AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Associate)

Video description

An updated edition of this video title is available. Please go to AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C02) Complete Video Course (Video Training): https://learning.oreilly.com/videos/aws-certified-solutions/9780136721246/

Six and a half Hours of Video Instruction

More than six hours of video instruction covering the knowledge necessary to pass the AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification exam, including an in-depth review of AWS architecture principles and best practices, and technical details pertaining to the implementation of services in accordance with the Well Architected Framework as published by Amazon Web Services.

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Complete Video Course was developed specifically for the latest edition of the exam released in February of 2018. The AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification is ideal for anyone in a solutions architect or similar technical role, and this course is designed to help you pass the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate exam. We will cover all the key areas addressed in the exam and review a number of use cases designed to help you ingrain the principles and practices on which this certification is based so that you have an intellectual framework with which to formulate the correct answers. We will use a combination of demonstrations, architectural diagram walkthroughs, and case studies to help you understand the tools available to you for passing the exam. Throughout this course you will gain a deeper understanding of AWS architecture following the five pillars of the Well-architected framework.

Demonstrations of Amazon Web Services and third-party cloud solutions are included to provide a clear guide to understanding the services offered by Amazon Web Services and the needs those services meet. Quizzes are also offered to help viewers gauge their ability to understand and retain the information presented.

Topics include:

Lesson 1: Solutions Architect Associate Certification
Lesson 2: High Availability
Lesson 3: Network Topology
Lesson 4: Application Design
Lesson 5: Network Performance
Lesson 6: Compute Performance
Lesson 7: Storage Performance
Lesson 8: Database Performance
Lesson 9: Leveraging Managed Services
Lesson 10: Identity and Access Management
Lesson 11: Detection
Lesson 12: Securing Infrastructure
Lesson 13: Securing Data
Lesson 14: Cost Optimization
Lesson 15: Operational Excellence

About the Instructor

Richard A. Jones is a certified AWS Solution Architect and an experienced instructor having taught the IT teams of numerous Fortune 500s and postgraduate students at the University of Colorado.

Programming since age 10, Richard has spent more than 25 years furthering his knowledge and skills of information technologies. He studied network switching systems in the U.S. Army, attained a degree in Digital Media, and has a long history of web and mobile application development. Beginning with a funded startup in 2009, Richard has dedicated more than nine years to building reliable, secure, and cost-effective systems in Amazon Web Services, and has taught hundreds of IT professionals how to do the same.

Richard holds seven AWS certifications including the AWS Solution Architect and DevOps Engineer Professional certifications, and the AWS Advanced Networking Specialty certification.

Skill Level

Intermediate

Learn How To

  • Design AWS environments to be highly-available, fault-tolerant, and self-healing
  • Design for cost, security, and performance
  • Leverage automation within AWS
  • Prepare for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect exam

Who Should Take This Course

The target audience for AWS Certified Solutions Architect Complete Video Course are individuals who will actively participate in the architecture, planning, and implementation of systems deployed to AWS, such as solutions architects, developers, system administrators, and project managers.

Course Requirements

Previous fundamentals training or six months experience with AWS

Lesson descriptions

Lesson 1, “Solutions Architect Associate Certification,” will discuss a number of key, useful resources and materials that require studying in order to pass the exam. In this lesson, we will review preparation resources, the exam guide, registering for and taking the exam, test-taking strategy and more.

In Lesson 2, “High Availability,” we will discuss high availability, how to calculate services availability, and how to plan for applications to be truly highly available.

Lesson 3, “Network Topology.” For applications leveraging networking in AWS, the architecture begins with the network. In this lesson, we will discuss how our network topology contributes to a more resilient infrastructure.

In Lesson 4, “Application Design,” we will discuss how to achieve reliable infrastructure and applications in AWS, which requires consideration of capacity, and application and database resilience.

Lesson 5, “Network Performance.” Because the network underlies infrastructure, performance of the network underlies performance of our infrastructure and applications. In this lesson, we review a number of principles and service details that can help you design performant networks in AWS.

In Lesson 6, “Compute Performance,” we will discuss compute performance and how our decision to use any particular instance type, or to leverage containers, can help improve the performance of our applications.

Lesson 7, “Storage Performance,” discusses a number of different storage options in AWS and how they each offer abilities to improve performance depending on the type of storage. In this lesson, we will review the performance characteristics and options for block and object storage.

Lesson 8, “Database Performance,” covers how AWS offers a number of database solutions for both relational and non-relational data. In this lesson, we will discuss how the nature of DynamoDB and how our data models affect performance, as well as how we can improve performance for write- or read-heavy applications.

Lesson 9, “Leveraging managed Services.” AWS offers a number of fully managed and powerful services such as kinesis, lambda, elastic container service, API gateway, and more. In this lesson, we will look at how event-driven and serverless infrastructures can improve the performance of our applications.

Lesson 10, “Identity and Access Management,” discusses how securing our accounts and credentials, and ensuring proper access to resources is a vital first step in securing our infrastructure, applications, and data. In this lesson, we will review identity and access management and discuss options we can leverage to create a more secure environment.

Lesson 11, “Detection.” Detective controls are another key ingredient to a secure environment. With AWS, we have an easy ability to monitor every aspect of our infrastructure and create an environment in which nothing goes unnoticed or unrecorded. In this lesson, we will review features, options, and practices as they relate to monitoring our infrastructure and applications.

In Lesson 12, “Securing Infrastructure,” we look at principles and techniques that can guide us to securing our infrastructure most effectively.

