhance comprehension and retention, making it easier to grasp complex architectural concepts and understand how different AWS services fit together. 

How can Hands-on Experience and Lab Practice Help in AWS Solution Architect Professional Certification Preparation?

Hands-on labs and activities are frequently included in online courses and bootcamps to help you retain what you’ve learned. These practical components allow you to apply your knowledge in a real AWS environment, giving you valuable experience in designing, implementing, and troubleshooting AWS solutions.

You can complement your theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience. Set up your own AWS account and practice implementing various architectural scenarios. Apply the topics you’ve learned by working on actual projects or by doing your own projects.

This practical experience will reinforce your understanding and help you grasp the practical aspects of designing and deploying AWS solutions.

You already have valuable hands-on experience that can significantly aid your AWS Solution Architect Professional Certification preparation if you work as a cloud engineer. Your practical experience working with AWS services, designing and implementing solutions, and managing cloud infrastructure provides a strong foundation for understanding the exam topics and applying architectural best practices.

Who’s the Ideal Candidate for AWS Solution Architect Professional Certification?

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification is designed for individuals who have extensive experience and expertise in designing and deploying scalable, fault-tolerant, and secure applications on the AWS platform.

The one who has The AWS Solution Architect Associate certification and 2 or 3 years of hands-on experience in cloud architecture is the ideal candidate for the professional certificate.

Roadmap You Should Follow For AWS Certification

The AWS certification path is a structured roadmap provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that outlines the various certifications available for individuals to validate their skills and expertise in AWS cloud services. The AWS certification path consists of multiple levels, each targeting different skill levels and areas of specialization.

Below is the cloud architecture job role and AWS Certification Paths aligned with this role.

What is the avarage salary of an AWS Solution Architect Professional?

The average salary for an AWS Solution Architect Professional ranges from approximately $120,000 to $180,000 per year in the United States. However, it’s important to note that salaries can go beyond this range, especially for professionals with extensive experience and expertise.

In other regions, such as Europe, salaries for AWS Solution Architect Professionals tend to be slightly lower, with average ranges typically falling between €70,000 and €120,000 per year. 

An AWS Solution Architect Professional can anticipate a respectable income range on average. AWS DevOps Engineer salary might vary depending on a number of variables, including the job’s specific tasks, previous expertise, industry, and location.

Conclusion

Stay up-to-date with the latest AWS services, features, and updates. AWS regularly introduces new services and enhancements, so review the AWS documentation, whitepapers, and announcements to stay current with the evolving AWS ecosystem. If you are not familiar with cloud architecture, AWS, and DevOps courses can be valuable resources before taking the exam.

AWS/DevOps courses provide insights into the integration of development and operations practices in cloud environments. This Professional Certification expects you to have knowledge of DevOps practices and their application on AWS. 

Lastly, Effective preparation, hands-on experience, and a deep understanding of AWS services and best practices are key to success in the exam. With consistent effort and a well-rounded approach, you can increase your chances of success and position yourself as a skilled and certified AWS Solution Architect Professional. Good luck on your certification journey!

The AWS Solution Architect Associate certification requires a comprehensive understanding of various cloud services and their capabilities. You’ll gain in-depth knowledge of AWS offerings, including computing, storage, networking, databases, security, and more, through the preparation process.

Embarking on the journey to become a Solution Architect Associate proved to be challenging yet fulfilling. Upon obtaining the AWS/DevOps Certification, it becomes evident that studying for the AWS certification plays a vital role in advancing one’s career in cloud architecture. The aim of the article is to provide valuable insights, observations, and guidance to help individuals excel in the exam with expertise.

What are the Key Topics of the AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification Exam?

The exam typically consists of around 50 to 65 multiple-choice questions.

There are two categories of questions:

• Multiple choice questions, which have a number of options containing one accurate response and three false ones. 
• Multiple response questions that have two or more accurate answers out of five or more possible answers.

The exam covers those domains:

AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification Exam Tips

The AWS Cloud Practitioner exam costs $100, the AWS Associate-level exam is $150, and the AWS Professional-level and Specialty exam is $300.

The exam aims to evaluate your understanding and proficiency in effectively utilizing AWS services and applying architectural concepts. To pass the exam, you need to get 720 points, and the scoring range for the exam spans from 100 to 1000.

Once you complete the exam, you will receive an immediate pass or fail indication, indicating whether you have met the passing criteria. In addition, within approximately five business days, you can access the detailed exam results. These results will be available in the Exam History section of your account, providing you with a comprehensive breakdown of your performance and areas of strength or areas that may require further improvement.

On the day of your exam, it’s essential to be well-prepared and in the right mindset. Get a good night’s sleep before the exam to ensure you’re well-rested and focused. Arrive at the exam center (if you take it online, your exam room) early to allow time for check-in procedures and to familiarize yourself with the testing environment. Read and understand the instructions carefully before starting the exam, as this will help you navigate through the questions more efficiently.

During the exam, manage your time effectively. If you encounter a challenging question, flag it and move on to the next one. You can turn back later when you finish all the questions.

Utilize the process of elimination strategy to eliminate obviously incorrect options and increase your chances of selecting the correct answer. Stay calm and focused throughout the exam, taking deep breaths when needed to maintain composure.

Before submitting the exam, if time permits, review your answers for any errors or missed details. However, avoid excessive second-guessing, as your initial instincts are often correct. Ensure that you don’t leave any questions unanswered, as there is no penalty for guessing. Make educated guesses if necessary.

How to Study AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification?

Having knowledge of the exam’s topics and the subject domains covered by the exam was the first step in the AWS Solution Architect Associate certification journey. Therefore, you have to read the official AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Exam Guide, which is available through AWS and lists the exam’s subject matter and suggested readings.

Work on the Solution Architect Associate exam questions after thoroughly studying the exam concept to familiarize yourself with the question formats you may encounter. Also, find trustworthy books, websites, and other sources that offer questions and answers for the exam. 

You can find AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification example questions here.

What are the Recommended Training Resources for AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification?

AWS offers official training courses specifically designed for the Solution Architect Associate Certification. These programs cover every aspect of the topics and are delivered by AWS-accredited individuals. There are many training alternatives in those courses.

The AWS Documentation is an extensive document that details the capabilities and services, and best practices for using Amazon Web Services. It provides in-depth explanations, tutorials, and examples of how to use AWS services effectively. Refer to the relevant documentation for each AWS service covered in the exam to deepen your understanding.

