By Eric Frick
The CompTIA Cloud Plus certification is CompTIA’s intermediate cloud computing certification and combines some introductory material about cloud computing along with the management and operations of cloud computing environments. This class is vendor-neutral and concentrates on concepts and operations that are inclusive of all cloud computing environments.
In the first section of this course, we cover the configuration and deployment of cloud-based systems along with many of the detailed definitions of cloud system components. This includes the definitions of cloud deployment models, cloud service models, and cloud models of high availability. In addition, information is included on cloud storage types, CPU, and memory models in cloud-based systems as well as an overview of virtualized resources.
Section 2 of this class covers security of cloud-based systems. This includes security configurations, compliance controls, and setting access control levels. We also discuss some of the high-level security requirements for the network, compute, and storage components of cloud-based systems.
In section 3 of this class, we discuss maintenance of cloud-based systems. Specifically, we discuss the details of patching systems, implementing automation to deliver system updates, and backup and restore services.
Section 4 of this class describes management tools and techniques for cloud-based systems. These include allocation of cloud resources, application provisioning, and account provisioning. We also discuss preformance monitoring and metrics reporting in this section.
In the last section of the class, we cover troubleshooting issues in cloud-based systems. We cover such issues as troubleshooting deployment issues, orchestration, capacity issues, and connectivity issues. We also describe a general model for the troubleshooting methodology.
Although the Cloud Essentials certification is not a strict prerequisite for this class, it is highly recommended. The ideal candidate for this class is a cloud practitioner looking to either start or continue a career in cloud computing, It is also ideal for IT managers who want to have a deeper understanding of cloud computing.