Lesson 13, “Securing Data.” Too often we hear of companies having sensitive or private data exposed, and no one wants to be responsible for a such an event. So securing our data, with both access controls, as well as encryption in transit and at rest is of paramount importance. In this lesson we will review services and practices which can help us do just that.

Lesson 14, “Cost Optimization.” Cost savings is perhaps one of the primary drivers of AWS adoption, but in order to realize those cost savings, we need to be fully aware of not just the dollar amounts we pay, but the things we pay for‚Äìthose options and fine details that actually contribute to costs. In this lesson, we review the cost models and highlight often overlooked cost contributors for various services.

Lesson 15, “Operational Excellence.” Keep in mind that while cost savings is indeed a major driver in AWS adoption, the number one driver is the increased agility and flexibility organizations can benefit from compared to traditional IT. But in order to truly realize those benefits, we need to approach our implementation of AWS services in a particular way. In this lesson, we will discuss some of my experiences and how they embody the premise and practices of operational excellence.

About Pearson Video Training

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Table of contents

  1. Introduction
    1. AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Associate): Introduction
  2. Module 1: Introduction
    1. Module introduction
  3. Lesson 1: Solutions Architect Associate Certification
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 1.1 Overview
    3. 1.2 Exam Preparation Resources
    4. 1.3 Review the Exam Guide
    5. 1.4 Registering for the Exam
    6. 1.5 Taking the Exam
    7. 1.6 Test-Taking Strategy
    8. 1.7 Best Practices
    9. 1.8 The Well-Architected Framework
    10. 1.9 Hands-on Experience
    11. 1.10 Key Services to Study
  4. Module 2: Resilient Architectures
    1. Module introduction
  5. Lesson 2: High Availability
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 2.1 Calculating Availability
    3. 2.2 Plan for Failure
    4. 2.3 Design for Availability
  6. Lesson 3: Network Topology
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 3.1 Fault Isolation
    3. 3.2 Resilient Configuration
    4. 3.3 VPN Resiliency
    5. 3.4 Direct Connect Resiliency
  7. Lesson 4: Application Design
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 4.1 Application Resiliency
    3. 4.2 Database Resiliency
    4. 4.3 Capacity Planning
    5. 4.4 Monitoring for Availability
    6. 4.5 Multi-Region Architectures
  8. Module 3: Performant Architectures
    1. Module introduction
  9. Lesson 5: Network Performance
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 5.1 Networking Performance
    3. 5.2 NAT Gateway Performance
  10. Lesson 6: Compute Performance
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 6.1 Compute Options
    3. 6.2 Instance-Based Applications
    4. 6.3 Improving Performance with Containers
  11. Lesson 7: Storage Performance
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 7.1 Storage Options
    3. 7.2 Block Store Performance
    4. 7.3 Amazon S3 Performance
    5. 7.4 Searching for Data in Amazon S3
    6. 7.5 Improving the End User’s Experience
  12. Lesson 8: Database Performance
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 8.1 Amazon DynamoDB Performance
    3. 8.2 Amazon DynamoDB Primary Keys
    4. 8.3 Amazon DynamoDB Secondary Indexes
    5. 8.4 Improving Read-Heavy Applications
    6. 8.5 Improving Write-Heavy Applications
  13. Lesson 9: Leveraging Managed Services
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 9.1 Event-Driven Architectures
    3. 9.2 Serverless Architectures
  14. Module 4: Secure Applications and Architectures
    1. Module introduction
  15. Lesson 10: Identity and Access Management
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 10.1 Design Principles
    3. 10.2 Securing Identities and Credentials
    4. 10.3 Securing Access to Resources
    5. 10.4 Temporary Credentials
    6. 10.5 Roles for EC2
    7. 10.6 Cross-Account Access
    8. 10.7 Federated Users
    9. 10.8 IAM Best Practices
  16. Lesson 11: Detection
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 11.1 Design Principles
    3. 11.2 Monitoring Infrastructure
    4. 11.3 Capturing Logs
    5. 11.4 Analyzing Logs
  17. Lesson 12: Securing Infrastructure
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 12.1 Design Principles
    3. 12.2 Routing as Security
    4. 12.3 Network Access Control Lists (NACLs)
    5. 12.4 Security Groups
    6. 12.5 Securing the Operating System
  18. Lesson 13: Securing Data
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 13.1 Design Principles
    3. 13.2 Resource Policies
    4. 13.3 Amazon S3 Object Ownership
    5. 13.4 Publicly Accessible Data
    6. 13.5 Authorizing Access to Private Content
    7. 13.6 Encrypting Data at Rest
    8. 13.7 Encrypting Data In Transit
    9. 13.8 Encrypting Database Connections
  19. Module 5: Cost-Optimized Architectures
    1. Module introduction
  20. Lesson 14: Cost Optimization
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 14.1 Design Principles
    3. 14.2 Right Sizing
    4. 14.3 Understanding the Costs of Amazon S3
    5. 14.4 Understanding the Costs of Amazon VPC
    6. 14.5 Amazon EC2 Pricing Models
    7. 14.6 Cost Savings with Temporary Environments
    8. 14.7 Billing Alarms
  21. Module 6: Operationally Excellent Architectures
    1. Module introduction
  22. Lesson 15: Operational Excellence
    1. Learning objectives
    2. 15.1 Design Principles
    3. 15.2 Infrastructure as Code
    4. 15.3 Evolve
    5. 15.4 Case Study: Cassandra on Amazon EC2
  23. Summary
    1. AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Associate): Summary

Product information

  • Title: AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Associate)
  • Author(s): Richard A. Jones
  • Release date: July 2018
  • Publisher(s): Pearson
  • ISBN: 0135229413