AWS provides a variety of whitepapers on a range of subjects pertaining to cloud computing and best practices for Amazon Web Services. Some recommended whitepapers include the Well-Architected Framework whitepaper, the AWS Security Best Practices whitepaper, and the AWS Storage Services whitepaper. These whitepapers provide valuable insights and guidance for designing architectures on AWS for a cloud engineer.

Lastly, there are many online learning platforms for the AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification. These resources often provide video-based lectures, practice exams, and hands-on labs to enhance your learning experience. Examples include A Cloud Guru, Linux Academy, and Udemy.

What Strategies Can You Employ for Effective Study and Preparation?

The question-and-answer method is the best strategy to get the certification on the first try. This is a working methodology for the preparation of exams.

This strategy is built on solving practice tests. Practice tests offer several benefits that can enhance your preparation:

Familiarize Yourself with the Exam Format 

The best way to do this is by taking practice tests. They not only simulate the actual exam environment but also allow you to understand the exam’s structure, question types, and timing. As a result, you can approach the exam more calmly, giving you the best chance to do well and get higher results.

Assess Your Knowledge

Practice tests serve as a valuable tool for self-assessment. Engaging in practice questions allows you to assess your comprehension of the exam subjects and pinpoint specific areas that may require additional study. Through the process of answering these practice questions, you gain valuable insights into your performance and can identify any weak areas. You can more efficiently manage your study time by using this performance analysis. 

Identify Knowledge Gaps

Practice tests can reveal specific knowledge gaps or misconceptions that you may have. By reviewing the explanations provided for incorrect answers, you can understand the reasoning behind the correct solutions and gain a deeper understanding of the concepts.

Improve Time Management: 

Practice tests help you develop the time management skills necessary to complete the exam within the allotted time. By timing yourself during practice tests, you can practice answering questions efficiently and learn to give each question the proper amount of time.

Learn to Interpret Questions

The AWS Solution Architect Associate exam often includes questions that require careful reading and interpretation. Practice tests train you to decipher complex questions, identify the key information, and choose the most appropriate answer.

When using practice tests, selecting high-quality, reliable sources is important. Look for practice tests from reputable providers, such as AWS official practice exams or trusted third-party platforms that offer accurate and up-to-date questions aligned with the exam objectives.

Who’s the Ideal Candidate for AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification?

The AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification is perfect for professionals who wish to demonstrate their experience in cloud computing. IT Professionals, Cloud Architects, IT Managers, and Executives, Cloud Enthusiasts are among the ideal candidates for this certification.

The AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification is also suitable for anyone looking to validate their expertise in architecting solutions on the AWS platform, regardless of their specific job title or background.

What Are the Main Benefits of AWS Solution Architect Associate Level Certification for Analysts?

As an analyst, having a solid understanding of cloud architecture is crucial for effectively leveraging cloud services in your data analysis workflows. The AWS solution architect certification equips you with knowledge of AWS services, architectural best practices, and design principles, enabling you to make informed decisions about architecting and deploying analytics solutions on the AWS platform.

AWS offers a comprehensive suite of big data and analytics services, such as Amazon QuickSight, EMR, and Glue. By gaining the AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification, analysts can effectively understand how to integrate these services into their data analysis workflows. This enables them to leverage the power of AWS’s analytics ecosystem and take advantage of scalable and performant data processing and visualization capabilities.

What Are the Prerequisites for AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification?

Understanding fundamental AWS services, such as computing, storage, database, networking, and security, is beneficial. Familiarize yourself with the core concepts of cloud computing, including the AWS Global Infrastructure and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM).

Having a basic understanding of networking concepts, including IP addressing, routing, subnets, and DNS, is also critical. Learn about AWS networking services.

About cloud infrastructure  AWS The Well-Architected Framework is good to know.

How Can You Explore The AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification Path?

The official certification site offers many resources to study for the Solutions Architect Associate exam. Start by visiting the official AWS Certification website to gather information about the Solution Architect Associate Certification path.

Download and check the official exam guide. It outlines the topics covered in the exam, the weightage of each topic, and the skills needed to succeed in the exam. The Exam Guide serves as a valuable resource for understanding the exam content and creating a study plan.

Practical experience with cloud computing is essential for understanding how they work in AWS real-world scenarios. Practice deploying and managing applications on AWS, experiment with different architectural patterns and familiarize yourself with the AWS Management Console.

What Jobs Are Available for AWS Solution Architect Associate Certified Individuals?

AWS Solution Architect Associate certified professionals can pursue various job roles across industries that require expertise in architecting and deploying solutions on the AWS platform. Cloud Solutions Architect, Cloud Infrastructure Architect, Cloud Consultant, Pre-sales Solutions Architect, and DevOps Engineer are some of the job roles available for AWS Solution Architect Associate certified professionals.

What is The Average Salary for AWS Solution Architects?

On average, an AWS Solution Architect – Associate certified professional in the United States can expect a salary range of approximately $110,000 to $160,000 per year. But the AWS DevOps engineer’s salary can vary based on 4 factors: experience, location, industry, and company size.

An AWS Senior Solutions Architect can make a yearly income of $200,000 – $250,000 in the US. 

What is the AWS Certification Landscape?

The AWS certification landscape consists of a wide range of certifications offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) across different areas of expertise. Here are the AWS certification categories:

Foundational Level:

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner: This entry-level certification validates an understanding of AWS Cloud concepts, basic architectural best practices, and key services.

Associate Level:

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate: The main focus of this certification is creating and implementing safe, cost-efficient, and scalable systems on the cloud.

AWS Certified Developer – Associate: With the understanding of the essential Amazon Web Services and fundamental development principles, this certification focuses on creating and sustaining Cloud-based services.

AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate: The technical proficiency in setting up, administering, and running applications on Amazon Web Services is validated by this certification.

Professional Level:

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional: With the help of this advanced-level certification, you can demonstrate your proficiency in creating and deploying fault-tolerant, highly available, and dependable AWS applications.

AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional: This certification focuses on provisioning and knowledge of how to create and deploy cutting-edge solutions on the cloud.

Specialty Certifications:

AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty: This certification validates expertise in designing and implementing AWS-based networking solutions.

AWS Certified Security – Specialty: This certification focuses on demonstrating advanced knowledge of implementing security best practices on the AWS platform.

AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty: With this certification, you can demonstrate that you are an expert in creating ML models.

AWS Certified Database – Specialty: This certification focuses on designing, recommending, and maintaining AWS database solutions for specific use cases.

Conclusion

The AWS Solution Architect Associate Certification demonstrates your expertise in designing secure, scalable, and cost-effective solutions on the AWS platform. You’ve acquired valuable knowledge about AWS services and architectural better best practices. If you are not familiar with AWS and Cloud, it is better to enroll in an AWS/DevOps course.

