Cloud Operations on AWS

This intermediate-level course equips system administrators, operators, and IT professionals with the practical skills needed to operate, automate, and maintain cloud infrastructure on Amazon Web Services. Learners will explore key cloud operations tasks across access management, monitoring, scaling, security, networking, and cost optimisation—understanding how to apply these processes using AWS-native tools and services.

With an emphasis on automation, repeatable deployments, and maintaining secure, high-performance systems, this course helps participants confidently manage real-world AWS environments. Delivered over three days, the training includes hands-on labs, demonstrations, and group discussions designed to promote applied learning and collaborative problem solving.

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

• Identify AWS services aligned to Operational Excellence within the AWS Well-Architected Framework
• Manage access using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), AWS accounts, and organisations
• Use AWS Systems Manager, AWS CloudTrail, and AWS Config to inventory and audit cloud resources
• Deploy and maintain infrastructure using tags, Amazon Machine Images (AMIs), and AWS Control Tower
• Automate infrastructure as code with AWS CloudFormation and AWS Service Catalog
• Operate resource lifecycles and apply patches using AWS Systems Manager
• Configure highly available systems with Amazon Route 53 and Elastic Load Balancing
• Implement scalable architectures using AWS Auto Scaling and Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling
• Monitor cloud environments with Amazon CloudWatch, including alarms, dashboards, and widgets
• Strengthen cloud security and track activities with AWS CloudTrail and AWS Config
• Establish secure and resilient Amazon VPC networks and connectivity
• Explain operational use cases for mountable and object storage (e.g. Amazon EBS, Amazon S3, Amazon S3 Glacier)
• Optimise cloud spend using AWS Cost Explorer and AWS Cost & Usage Report

Participants should have:

• A background in systems administration or software development
• Experience using command-line interfaces (e.g. Linux shell scripting, cmd/PowerShell)
• A basic understanding of networking protocols (TCP/IP, HTTP)
• Completion of the AWS Technical Essentials course is recommended

Target audience

This course is designed for:

• IT professionals responsible for managing AWS resources and infrastructure
• System administrators and cloud operators aiming to improve operational practices
• Technical staff seeking to deepen their understanding of cloud automation and maintenance

Introduction to cloud operations on AWS

• Cloud operations fundamentals
• Overview of the AWS Well-Architected Framework
• Using the AWS Well-Architected Tool

Access management

• AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) fundamentals
• Managing resources and accounts with AWS Organisations

System discovery

• Interacting with AWS services
• Automating discovery with AWS tools
• Inventorying with AWS Systems Manager and AWS Config
• Hands-on lab: Auditing AWS resources

Deploy and update resources

• Tagging strategies for operations
• Deployment using AMIs and AWS Control Tower

Automate resource deployment

• Infrastructure as code with AWS CloudFormation
• Service-based deployment with AWS Service Catalog
• Hands-on lab: Infrastructure automation

Manage resources

• Using AWS Systems Manager for operational tasks
• Hands-on lab: Operations as code

Configure highly available systems

• Load balancing with Elastic Load Balancing
• Routing optimisation with Amazon Route 53

Automate scaling

• Using AWS Auto Scaling and Spot Instances
• Managing licensing with AWS License Manager

Monitor and maintain system health

• Monitoring workloads, infrastructure, and applications
• Hands-on lab: Cloud monitoring in practice

Data security and system auditing

• Building a strong identity and detection foundation
• Automating incident response

Operate secure and resilient networks

• Designing secure Amazon VPCs
• Extending and managing VPC connectivity

Mountable storage

• Configuring and sizing Amazon EBS volumes
• Managing snapshots and lifecycle with Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager
• Backup and recovery planning
• Hands-on lab: AWS Backup automation

Object storage

• Deploying Amazon S3
• Managing S3 lifecycle and cold storage with Amazon S3 Glacier

Cost reporting, alerts, and optimisation

• Enhancing cost awareness
• Enforcing controls for spend management
• Hands-on lab: CloudOps capstone exercise

Exams and assessments

There are no formal exams or certifications included in this course. An exam voucher for the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate certification can be purchased separately. Learners will complete interactive labs and scenario-based tasks to demonstrate their understanding throughout the course.

Hands-on learning

This course features:

• Hands-on labs simulating real AWS environments
• Guided activities to automate, monitor, and secure AWS resources
• Group exercises and scenario discussions to reinforce collaborative problem-solving