Architecting on AWS Training in South Africa

We recommend that attendees of this course have the following prerequisites:

• Familiarity with AWS Cloud concepts (AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials recommended).
• Basic understanding of distributed systems, multi-tier architectures, and cloud computing concepts.
• Prior experience in IT infrastructure design (networking, databases, and storage) is beneficial but not mandatory.

Target Audience

This course is intended for:

• Solutions Architects seeking to deepen their knowledge of AWS services and architecture.
• System Administrators, Developers, and IT professionals involved in designing cloud architectures.
• Technical individuals looking to prepare for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify AWS services and their architectural principles.
• Design resilient and highly available architectures on AWS.
• Understand the benefits and trade-offs of various architectural strategies.
• Optimise AWS cloud services based on organisational requirements.
• Implement and control the flow of data in an AWS environment.
• Ensure security, scalability, and cost-effectiveness in AWS cloud solutions.

The course will cover the following key topics:

Introduction to AWS

• Overview of AWS cloud concepts
• Understanding global infrastructure
• Exploring the AWS Well-Architected Framework

Designing Your Environment

• Designing for high availability
• Identifying single points of failure
• Automating disaster recovery strategies

Networking

• Configuring Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
• Designing with public and private subnets
• Implementing VPC Peering, AWS Direct Connect, and AWS VPN

Core AWS Services

• Compute: EC2, Auto Scaling, Elastic Load Balancing
• Storage: S3, Glacier, EBS, EFS
• Databases: RDS, DynamoDB, ElastiCache, Redshift

Identity and Access Management

• Securing access to AWS services
• Implementing AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
• Configuring Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Securing Your Architecture

• Implementing security in VPCs
• Understanding AWS shared responsibility model
• Applying encryption in transit and at rest

Architecting for Cost Efficiency

• Managing costs using the AWS Pricing Calculator
• Optimising with Reserved Instances, Spot Instances, and Savings Plans
• Monitoring and tracking costs with AWS Cost Explorer

Designing Storage and Databases

• Selecting the appropriate storage options
• Designing for data consistency and database durability
• Implementing backup strategies

Monitoring and Logging

• Setting up Amazon CloudWatch for monitoring
• Understanding AWS CloudTrail for governance and compliance
• Configuring alarms and notifications

Dealing with Constraints and Trade-offs

• Identifying performance bottlenecks
• Balancing security, cost, and performance requirements
• Making informed architectural decisions

Scaling and Performance Optimisation

• Implementing auto-scaling strategies
• Optimising compute and storage performance
• Designing for scalability and elasticity

Course Summary and Exam Preparation

• Recap of key concepts
• Guidance on preparing for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam
• Q&A session and further learning resources