The demand for cloud computing professionals continues to rise as businesses increasingly adopt cloud technologies. Companies of all sizes and across industries are looking for skilled professionals who can help them leverage the benefits of cloud computing, creating a wide range of job opportunities. The AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification seems like the perfect starting point to build a solid foundation and expand horizons in the cloud after to get AWS DevOps Certification.

In this article, you can find the benefits of the AWS cloud practitioner exam certification overview, key topics, tips, and lastly how to study for the exam.

AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification Exam Overview

The AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification is an entry-level exam that tests fundamental knowledge of cloud computing. With a time limit of 90 minutes, test-takers are required to complete 65 multiple-choice or multiple-response questions. The AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification passing score is 700. The exam fee is $100 USD, and it can be taken either at a testing center or online with a proctor.

This certification exam is available in various language versions, including English, French (France), German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Spanish (Latin America). Spanish (Spain) and Traditional Chinese are exclusive options that are offered solely through Pearson Vue.

What are the Key Topics of the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification Exam?

The AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification exam covers a range of key topics that are essential for understanding the fundamentals of AWS cloud computing. In the AWS Exam Guide, those key topics are called domains. There are 4 domains: Cloud Concepts, Security and Compliance,  Technology, Billing, and Pricing. The following table lists the main content domains and their weightings.

Cloud Concepts Domain

“Cloud Concepts” refers to the fundamental concepts and characteristics of cloud computing as they relate to AWS services. Understanding the advantages and business benefits of using cloud computing, such as cost savings, scalability, flexibility, and rapid deployment. Differentiating between Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS), and understanding their respective responsibilities.

These cloud concepts provide a foundation for understanding how AWS services and cloud computing operate. Familiarizing yourself with these concepts will help you answer questions on the exam and demonstrate your understanding of cloud computing principles.

Security and Compliance Domain

The Security and Compliance domain covers the fundamental aspects of identity and access management, detection, network, and application protection, data protection, and compliance. Here’s a breakdown of what you should understand:

IAM allows you to manage user identities and their access to AWS resources. You should understand the concepts of IAM users, groups, roles, and policies and how to enforce the principle of least privilege to grant appropriate access rights.

Awareness of AWS services that enable monitoring, logging, and auditing of your AWS resources and applications. This includes services like AWS CloudTrail, AWS Config, and Amazon CloudWatch. 

Data protection includes encryption options for data at rest and in transit, such as AWS Key Management Service (KMS), SSL/TLS, and server-side encryption for storage services like Amazon S3.

Technology Domain

The technology domain is crucial to the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification exam. To excel in this section, it is essential to have a solid understanding of key AWS services. Familiarity with prominent services such as Route 53, Lambda, S3, ELB, SNS, RDS, and EC2 is a must. 

These services play integral roles in various aspects of AWS infrastructure, networking, storage, computing, and messaging. Being well-versed in these services will greatly contribute to your proficiency in the technology domain of the certification exam.

Billing and Pricing Domain

The Billing and Pricing domain in the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam focuses on the concepts and practices related to AWS pricing models, cost management, and billing. You should understand the different pricing models offered by AWS.

What Are AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification Exam Tips?

Here are the top tips you need to know:

Use AWS Study Guide

Start your test preparation process using the AWS study guide to thoroughly grasp the exam’s topic content. This priceless tool will improve your understanding of the main ideas and goals of the test. 

The study guide will provide you with a thorough overview of the subjects you should concentrate on when getting ready for the exam. Additionally, it will help you comprehend every exam topic and learn useful preparation strategies. The secret to succeeding on your certification exam is to follow the study guide’s instructions carefully.

Also, check AWS Training and Certification Events for other preparation materials.

Learn from AWS-Certified Individuals

Harnessing experiences of AWS certified individuals can significantly reduce the time required for pre-preparation. By tapping into their valuable insights, you can glean invaluable tips and strategies that streamline your exam readiness process, saving you valuable time and effort.

It is also important to learn what they experienced on the Day of the exam.  Drawing from the experiences of those who have successfully navigated the certification journey, you can optimize your own preparation efforts and confidently embark on the path to achieving your AWS certification goals.

Create a To-Do List

Creating a “To Do” list is helpful when preparing for the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification exam. It helps you organize your study materials, resources, and tasks in a systematic manner, ensuring that you cover all the necessary topics and domains required for the exam.

You can ensure that you cover all the key areas and concepts needed for the exam. It helps prevent skipping important topics or spending excessive time on areas you are already comfortable with. It ensures a balanced and comprehensive preparation.

How to Study AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification?

AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification preparation begins by understanding the exam objectives and knowledge areas covered by the certification. Review the official AWS Cloud Practitioner Exam Guide, provided by AWS, which summarizes exam content and recommended resources.

After deeply understanding the exam concept, practice answering AWS Cloud Practitioner exam questions to get comfortable with the format and types of questions you may encounter. Seek out reputable study materials and resources that provide AWS Cloud Practitioner certification questions and answers. These resources can help you test your knowledge. 

You can find AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification example questions here.

“Practice, practice and practice” is essential, especially in order to obtain the AWS Cloud Practitioner and AWS Solution Architect Associate Certifications on the first try.

Three different practice tests can be continued until each score exceeds 90. After each attempt, their answers are checked to identify weak areas and topics. These specific areas are then focused on.

Here is a to-do list for AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification exam preparation:

Create a Study Plan

Develop a study plan that suits your schedule and learning style. Allocate dedicated study time for each topic and track your progress. Breaking down your preparation into manageable chunks can help you stay organized and focused.

Use Comprehensive Study Materials

Use a variety of study materials to cover the breadth of topics in the exam. This may include official AWS documentation, whitepapers, online courses, practice exams, and study guides. Review each topic thoroughly and make notes to reinforce your understanding.

Enhance Your Understanding with Hands-on Experience

Hands-on experience with AWS services can enhance your understanding. Consider signing up for a free AWS account and exploring the AWS Management Console to get practical exposure to different services and their functionalities.

Review and Practice

Regularly review the material you have studied and practice answering exam questions. Reinforce your understanding through repetition and revision. Focus on areas where you feel less confident and seek additional resources or clarification as needed.

Benefits of AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification

The AWS Cloud Practitioner certification offers several benefits to individuals seeking to enhance their knowledge and career in cloud computing. AWS is a leading cloud services provider, and its certifications are highly regarded in the industry. By earning the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification, individuals gain recognition for their knowledge and skills in AWS technologies, making them more marketable to potential employers and clients. 

