Udacity is excited to introduce the newest addition to our School of Cloud Computing: the AWS Cloud Architect Nanodegree program

This program is extremely relevant for anyone working in tech right now given that current projections state the public cloud service market will reach over $600 billion by 2023, with Amazon owning over 30% of the current market. 

Getting a job title with buzzwords like “AWS” and “cloud” seems like it might be pretty profitable and cloud architects are in high demand. This is an exciting role perfect for anyone who wants to be at the forefront of an organization’s public cloud strategy.

AWS Cloud Architect Nanodegree Program from Udacity

But What Exactly Do Cloud Architects Do?

Cloud Architects are in charge of their organization’s cloud computing strategy. They plan, design, maintain and scale secure cloud infrastructure, often using Amazon Web Services (AWS). The cloud computing architecture is a combination of front-end and back-end platforms, cloud-based delivery, and networking. 

Over the last 20 years, architectural procedures and best-practices have been created that formalize how these components work together for cloud-based design. 

The main job of a Cloud Architect is to understand the complicated technical requirements for a project and architect a fitting cloud design. They must be able to take business problems and interpret them into cloud-based technical solutions. 

Cloud Architects work closely with other engineers — Cloud DevOps Engineers, Release Engineers, and Cloud Developers — but their roles are not the same. These engineers advise on specific technologies to be used, help ensure large systems integrate together, and do the actual development work when implementing a cloud strategy. 

Cloud Architects, on the other hand, focus on high-level strategy including system design, security, and monitoring for performance and cost optimization. 

AWS Cloud Architect Program Details

The AWS Cloud Architect Nanodegree program will prepare you to take on a critical role in designing a company’s cloud computing strategy with AWS. The projects will teach you how to plan, design, and implement secure cloud infrastructure at scale. First, you will design and build a highly available infrastructure. Then, you will expand your learning so that you can design for performance, security, and scalability.

To get the most out of this course, it’s important to have some prior experience in development and computer science. Specifically, students of the AWS Cloud Architect Nanodegree program should have experience in Web Development, Object-Oriented Programming, Linux command line, AWS services (compute, networking, storage, database), web application architecture, and/or the equivalent of the Cloud DevOps Engineer Nanodegree program or Cloud Developer Nanodegree program.

Students who enroll in the AWS Cloud Architect Nanodegree program will learn how to create a highly available network with a fault-tolerant database using AWS core service. 

They will be able to monitor availability, test failure scenarios with recovery, and evaluate and harden the cloud environment’s security vulnerabilities. Graduates of the program will be able to bring value to their workplaces by optimizing their cloud service infrastructure for cost and performance.

Specific Projects Include:

Project 1: Recoverability in AWS

Build a multi-availability zone, multi-region database, and demonstrate how applications can use it. Migrate your primary database from one geographical region to another. Create a versioned website that is protected from disruption with optional reverts.

Project 2: Design, Provision, and Monitor AWS Infrastructure at Scale

Plan, design, provision, configure, and monitor AWS infrastructure using industry-standard tools like AWS CLI and Terraform. Use strategies learned in the course to optimize your infrastructure for cost and performance.

Project 3: Secure the Recipe Vault Application

Deploy a simple web application and test the environment’s security by simulating an attack scenario and exploiting cloud configuration vulnerabilities. Learn how to set up monitoring for identifying suspicious behavior and configuration vulnerabilities. Propose a DevOps build pipeline built around security best practices.

Learning From Top Cloud Architects

To develop this program’s world-class curriculum, we collaborated with professionals from companies, including Amazon. Each of these collaborators contributed guidance and feedback to focus the program on the most in-demand skills. Each of the instructors has extensive cloud architecture experience and teaching experience in the field. 

Instructors

Enroll Today

If you’re a software developer, Cloud Developer, or DevOps professional who wants to further your career by learning how to design and architect large scale systems on AWS, this is the Nanodegree program for you. 

People with cloud architecture expertise are in extremely high demand, and with 80% of organizations projected to migrate fully to the cloud by 2025, the demand will only increase. Additionally, AWS Cloud Architects are well paid, even in terms of an engineer’s salary. According to ZipRecruiter, an average AWS Cloud Architect makes over $154,000 a year, with top earners making close to $230,000.

With Udacity’s combination of hands-on project-centric learning, 1-on-1 mentorship, and industry-aligned careers services, there’s no better way to meet the demand than by registering today for the AWS Cloud Architect Nanodegree program. Enroll now to learn more!

Enroll Today