5 Best Cloud Computing Courses to learn in 2022

Hello folks, Cloud Computing is becoming an essential skill for any Software developer or IT professional today as more and more companies are moving towards Cloud for their infrastructure and service needs.

It pays to learn Cloud Computing today as the most likely application will be solely built and deployed in the cloud in the future.

No matter what your role is, if you are working in technology, cloud computing is going to affect you, one way or another.

Anyway, if you want to learn cloud computing then you have come to the right place, in this article, I am going to share some of the best courses to learn Cloud computing basics in general and with AWS and GCP in particular.

To be honest, I have had a tough time finding an excellent course to learn Cloud Computing, after trying a handful of courses on Udemy, Pluralsight, Educative, and Coursera, I have finally zeroed down into following five directions to learn the basics of Cloud Computing.

These courses provide a broad introduction to all aspects of cloud computing, but before going to see these courses let’s first understand what is cloud and what benefit it provides? What problem does cloud solve, and why is there so much buzz about it?

Well, Cloud has a different meaning for different people and is also used to refer to different things in a different context, but in general, the cloud means a host of services that are ready to use for your application. There are many Cloud service provider companies like AWS (Amazon Web Service), GCP (Google Cloud Platform), and Microsoft Azure, which provides these services.

Now, what are those services? Well, these could be servers, networks, storage, computing power, and other infra-related services commonly offered and referred to as IaaS (Infrastructure as service).

There are other cloud models as well, like PaaS (Platform as Service) and SaaS (Software as service) which is nothing but Cloud application and very popular for building online products and startups, but let’s focus on IaaS first to understand the benefits provided by Cloud.

Not long ago, in order to host a real-world E-commerce application, you need to buy servers, networks, storage and need to set them up to your requirements like installing the required software and operating system. Most of the companies have their own Data Center where these servers are kept, and there was a high cost involved to keep those data center running.

It was just initial time and cost for setting up the server, but also their utilization was poor; for example, secondary servers are often idle just wasting that precious CPU and memory power. The effect was more evident on big companies which own thousands of servers across multiple data center on the world.

Amazon was one such company, which quickly realize that by using virtualization, they can use the computing power of their infrastructure, and that gives birth to the cloud.

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In the cloud, you can spin up a server, database, network very quickly with just some clicks and you will only be charged for whatever you use. So this solves the problem of setup, utilization, and scalability.

Top 5 Online Courses to Learn Cloud Computing for Beginners

Now that you know what cloud is and what benefits it offers in terms of cost, ease of setup, efficiency, and scalability, it’s time to deep dive and goes through these online training courses, which will help you to learn Cloud Computing fundamentals better.

1. Introduction to Cloud Computing with Amazon Web Services

When I started learning about Cloud, it was a very abstract thing for me; I wasn’t able to understand what the cloud is and why everyone is talking about the cloud. It was like a person without a face, but when I learned about AWS, I could co-relate various cloud concepts very quickly.

So, AWS is like putting a face on Cloud, and that’s why I recommend this course for anyone starting to learn about Cloud.

This course explains key concepts of clouds like Iaas, PaaS, and Saas with examples from AWS, which makes it easy to learn what Cloud is and what benefits it offer.

Knowing AWS is also a plus because it’s one of the most popular Cloud platforms, and your experience with AWS will also boost your CV for any AWS job or for a developer job where AWS skills are desired.

Here is the link to join this course — Introduction to Cloud Computing with Amazon Web Services

2. Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Exam Prep Specialization [Coursera]

Whether you want to learn Cloud Computing basics or want to prepare for the Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 exam, this course is perfect to start your Cloud computing journey.

This course is offered by Microsoft itself and it’s perfect to launch your career in cloud computing and prepare for the Azure Fundamental exam.

This Microsoft certification course consists of four courses that will act as a bedrock of fundamental knowledge to prepare you for the AZ-900 certification exam and for a career in the cloud.

This program will provide foundational level knowledge on Microsoft Azure concepts; core Microsoft Azure services; core solutions and management tools; general security and network security; governance, privacy, and compliance features; Microsoft Azure cost management, and service level agreements.

Overall, an ideal cloud computing and Azure course for IT personnel just beginning to work with Microsoft Azure or anyone wanting to learn about it.

Here is the link to join this program — Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Exam Prep Specialization

4. Getting Started with Cloud Computing — Level 1 [Udemy]

This is another beginner-level Udemy course on Cloud Computing, which I often recommend to my readers.

This course will provide you with a fundamental understanding of what cloud computing is and explains the essential characteristics of cloud computing.

It also explains 3 main services models like IaaS (Infrastructure as Service), SaaS (Software as Service), and PaaS (Platform as Service), along with 4 cloud deployment models like private, public, hybrid, and community model.

On top of that, you will learn the key benefits of public cloud services like AWS, GCP, and Microsoft Azure. Overall an excellent Cloud computing beginner course for anyone who is just starting off.

Here is the link to join this course — Getting Started with Cloud Computing — Level 1

5. Cloud Computing Concepts by Coursera

This is one of the best online courses to learn about Cloud Computing on Coursera. I strongly recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn the basics of cloud computing.

The course material is excellent, and instructor Indranil Gupta is phenomenal. He is exceptionally thorough, and his delivery is excellent as well, which makes learning a joyful experience.

On top of this, exams are marvelous and help you to retain the knowledge you have learned. This course is also part of Coursera’s Cloud Computing Specialization, which is nothing but a collection of some individual sessions to learn different areas of Cloud computing.

Here is the link to join this course — Cloud Computing Concepts by Coursera

This course is also part of the 100% online Master in Computer Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. If you have joined the full program, your course will also count towards your degree learning as well.

For online learners, this specialization provides a self-paced learning option, practice quizzes, graded assignments with peer feedback, graded quizzes, and sharable certificates, which you can put on your LinkedIn profile.