Here are some benefits of the AWS cloud practitioner certification:

Foundation in Cloud Computing 

The AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification provides a solid foundation in cloud computing concepts, AWS services, and architectural best practices. It equips individuals with a comprehensive understanding of cloud fundamentals, making it an excellent starting point for anyone interested in a career in cloud technology.

Industry Recognition

AWS is a leading cloud services provider, and its certifications are highly regarded in the industry. By earning the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification, individuals gain recognition for their knowledge and skills in AWS technologies, making them more marketable to potential employers and clients.

Career Advancement 

The demand for cloud professionals is continuously increasing, and the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification can significantly enhance career prospects. It opens up job opportunities in cloud-related roles, including cloud architects, cloud consultants, and cloud operations specialists. Additionally, it can serve as a stepping stone for higher-level AWS certifications, enabling individuals to advance their careers further.

Who’s The Ideal Candidate for AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification?

The AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification is designed for individuals who are new to the AWS cloud and want to establish a foundational understanding of AWS services and cloud computing concepts. The ideal candidate falls into one or more of the following categories:

IT Professionals

IT professionals beginning their journey into cloud computing or expanding their knowledge of AWS can benefit from the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification. AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification comprehensively introduces AWS services, architectural principles, and cloud best practices.

Business and Non-Technical Professionals

The AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification is also suitable for business professionals, project managers, sales and marketing representatives, and individuals in non-technical roles who want to gain a high-level understanding of AWS cloud services. It allows them to effectively communicate with technical teams, make informed decisions, and understand the business implications of adopting cloud technologies.

Students and Recent Graduates

Students and recent graduates pursuing careers in IT, especially AWS DevOps engineers, can use the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification to differentiate themselves in the job market. It demonstrates their commitment to learning cloud computing concepts and gives them a competitive edge when applying for entry-level cloud-related positions. This sounds like good career planning, given that the average AWS DevOps engineer salary in the US is $125,000 per year.

Cloud Enthusiasts

Individuals with a passion for cloud computing, even without a technical background, can benefit from the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification. It provides a solid foundation and helps them understand the fundamental concepts and terminology associated with AWS and cloud computing in general.

Final Thoughts

Numerous online courses are available for AWS Certification Preparation. However, it is suggested to select courses with hands-on exercises and practical examples rather than focusing solely on theory. This is especially crucial for higher-level certifications. 

If you are not familiar with cloud and AWS concepts, enrolling in an AWS/DevOps Course can greatly assist you. For individuals with limited time, exam-focused study methods may prove more beneficial. 

Once you have grasped the fundamentals of AWS, the practical experience becomes a key factor in achieving AWS certifications.

Why AWS Cloud?

While there are several different cloud platforms, the overwhelming leader is AWS (Amazon Web Services). AWS is the company with the highest market share in the IT industry (compared to its peers.) Besides that, AWS offers over 200 fully-featured services. Millions of customers are using AWS due to its lower cost, agile structure, and innovative nature.

Whether you’re looking to invigorate and challenge yourself in IT (and “level-up” to higher pay!) or just starting a career from scratch, it all starts with learning what’s needed for success. This is not just about finding a job to survive and pay the bills. It’s so much more than that! Finding the right career to suit your capability and passion for achievement is sometimes a lifelong quest. It’s never been easy to figure out all the answers — many people change careers several times throughout their lives.

Don’t Be a Dinosaur

Over time, industries evolve. Companies may shift their personnel or eliminate entire departments as the business climate changes. Like the dinosaurs, some people are left without options — without the skills needed to survive. Nowadays, most companies have shifted their infrastructure to the cloud to answer the industry’s dynamic and agile requirements. The market is swiftly changing and requires fast and stable deliveries to survive and successfully compete. To answer this need, a new discipline blending Cloud and DevOps fields was born. Current and future job opportunities are plentiful for Cloud and DevOps engineers. If you’re wondering what it takes to launch this kind of career, read on to find out if you’re the right kind of candidate to learn these skills.

AWS Cloud and Devops

What Type of IT Candidate Are You?

A typical candidate in the early stages of an IT career might be a self-taught Python developer, Java developer, or interested in various IT practices. Perhaps he or she has worked on several IT projects and developed applications, automated processes, and/or built web applications.

Does this sound familiar to you? Maybe you’ve already worked in different IT positions and feeling a little bored with the status quo? If you’re reading this, you’ve probably decided to learn more about landing a job in the AWS Cloud & DevOps field. Have you worked to acquire some of the skills needed in this field already? (If you’re a novice without experience, don’t worry — Clarusway has a beginner’s program to bring you up to speed!)

AWS

  If you’ve started a journey to learn AWS services, CI/CD tools like Jenkins, Bash/Python Scripting, Git/Github, Linux, etc. (and find it interesting!), you’re already way ahead of many IT professionals. Some candidates at this level are completely self-taught and have done some form of online training. In our fast-moving industry, an IT or Computer Science degree isn’t even necessary to land the best jobs.

DevOps 

There are many job opportunities with no prior experience in this sector for candidates equipped with the required skills to apply for a AWS Cloud & DevOps position. Have you already looked into DevOps jobs? Have you…

• Started researching AWS Cloud & DevOps jobs postings.
• Learned the job competencies necessary to apply.
• Done a self-evaluation to determine if eligible… (and realized that you need more training?)
• Been eager to learn these skills?

If the answer is yes, spend time to learn the theories and make time to PRACTICE!

Practice, Practice, and MORE Practice…

Now lets look at the skills you need to find a job in AWS Cloud & DevOps area.

10 Skills to Find a Job in AWS Cloud and DevOps Engineer:

1. Proficient knowledge in scripting
   (Linux, Unix shell scripts, Python, Ruby, etc.)
2. Hands-on experience in Configuration Management and Deployment tools
   (Ansible, Terraform, Chef, Puppet, etc.)
3. Mastery of CI/CD tools
   (Jenkins, TeamCity, Bamboo, Travis CI, etc.)
4. Building CI/CD pipelines & competency in GIT
   (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) or SCM tools (SVN, TFS, etc.)
5. Satisfactory knowledge of SDLC
   Complete Software Development Life Cycle.
6. Experience in integrating SCM, Code Quality, Code Coverage, and Testing tools for CI/CD pipelines.
7. Knowledge in Containerization Technologies like Docker and Kubernetes is highly desirable.
8. Experience with DevOps Services of cloud vendors
   (AWS/Azure/GCP, etc.) is necessary.
9. Exposure to application and infrastructure monitoring tools
   (Grafana, Prometheus, Nagios, etc.)— outstanding skill to have!
10. Excellent soft skills for IT professionals 
    Interviewing techniques, resume preparation, establishing your brand, and effective social media usage.

