What this course is about

Cloud Computing Fundamentals introduces you to the essential concepts, technologies, and practices that power modern cloud environments.

You’ll learn what cloud computing is, how it works, and why organizations rely on cloud technologies for speed, scalability, security, and cost efficiency. Then you’ll get hands-on experience through guided simulations — including building and deploying a Docker container and configuring security settings for an IBM Cloudant database.

The course wraps up with resources to help you explore cloud careers and understand the skills needed to enter this fast-growing field.

As you complete the course, you’ll also earn certificates and digital credentials that you can add to your resume, LinkedIn profile, and Credly account to showcase your cloud computing skills.

You’ll learn how to

• Understand cloud models, tools, and benefits
• Work with virtualization, containers, and cloud services
• Build and deploy real applications in the cloud
• Explore cloud career paths and essential skills

What you will learn

By the end of this course, you will be able to

• Understand cloud computing fundamentals
• Define cloud computing and its key characteristics
• Explain how the internet and distributed systems enable cloud environments
• Identify business problems solved by cloud technology
• Explore cloud service models and providers
• Describe major cloud service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, FaaS)
• Understand proprietary and open-source cloud platforms
• Identify services offered by major cloud providers
• Explain the value cloud services bring to businesses
• Understand deployment models and migration
• Describe on-premises hosting vs. cloud adoption strategies
• Understand public, private, hybrid, and multi-cloud deployment models
• Recognize cloud migration plans and why organizations choose them
• Work with virtualization, containers, and cloud-native concepts
• Explain virtual resources, cloud containers, microservices, and APIs
• Understand best practices for virtualization
• Learn how cloud-native architecture supports scalability and resilience
• Build and deploy applications in the cloud
• Create and test a Docker container
• Build and deploy a Dockerized application to the cloud
• Understand how software is developed and orchestrated in cloud environments
• Develop cloud security awareness
• Identify common cloud vulnerabilities and security risks
• Understand identity and access management (IAM)
• Recognize the role of Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) in governance and compliance
• Create and review security settings for an IBM Cloudant database
• Explore cloud computing careers
• Understand the roles and responsibilities of cloud professionals

Identify key skills needed for cloud engineering, architecture, administration, and support

• Access resources to continue learning and growing in the cloud field

Showcase your learning

• Earn certificates and digital credentials

Add them to your resume, LinkedIn, and Credly profile to signal your cloud computing expertise