Six New Free AWS Badges

Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues to lead the cloud computing arena and is perpetually expanding its certification programs to help professionals and enthusiasts alike stay at the forefront of cloud technology and innovation. Recently, AWS has introduced six new certification paths, each focusing on a specific domain of AWS expertise. The best part? These certifications are now available for free. Let’s delve into each of these new certifications to understand their scope, content, and potential career impacts.

1. AWS Knowledge: Media & Entertainment: Direct-to-Consumer and Broadcast Foundations

The AWS Knowledge: Media & Entertainment certification is a specialized program designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of AWS’s role in media and broadcast environments. It covers a range of topics, from content production and post-production workflows to media asset management, distribution, and monetization strategies. The certification is structured to cater to various roles within the industry, including content creators, media IT professionals, digital marketing specialists, and broadcast engineers.

Curriculum and Learning Outcomes
The certification curriculum is meticulously crafted to cover key aspects of AWS services and tools relevant to media and entertainment. Some of the core areas include:

1. Cloud-Based Content Production: Understanding how AWS can facilitate remote and in-studio content production, including the use of services like AWS Elemental for video processing and delivery.
2. Media Asset Management: Learning about cloud solutions for storing, categorizing, and managing digital media assets, ensuring secure and scalable access.
3. Direct-to-Consumer Platforms: Gaining insights into building and managing OTT (over-the-top) platforms on AWS, focusing on scalability, personalization, and global content delivery.
4. Monetization Strategies: Exploring how AWS can aid in monetizing content through targeted advertising, subscription models, and analytics-driven strategies.
5. Best Practices and Compliance: Addressing industry best practices for security, compliance, and data privacy in media operations.

AWS Knowledge: Media & Entertainment: Direct-to-Consumer and Broadcast Foundations questions and answers

2. AWS Knowledge: Networking Core

The AWS Knowledge: Networking Core certification is a comprehensive program focused on AWS’s networking services and best practices. It is designed to provide a deep dive into the fundamental and advanced aspects of AWS networking, enabling professionals to design and manage robust network architectures in the cloud.

Key Topics and Learning Objectives
The curriculum of this certification encompasses a wide range of topics, each critical to understanding AWS’s networking environment. Key areas of focus include:

1. Virtual Private Cloud (VPC): Comprehensive understanding of VPCs, including subnetting, gateways, route tables, and VPC peering, enabling professionals to create isolated network environments within AWS.
2. Elastic Load Balancing (ELB): Insights into load balancing mechanisms for distributing incoming application traffic across multiple targets, ensuring fault tolerance and increased application availability.
3. AWS Direct Connect: Knowledge of establishing dedicated network connections from an organization’s premises to AWS, facilitating a more consistent network experience.
4. Route 53: Exploration of AWS’s scalable Domain Name System (DNS) web service, encompassing DNS management, traffic routing, and domain registration.
5. Network Security: Understanding of security measures like Network Access Control Lists (NACLs), security groups, and best practices for securing network infrastructure.
6. Hybrid Architectures: Learning to integrate on-premises networks with cloud networks, a key aspect for enterprises adopting a hybrid cloud approach.

AWS Knowledge: Networking Core questions and answers

3. AWS Knowledge: Migration Foundations

The AWS Knowledge: Migration Foundations certification is tailored for IT professionals, project managers, and technical decision-makers involved in the planning and execution of migration strategies. It provides a comprehensive overview of the methodologies, services, and tools that AWS offers for effective cloud migration.

Key Topics and Learning Objectives
The curriculum of the certification is designed to cover a broad range of subjects essential for cloud migration, including:

1. Migration Planning: Understanding the importance of thorough planning, including assessing on-premises resources, selecting suitable workloads for migration, and setting clear migration objectives.
2. AWS Migration Tools and Services: Gaining knowledge of AWS-specific migration tools such as AWS Migration Hub, AWS Database Migration Service (DMS), and AWS Server Migration Service (SMS).
3. Migration Strategies: Learning about the various migration strategies (often referred to as the “6 R’s”: rehosting, replatforming, refactoring, repurchasing, retaining, and retiring) and how to choose the appropriate one based on specific business needs.
4. Security and Compliance: Emphasizing the importance of maintaining security and compliance during and after the migration process.
5. Cost Management: Understanding how to estimate and manage costs effectively during the migration process.
6. Post-Migration Optimization: Exploring methods for optimizing performance and cost-efficiency after the migration is complete.