Don’t Let That List Scare You Away!

Keep in mind that you don’t have to know everything and every tool, but a general understanding of the skills mentioned above (plus higher-level expertise in at least one skill) is enough to get started with AWS Cloud and DevOps.

Nowadays, there are many open-source tools, freeware, and study materials online. Do not be intimidated and discouraged if you don’t already have a background in AWS Cloud and DevOps. It’s possible to learn them if you put in time and effort (and show passion and interest in learning!)

The next step to an AWS Cloud and DevOps Career

It’s important to take online training that carefully covers lab and theory. It should include interaction with a tutor, support from mentors, and improved collaboration with online tools such as slack. You can find all the skills you need with Clarusway IT Training.

Reinvent Yourself With Clarusway

There’s a reason we use “reinvent” at the heart of our mission — most of our students are learning AWS & DevOps for the first time (from beginner to advanced IT professionals). Many of our online and in-person students are international (ESL — English as a Second Language) learners. We have what it takes to help students completely reinvent their careers — earning what they deserve when they’ve worked hard to achieve a new life.

AWS & Dev Ops engineers enjoy outstanding career advancement and high salaries commensurate with the high-skill level required.

Join AWS Cloud & DevOps course training at Clarusway and achieve a high-level career you’ve dreamed about.

At Clarusway, you receive a boost of confidence through the support of critical soft skills — interviewing techniques, resume preparation, establishing your brand, and learning best practices with effective social media use. We show you how to apply concepts through day-to-day tasks, so you master the knowledge. It’s all about PRACTICE!

The learning curve is steep, but our students with a passion for learning always find job offers they’re excited about! Our graduates are enjoying excellent salaries with bright futures as they advance in their careers. Meet these IT professionals and learn about their experiences with Clarusway. 

Ready to get started? Email us at contact@clarusway.com.

Although the cloud presents the new potential to upgrade services and restructure operations, fewer businesses realize the full value anticipated from their investments in the cloud. 

The most significant obstacle to cloud adoption is still the risk associated with security and compliance. These limitations, the difficulty of identifying the complexity of secure configuration, coupled with a skills gap, may pose substantial obstacles on the path to cloud-first computing.

In the cloud-first path, security is frequently viewed as the most significant barrier; yet, in truth, it can be the most significant enabler. Let’s break down the cloud security challenges into the following topics.

What are the Top 11 Cloud Security Challenges?

The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) disclosed in its report “Top Threats to Cloud Computing: According to the Pandemic 11”, the security concerns of cloud security providers (CSP) have shifted substantially. New, more elements, such as configuration and authentication, suggest that consumers’ awareness of cloud computing has evolved and that they are actively contemplating cloud migration.

In other phrases, the focus of cloud security has shifted from information security to setup and authentication, according to a study.

The report prioritized the following security challenges in order of importance and offers control recommendations and real-world reference samples to help regulatory, risk, and technology teams.

1. Insufficient identity, credentials, access, and key management 
2. Insecure interfaces and APIs 
3. Misconfiguration and inadequate change control 
4. Lack of cloud security architecture and strategy 
5. Insecure software development
6. Unsecure third-party resources
7. System vulnerabilities
8. Accidental cloud data disclosure/disclosure
9. Misconfiguration and exploitation of serverless and container workloads
10. Organized crime/hackers/APT
11. Cloud storage data exfiltration

1. Insufficient Identity, Credential, Access, and Key Mgt, Privileged Accounts

Identity, credential, and access management systems comprise tools and rules that enable enterprises to control, monitor, and safeguard access to valuable resources. Examples include digital files, computer systems, and physical assets such as server rooms and structures.

In order to prevent personnel access following offboarding or a role change, privileged accounts have to be de-provisioned immediately and precisely. That decreases the probability of data exfiltration or exposure. In addition to de-provisioning privileged accounts, it is essential that responsibilities and roles correspond to the “need to know” scale. Multiple people with excessive privileges increase the probability of data mishandling or account takeover.

How does it Affect The Business?

The following are examples of potentially unfavorable outcomes that can result from inadequate identity, credentials, access and key management, and privileged account management:

• Poor business performance and decreased production result from retaliatory and excessively restrictive lockdowns.

• Testing burnout among employees, which leads to a reduction in compliance and apathy about security concerns.

• Exfiltration of data by unauthorized or malevolent users as opposed to data loss, corruption, or replacement.

• A drop in consumer confidence and sales volume in the market.

• The costs of responding to incidents and conducting investigations, which caused financial burdens.

• Ransomware, as well as disruptions to supply chains.

Examples of This Security Challenge 

The following are some examples of more recent cloud security incidents:

• A deeper look at SEGA Europe’s cloud reveals two significant cloud misconfigurations that are important for configuration management – The permissions for accessing the AWS S3 bucket were changed to allow public access. In the cloud, credentials were stored in a hard-coded format. If sandbox submissions had been implemented, it would have given systems additional time to validate changes and risk-score the access context, which would have prevented the need for content replacement in AWS and CDN networks. (2021)
• The CapitalOne AWS insider breach relied heavily on the unauthorized use of dynamic IAM roles borrowed from other accounts. S3 buckets were not open to the Internet, as was the case with many other breaches; however, it is possible that an EC2 instance with an excessive IAM role was the source of the breach. (1/2019 – 7/2019)

 How to Deal?

Results of proper IAM, credential and key management could include the following:

• Because of strengthened defenses at the core of enterprise architectures, hackers are now forced to focus on the endpoint user identity as the easiest target.
• A simple authentication process for separate users and application-based isolation is not enough to make a robust zero-trust layer.
• Operational policies and structured risk models are also essential components of sophisticated tools such as CIEM.
• User objects must be assigned risk scores, which must be able to adjust in accordance with the needs of the business dynamically. It is better to earn trust than to just hand over the keys and codes.

2. Insecure Interfaces and APIs

The application programming interface (API) is becoming increasingly important, and its use is becoming increasingly widespread. It is necessary to test APIs and microservices for vulnerabilities caused by improper configuration, sloppy coding practices, insufficient authentication, and inappropriate authorization. Due to these omissions, the interfaces may be left open to attacks by malicious actors. Common examples include: 

• Endpoints without authentication
• Insufficient authentication
• Excessive permissions
• Deactivation of standard security measures
• Incompletely patched systems
• Issues with logical design
• Disabled monitoring or logging

How does it Affect The Business?

