Cloud services underpin many modern applications, but their terminology can be confusing to newcomers. This proposed introduction builds a clear mental model of what cloud platforms provide.

Explore core services, deployment choices and shared responsibilities using familiar AWS and Microsoft Azure concepts. The aim is to strengthen technical fluency for informed business and career conversations.

Proposed course topics

• Compare traditional infrastructure with public, private and hybrid cloud approaches.
• Explain basic compute, storage, database and network services.
• Recognise commonly used AWS and Azure service categories.
• Describe cloud identity, access management and shared security responsibilities.
• Understand the role of scalability, availability and disaster recovery.
• Identify major cost drivers and basic governance considerations.

Putting the skills into practice

Sketch an appropriate cloud architecture for a small web application and explain the questions a team should ask about security, availability and budget.

Who this course is for

Students, IT support professionals, business analysts, project team members and career changers exploring cloud roles.

Independent course concept; not an official AWS or Microsoft certification preparation programme.