AWS Knowledge: Migration Foundations questions and answers

4. AWS Knowledge: Amazon Braket

The AWS Knowledge: Amazon Braket certification is tailored for scientists, researchers, and IT professionals interested in quantum computing. It serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding and utilizing Amazon Braket for developing quantum computing solutions. The certification covers the fundamentals of quantum computing, the architecture of Amazon Braket, and practical applications of quantum algorithms.

Curriculum and Learning Outcomes
The certification program is meticulously designed to cover a broad range of topics essential to mastering quantum computing on AWS. Key areas include:

1. Quantum Computing Fundamentals: Introducing the basic concepts of quantum computing, including qubits, superposition, and entanglement, to build a strong foundational understanding.
2. Amazon Braket Features: Detailed exploration of Amazon Braket, including its quantum development environment, supported quantum hardware, and hybrid job capabilities.
3. Quantum Algorithms: Learning about various quantum algorithms like Grover’s and Shor’s algorithms, and understanding their potential applications.
4. Building Quantum Solutions: Hands-on experience in building and testing quantum algorithms using the Amazon Braket SDK.
5. Practical Applications: Identifying real-world scenarios where quantum computing can be applied effectively, such as optimization problems, quantum simulation, and cryptography.
6. Best Practices and Security: Emphasizing best practices in quantum computing and understanding the security aspects of quantum data processing.

AWS Knowledge: Amazon Braket questions and answers

5. AWS Knowledge: Compute

The AWS Knowledge: Compute certification is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of AWS’s compute services, including Amazon EC2, AWS Lambda, and Amazon ECS. The certification is ideal for professionals who want to acquire or validate their knowledge in AWS compute solutions, enabling them to design and manage scalable, high-performance applications in the cloud.

Curriculum and Learning Outcomes
The certification program covers a comprehensive range of topics crucial for mastering AWS compute services. Key areas include:

1. Amazon EC2: Deep dive into Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) functionalities, instance types, and best practices for deployment and scaling.
2. Serverless Computing with AWS Lambda: Understanding the principles of serverless computing and how to build and deploy applications using AWS Lambda.
3. Containers and Orchestration: Exploring container services like Amazon ECS and EKS, and learning how to manage containerized applications at scale.
4. Auto Scaling and Load Balancing: Techniques for implementing auto-scaling and load balancing to ensure application reliability and performance under varying loads.
5. Compute Optimization: Strategies for optimizing compute resources for cost-effectiveness and performance, including choosing the right compute service for specific workloads.
6. Security and Compliance: Emphasizing security best practices in compute resource management and ensuring compliance with industry standards.

AWS Knowledge: Compute questions and answers

6. AWS Knowledge: Amazon EKS

The AWS Knowledge: Amazon EKS certification is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of Amazon EKS, focusing on deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications using Kubernetes on AWS. Targeted at developers, system administrators, and cloud architects, this certification helps validate their skills and knowledge in managing Kubernetes clusters in the AWS cloud.

Curriculum and Learning Outcomes
The certification covers a broad range of topics, ensuring a thorough grasp of Amazon EKS. Key areas of focus include:

1. EKS Fundamentals: Introduction to Amazon EKS, including its architecture, components, and benefits over self-managed Kubernetes.
2. Cluster Setup and Configuration: Detailed guidance on setting up and configuring EKS clusters, including networking, security, and access control.
3. Deploying Applications on EKS: Strategies for deploying applications on EKS, using Kubernetes manifests, Helm charts, and other deployment tools.
4. Scaling and Load Balancing: Understanding how to scale applications and manage traffic using Kubernetes features and AWS services like Elastic Load Balancing.
5. Monitoring and Logging: Implementing monitoring and logging for EKS clusters and applications using tools like Amazon CloudWatch and AWS X-Ray.
6. CI/CD with EKS: Best practices for implementing continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines for EKS-based applications.
7. Security Best Practices: Emphasizing security in EKS, including managing access, secrets, and compliance with industry standards.

AWS Knowledge: Amazon EKS questions and answers

Conclusion

These new AWS certifications represent a significant opportunity for professionals to enhance their cloud skills without financial barriers. They cater to a diverse range of interests and professional requirements, from media and entertainment to the emerging realm of quantum computing. Whether you’re a seasoned AWS professional or a newcomer to the cloud, these certifications can help you validate your skills, stay relevant in the rapidly evolving tech landscape, and potentially open doors to new career opportunities.