The risk posed by an insecure API or interface varies according to the API’s usage and the associated data, as well as the speed with which the vulnerability is found and fixed.

The unintended exposure of sensitive or private data left unsecured by the API is the business impact reported the most frequently.

Examples of This Security Challenge

An example of issues caused by insecure interfaces and APIs:

Personal identifying information (PII) belonging to Peloton customers was made publicly available via APIs after user authentication, and object-level authorization failed. This included information about the user’s ID, location, weight, gender, and age, among other things. (May 5, 2021)

How to Deal?

• APIs’ attack surface must be monitored, configured, and secured.
• Updates to traditional controls and change management policies and procedures are required in order to keep up with the expansion and transformation of cloud-based APIs.
• Businesses should embrace automation and use technologies that can continuously monitor abnormal API traffic and fix issues in a manner that is very close to real-time.

3. Misconfiguration and Inadequate Change Control

Misconfigurations are the erroneous or sub-optimal setup of computing assets, which may expose them to unintended damage or external/internal malicious activity. Misconfigurations can be caused by a lack of system knowledge or understanding of security settings and malicious intent. Some common misconfigurations are: 

• Unsecured data storage elements or containers
• Excessive permissions
• Default credentials and configuration settings are left unchanged
• Standard security controls disabled
• Unpatched systems
• Logging or monitoring disabled
• Unrestricted access to ports and services
• Unsecured Secrets Management
• Poorly configured or lack of configuration validation

How does it Affect The Business?

The consequences can be severe depending on the nature of a misconfiguration/inadequate change control and the speed with which it is recognized and corrected. Classifications of impacts are:

• Disclosure of Data – Technical Impact – Confidentiality
• Loss of Data – Technical Impact – Availability
• Destruction of Data – Technical Impact – Integrity
• System Performance – Operational Impact 
• System Outage – Impact on Operations
• Demands for Ransom – Financial Effect
• Non-Compliance and Penalties – Compliance and Financial Effects
• Revenue Loss – Financial Effect 
• Stock Price Reduction – Financial Effect
• Business Reputation – Reputational Impact

Examples of This Security Challenge

Notable issues caused by misconfiguration and insufficient change control include:

• It was stated that over 70% of tested ServiceNow instances had security vulnerabilities due to improperly configured customer-managed ServiceNow ACL (Access Control List) setups and overprovisioning permissions to guest users. (March 9, 2022)
• Facebook’s applications Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus were no longer accessible. The backbone routers managing network traffic between data centers generated issues that disrupted connectivity due to misconfigurations. The network traffic disturbance had a cascade effect on how the data centers interacted, halting services. This outage also affected several internal tools and systems required for daily operations, making diagnosing and resolving the issue more difficult.

How to Deal?

• Businesses must adopt existing solutions that continually check for misconfigured resources to enable real-time correction of risks.

• Change management approaches must reflect the ceaseless and dynamic nature of continual business transformations and security problems in order to ensure that approved changes are implemented correctly via real-time automated verification.

4. Lack of Cloud Security Architecture and Strategy

The cloud security strategy and security architecture include the analysis and selection of cloud deployment models, cloud service models, cloud service providers (CSPs), service area availability zone, particular cloud services, general principles, and predeterminations.

The rapid rate of change and the common decentralized self-service approach to cloud infrastructure administration impede the capacity to account for technical and commercial factors and deliberate design. Anecdotes from breaches in the industry indicate that the absence of such planning could result in cloud environments and applications failing to become resilient to cyberattacks or failing to do so efficiently.   

How does it Affect The Business?

The lack of a cloud security strategy and architecture hinders the implementation of an effective and efficient company and infrastructure security architecture. Without these security/compliance measures, goals will not be accomplished, resulting in penalties and data breaches, or achieving these goals would be expensive due to the need to build workarounds, refactor, and migrate.

Examples of This Security Challenge 

Walmart-owned US clothing retailer Bonobos suffered a huge data breach that exposed millions of consumers’ personal information. A threat actor known as ShinyHunters published the complete Bonobos database (70 GB SQL database containing 7 million user records), which included customers’ addresses, phone numbers, partial credit card details, and site orders. 

This occurred because an external cloud backup service hosting the backup file was compromised. A variety of access controls, encryption, vendor security, redundancy, and other areas can be utilized to mitigate the severity or frequency of such security breaches. (January 2021)

How to Deal?

• Companies must evaluate corporate objectives, risks, security concerns, and legal compliance while designing and deciding upon cloud infrastructure and services.
• Consider cloud services, infrastructure strategy, and design concepts to be more crucial to develop and adhere to, given the quick rate of change and lack of centralized control.
• Consider due diligence and security audits of third-party vendors as core standards. Complement with threat modeling, secure design, and integration, keeping in mind the effects of vendor failure.

5. Insecure Software Development

Cloud technologies have a tendency to add to the complexity of software. This complexity results in the emergence of unwanted functionality that could facilitate the establishment of exploits and possible misconfigurations. As a result of the accessibility of the cloud, threat actors can utilize these “benefits” with greater ease than ever before.

Cloud service providers (CSPs) offer capabilities for identity and access management (IAM), providing developers with vetting tools and implementation help.

Monthly, major software companies provide updates that address vulnerabilities that potentially compromise a system’s confidentiality, integrity, and/or availability. The past has demonstrated that not all software flaws pose a security risk but that even seemingly harmless oddities can become substantial risks. Adopting cloud technologies enables businesses to hone in on what is distinctive to them while allowing the CSP to own and manage everything else that is commoditized.

How does it Affect The Business?

• Loss of customer confidence in the product or solution

• Damage to brand reputation due to a data breach

• Legal and financial impact due to lawsuits

Examples of This Security Challenge

• Due to a parser error in the log4j library, the notorious Log4Shell vulnerability made RCE straightforward. (December 9, 2021)
• Multiple remote code execution and credential theft vulnerabilities (ProxyOracle, ProxyShell) have been discovered in the ubiquitous Microsoft Exchange. (January 5, 2021)

How to Deal?

• Cloud computing prevents developers from recreating existing solutions, allowing them to concentrate on business-specific issues.

• By leveraging the shared responsibility model, items such as patching can be the responsibility of a CSP and not the business.

• CSPs prioritize security and provide guidance on how to implement services in a secure manner, such as a Well-Architected Framework or secure design patterns.

