Cloud computing is the trend in technology today, with scalable resources and services over the internet. Whether you are an IT professional looking to upskill or a beginner wondering how to break into the field, free courses can provide a solid foundation. Here is a round-up of top free courses in cloud computing that will help you understand the basics and advance your career.
One of the biggest cloud service providers is Amazon Web Services AWS, and its Cloud Practitioner Essentials course is perfect for any level of beginner. This free course will give an overview of the services offered within AWS, along with the basics of cloud computing.
Duration: Approximately 6 hours
Content: Introduction to AWS cloud concepts, security, architecture, pricing, and support
Format: Self-paced online videos with quizzes
Certification: Prepares for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam; the exam is not free
This course is ideal for those who would like to understand AWS and its central services. It is designed for those in technical roles and non-technical roles.
Offered by Google Cloud, this course is aimed at making you familiar with Google Cloud Platform GCP products and services. It covers the basics of cloud infrastructure, including Networking, Storage, and Compute Services.
Duration: Approximately 8 hours
Contents: Global overview of GCP, comprising details on Google Compute Engine, Google App Engine, Google Kubernetes Engine, and much more.
Format: Online Self-Paced, Video, with hands-on labs Certification Not Applicable but foundational knowledge for many.
Suitable for all IT professionals, and developers, who intend to gain knowledge about the core infrastructure of GCPs with hands-on experience in the labs.
This course gives an exhaustive introduction to the concepts and services of cloud computing. The course points to some of the cloud models, cloud architecture, and cloud security.
Length: About 4 hours
Content: Fundamentals on cloud computing; Service models: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS; Deployment models: public, private, hybrid; and Security
Format: Self-paced online videos and quizzes
Certification: Digital badge upon completion
This course is aimed at beginners to provide a real understanding of cloud computing basics that will let them dive into more specialized topics later.
The Microsoft Azure Fundamentals course available on edX gets you started working with Azure services and solutions. It is targeted toward those who are new to cloud computing and Microsoft Azure.
Duration: Approximately 4 weeks, 24 hours per week.
Content: Azure core services, security, privacy, compliance, and trust.
Format: Self-paced online videos, quizzes, and hands-on labs Certification.
This class is perfect for anyone who wants to gain a basic understanding of Microsoft Azure and its offerings. The hands-on lab further helps in absorbing the learning by doing.
This specialization includes several courses covering cloud computing basics, cloud applications, cloud networking, and security. It is offered by the University of Illinois, and hosted on Coursera.
Duration: Approximately 3 months, 4 hours a week
Content: Cloud computing concepts, applications, network services, cloud security, and practical projects
Format: Self-paced online videos, readings, quizzes, and projects
Certified: Certificate on completion Requires a Coursera subscription for the certificate but course content is free.
This specialization is pretty comprehensive and ideal for any person who wants to get an in-depth knowledge of cloud computing. The practical projects are useful in giving good hands-on experience.
This is a beginner-level course in cloud computing, intended to introduce concepts of cloud computing. This can be considered a good starting point for beginners.
Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Content: Basics of cloud computing, cloud models, cloud providers
Format: Guided project with step-by-step instructions
Certification: No certification
This course will help any person who wants a concise, no-frills introduction to cloud computing. It provides wide and solid coverage in minimum time.
The edX course introduces one to the core technologies for cloud computing. It includes all the basics of cloud infrastructure and central concepts related to it.
Duration: Approximately 14 weeks, 45 hours per week
Content: Cloud infrastructure virtualization containers networking and storage
Format: Self-paced online videos readings quizzes
Certification: Certificate upon completion, requires edX subscription
The course will be beneficial for any person who wants to understand the technical details of cloud infrastructure. This course gives a thorough overview of technologies underpinning cloud services.