6. Unsecure Third-Party Resources

In a world where cloud computing use is accelerating, a third-party resource may refer to anything from open source code to SaaS products and API risks (Security Issue 2) to a cloud vendor’s managed service. Risks resulting from third-party resources are also called supply chain vulnerabilities, as they are inherent to delivering your goods or services. 

These dangers occur in all consumable goods and services. Despite this, the growing reliance on third-party services and software-based goods over the past few years has led to increased exploits of these vulnerabilities and hackable configurations. According to a study conducted by Colorado State University, two-thirds of breaches are caused by the supplier or third-party vulnerabilities.

Due to the fact that a product or service is the sum of all the other products and services people use, the exploit can begin at any point in the chain and then spread. This suggests that in order for the malicious hacker to fulfill their objective, they need “just” to hunt for the weakest connection as an entry point. It is typical practice in the software industry to leverage SaaS and open source to scale. With the same potential for expansion, malicious hackers are able to harm more victims with the same exploit.     

How does it Affect The Business?

• Loss or stoppage of key business processes.

• Business data being accessed by outside parties (Security Issue 11).

• Patching or fixing a security issue depends on the provider and how quickly they respond. 

• Once they provide the fix, integration might require updating internal applications and products. 

•Impact on a business can be crucial, depending on the importance of the vulnerable component to an application.

Examples of This Security Challenge 

Solarwinds is an American corporation that monitors networks. In 2020, it was reported that tens of thousands of its government and private customers were affected by a supply chain attack that exploited many avenues to access their networks, credentials, and private data via Solarwinds’s network and products. The unknown is the actual outcome of this strike. Due to the exfiltration of sensitive data, a number of firms were required to rebuild their whole networks and servers. (December 13, 2020, through April 6, 2021)

How to Deal?

• You cannot prevent code vulnerabilities or products you did not develop, but you can make an informed choice about which product to use. Look for officially supported products, have compliance certifications, are upfront about their security efforts, have a bug bounty program, and treat their users responsibly by promptly disclosing security vulnerabilities and releasing patches.

• Recognize and monitor the third parties you employ. You do not want to discover that you have been using a vulnerable product when the list of victims is public. This covers open source, SaaS solutions, cloud providers, managed services, and any additional interconnections your application may have.

• Conduct periodic audits of third-party resources. If you discover unnecessary products, remove them and withdraw any access or rights you allowed them to your code repository, infrastructure, or application.

• Do not be the weakest link in the chain. Utilize static application security testing (SAST) and dynamic application security testing (DAST) technologies and conduct a penetration test on your application within a scope that is appropriate for your organization.

7. System Vulnerabilities

Cloud service platforms contain system vulnerabilities. They could be exploited to undermine the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data, potentially disrupting service operations. All components may contain flaws that leave cloud services vulnerable to attack. 

There are four primary types of vulnerabilities:

• Zero-day vulnerabilities
• Missing security patches
• Configuration-based vulnerabilities
• Weak or default credentials

How does it Affect The Business?

• Successful data breaches frequently result from assaults that exploit system vulnerabilities. According to IBM’s Cost of Data Breach 2021 Report, third-party software vulnerabilities were responsible for 14% of the examined data breaches, while cloud misconfiguration and compromised credentials were responsible for 20% and 15%, respectively.

• A data breach can interrupt a company’s operations, prohibiting customers from utilizing the company’s services. In the aftermath of a data breach, acquiring new consumers may be more difficult if the company’s brand and services are no longer trusted. Both possibilities can result in a revenue loss.

• The IBM analysis identified four cost areas for data breach incidents and their average cost per occurrence in millions of dollars. Each incident cost $4.24 million in total. In these incidents, the number of hacked documents ranged from 2,000 to 101,00. For breaches involving 50 million to 65 million records, the total average incident cost was $401 million.

Examples of This Security Challenge 

• Microsoft researchers spotted a Russian government-affiliated cyberespionage outfit developing a backdoor that attacks ActiveDirectory Federation and obtains configuration databases and security tokens. Microsoft calls the malware FoggyWeb and ties it to the Russian hacking organization APT29 (aka Cozy Bear and NOBELIUM). (September 2021)
• According to the Ransomware Spotlight Year-End 2021 Report by Ivanti, the number of vulnerabilities related to ransomware attacks increased by 29%, from 233 in 2020 to 288 in 2021.

How to Deal?

• System vulnerabilities are faults inside system components that are frequently introduced by human error, making it easier for hackers to exploit the cloud services of a corporation.
• Post-Incident Response is an expensive endeavor. Losing company data can have a detrimental effect on a firm’s revenue and reputation.
• In conjunction with stringent IAM procedures, security threats resulting from system vulnerabilities can be significantly mitigated through routine vulnerability identification and patch distribution.

8. Accidental Cloud Data Disclosure/Disclosure

A lack of security governance and control is frequently caused by the complexity of the cloud and the transition to cloud-service ownership, which involves multiple teams and business divisions. Increasing amounts of configurations for cloud resources in multiple CSPs make misconfigurations increasingly likely, and the lack of transparency into cloud inventories and proper network exposure can result in unintended data breaches.

Over 55 percent of businesses have at least one database that is now accessible via the internet. Many of these databases utilize weak passwords or do not need authentication, allowing them obvious prey for attackers who regularly search the internet for exposed databases.   

How does it Affect The Business?

The cloud’s ease of use and, in particular, the speed with which managed databases and storage items may be set up contribute to their immense popularity.

• These databases may hold sensitive consumer information, personnel data, product information, and more. Exposure of such data results in unanticipated costs for forensic teams, customer support procedures, and customer compensation.
• According to IBM Research, data breach costs increased from $3.86 million to $4.24 million in 2021. IBM notes additional indirect costs of data breaches in their analysis, including internal investigation and communication, current customer loss, and future customer loss owing to the impact on the company’s reputation.

Examples of This Security Challenge 

• A cloud misconfiguration exposed 23M records of over 60K users containing emails, user names, social issues, network IDs, and player data on the web. (January 2021)
• Elasticsearch storing 5.6M customer records was exposed on the web. (April 2021)

How to Deal?

• Examine your PaaS Databases, storage, and compute workloads that host databases. Include virtual machines, containers, and the installed database software on them. Configuration-based solutions cannot inspect or scan workloads and have limited capabilities to provide the required visibility.
• Choose exposure engines with complete visibility of your cloud environment in order to identify any routing or network services that expose traffic to the outside world. Includes load balancers, application load balancers, content delivery networks, network peering, cloud firewalls, Kubernetes networking, and more.
• Reduce access risk by implementing a least-privileged IAM policy and controlling and monitoring its assignment to database users.

9. Misconfiguration and Exploitation of Serverless and Container Workloads

In a serverless architecture, the CSP is responsible for the management and security of the underlying infrastructure.

The environment becomes less secure if a CSP permits customers to configure serverless containers with longer lifetimes and “warm start” configurations. A temporary file system and shared memory may also leak sensitive information, posing additional risks. Access to the temporary storage could be used to host or execute malware; therefore, the application code should delete the storage.  

How does it Affect The Business?

Serverless and containerized workloads can significantly boost agility, reduce costs, simplify operations, and even improve security. Major security breaches, data loss, and financial depletion can result from implementing serverless applications without the required knowledge and diligence.

Examples of This Security Challenge 

• The body of research on Denial of Wallet (DoW) attacks is expanding. Functionally, a DoW attack is comparable to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. An attacker impacts the underlying infrastructure by sending many requests to a serverless application. In contrast, the goal of a DoW attack is to cost a cloud customer money by exploiting the auto-scaling consumption model of serverless platforms. These attacks can be defended against concurrency limits, but this changes the vector of attack from Denial of Wallet to Denial of Service. (As of 2021)
• Cado Labs discovered evidence of Denonia, the first known malware to directly target AWS Lambda, being actively used in the wild. Denonia is a Monero mining Lambda function that communicates with the C2 server via DNS over HTTPS. Even though this malware does not exploit any vulnerabilities in Lambda and would require administrative privileges to deploy, it illustrates how attackers can use serverless environments for financial gain at the expense of an organization.

How to Deal?

• Organizations must deploy automated auditing using Cloud Security Posture Management, Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management, and Cloud Workload Protection Platforms.
• Investments should be made in cloud security training, governance processes, and secure cloud design patterns that may be reused to reduce the risk and frequency of insecure cloud settings.
• Before shifting to serverless technologies that comply with conventional security measures, development teams should apply additional rigor to the best practices of application security and engineering.

10. Organized crime/Hackers/APT

Advanced persistent threats (APTs) are an umbrella term for an attack campaign in which an intruder or group of attackers maintain an unauthorized, long-term presence on a network in order to harvest extremely sensitive data.

APTs may include organized crime, which is intended to represent the method in which a group’s level of organization manifests itself in creating planned and reasoned acts that reflect the efforts of group members.

APTs have developed complex tactics, methods, and protocols (TTPs) for infiltrating their targets.

The threat intelligence community does extensive research on APT groups. Threat intelligence reports educate organizations and nations on the behavior of APT groups.

How does it Affect The Business?

• The motivations of APT organizations are diverse and might vary from group to group. Others are organized criminal members. Multiple organizations are even nation-state actors. For instance, APT38 is believed to be a North Korean state-sponsored gang that targets worldwide financial institutions with cyber heists.
• To comprehend the commercial impact that an APT group can have on an organization, its information assets must undergo a business impact study. This enables the firm to comprehend how and why an APT group could target it and the potential business consequences of a security breach.

Examples of This Security Challenge 

• Malware hunters at Broadcom’s Symantec business have discovered indications that a long-running cyberespionage campaign tied to Chinese nation-state hackers is now targeting global managed service providers (MSPs). (April 5, 2022)

• The Lazarus group (APT38) almost completely robbed the Bangladeshi central bank. (January 21, 2022)

How to Deal?

• Conduct a business impact analysis to comprehend your organization’s information assets.

• Participate in cybersecurity information-sharing groups to comprehend applicable APT groups and their TTPs.

• Conduct offensive security exercises to imitate the TTPs of these APT groups and ensure that security monitoring instruments are properly calibrated for detection.

11. Cloud Storage Data Exfiltration

Exfiltration of cloud storage data is an occurrence involving sensitive, protected, or confidential data. These data may be disclosed, accessed, stolen, or utilized by an individual outside the firm’s working environment. Exfiltration of data may be the primary purpose of a targeted attack and may result from exploited vulnerabilities or misconfigurations, application vulnerabilities, or poor security practices.

This exfiltration may result from human error or abuse, such as a PaaS service that has been improperly configured. Additionally, storage objects may expose sensitive data or files that are shared externally via personal cloud storage programs.

Other data exfiltration from cloud storage could begin with a phishing assault that manipulates an application or service.    

How does it Affect The Business?

• Loss of intellectual property, as unique knowledge is lost and utilized in product development, strategic planning, and even as a precursor to a future attack.

• The loss of customers’, stakeholders’, partners’, and workers’ trust may impede business behavior, investments, and purchases and lessen the desire to work for and with the firm.

• Regulatory actions may include monetary fines or procedural and business change demands.

• Geopolitical consequences can have an effect on business practices.

• Loss of employee confidence in the organization’s ability to safeguard employee information.

Examples of This Security Challenge 

•  Facebook will be sued in Europe over the massive leak of user data that occurred in 2019, but just recently came to light after information on more than 533 million accounts was discovered on a hacker site for free download. (2021)

• Security experts have revealed that scores of firms are unwittingly disclosing important company and customer data because employees post easily discoverable public URLs to files in their Box enterprise storage accounts. (2019)

How to Deal?

• Cloud storage necessitates a well-configured setting (SSPM, CSPM).

• Apply the CSP best practices guidance, monitoring, and detection tools to detect and prevent attacks and data exfiltration.

• Employees must receive training on cloud storage usage, as data is dispersed across multiple locations and controlled by multiple parties.

• Implement client-side encryption where appropriate.

• Classifying data can aid in establishing diverse controls and documenting the required impact and recovery steps in an incident response plan.

Conclusion

The top spot is held by insufficient Identity, Credentials, Access, and Key Management. Replay attacks, impersonation, and over-permissioning persist in the cloud, despite the promise of greater accessibility. Using self-signed certificates, poor cryptographic management, and trusting every root CA are just a few of the risky options.

The continued adoption of microservices highlights the significance of secure interfaces and APIs. There should be more of them, and it is troubling that there are still significant challenges in securing these features, despite the cloud’s role in their development.

Misconfiguration and inadequate change control are two more examples of cloud security issues moving up the security stack. Misconfigurations with a cloud’s persistent network access and infinite capacity may have ramifications for multiple organizations within a company.

Eventually, there is the issue of Strategy and Architecture. Cloud computing is no anymore new; instead, it defines a big-picture approach and implements architectural design patterns.

In any case, the existence of these security flaws should serve as a wake-up call to develop and improve cloud security awareness, configuration, and identity management. Because the cloud in and of itself poses less of a threat in and of itself, the main focus of our attention right now is on the technologies used to implement cloud computing.