Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a comprehensive cloud computing platform, boasting over 200 distinct services, utilized across various sectors from business to national security. This platform is used for everything from hosting webpages and storing vast quantities of data to training machine learning programs, making it a versatile tool for professionals with different career focuses.
Key Insights
- AWS is a powerful and versatile cloud computing platform offering over 200 services, with applications in various sectors such as business, national security, and sports science.
- Learning AWS can open doors to many careers, from web development to cybersecurity, as it is widely used by major institutions and organizations like NASA, Netflix, and the UK's Ministry of Defense.
- The prerequisites for learning AWS can differ depending on the intended application - some areas such as web hosting may require no additional training, while others like machine learning may require knowledge in areas like Python or SQL.
- It's important to identify what you want to use AWS for, to determine the necessary training and skills required for that specific application.
- Professional skills training courses, like those offered by Noble Desktop, can provide comprehensive and hands-on instruction in AWS and its various applications.
- While the guide does not specify the salaries for various AWS-related positions, it is noteworthy that expertise in AWS may lead to lucrative career opportunities given its widespread use in major institutions and businesses.
AWS is a collection of cloud computing resources offered through Amazon. These services range from distributing computing power to database management to webpage hosting. At the time of writing, AWS comprises over 200 distinct services. You might worry that AWS will be too hard to learn. This guide will help you understand the best methods for learning AWS and what you should study first to make the learning process easier. This way, you’ll be successful however you choose to apply your new skills.
What is AWS?
Released to the public in 2002, Amazon Web Services is the most commonly used Cloud Computing Platform among individuals, corporations, and public-sector organizations. AWS encompasses a wide range of services. As of 2022, this includes more than two hundred distinct services, including cloud data storage, database management, data analytics, machine learning, and distributed computing services, and the number of services available is only set to continue growing as Amazon expands its computing capabilities. At the time of writing, Amazon Web Services is the leader in Cloud infrastructure services with a 33% market share, more than its two primary competitors (Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud) combined.
Amazon Web Services is an incredibly trusted Cloud computing service and counts among its clients NASA, Netflix, the Department of Defense, and Bloomberg. Amazon Web Services is such a trusted network in terms of reliability and security that the UK’s Ministry of Defense and the MI:5 and MI:6 intelligence agencies have contracted AWS to host classified information. This level of security and coverage means that learning AWS will also be a vital part of a cybersecurity curriculum, as many organizations and institutions use the service to store sensitive data and information. Regardless of what aspect of the world of computer science you work in, it is very likely that you will interact with AWS in a meaningful capacity.
Read more about what AWS is and why you should learn it.
What Can You Do with AWS?
Given that AWS is a collection of over two hundred different cloud computing services, there are an almost endless number of different things you can do through AWS. On an enterprise level, AWS allows organizations and businesses to host and store huge amounts of data and utilize Amazon’s various data analysis tools to interpret, catalog, and use that data. AWS also allows groups to take advantage of Amazon’s computer infrastructure to train machine learning programs or assist in web development. AWS is also a common-hosting platform for web applications.
AWS is also used in a wide variety of different contexts outside of the world of business. It is such a versatile service that companies and organizations have found ways to tailor AWS services to their needs. The NFL uses AWS for advanced statistical analysis and data-driven sports science, and MI:6 uses the same platform to store classified information of vital national security interest. The versatility of the services offered by AWS lets the same users building machine learning algorithms host those tools for companies wanting to perform significant data analytics projects. As the AWS cloud computing platform grows, so does the scope of projects it can handle.
Is AWS Easy to Learn?
AWS is a relatively approachable platform for various computer science-related tasks assuming you are familiar with the underlying skills and technologies that AWS helps optimize. Since AWS is largely about providing focused, distributed computing power, it is unlikely to be a good skill to learn before you get a handle on the underlying advanced skills it will help optimize. This, however, is not true of all AWS applications.
What to Know Before Learning AWS
The first thing you should do before learning AWS is figure out what you want to use the platform. Once you know that, you should see if there are any meaningful prerequisites for that application.
AWS Applications
Since AWS is comprised of over 200 different services, users are incredibly unlikely to ever need to use all of them. Thus, students will want to explore the various functionalities of the platform to decide what complementary skills they will need. Students looking to use AWS for web hosting are unlikely to need any supplemental training, while students planning to use AWS for machine learning will need additional training to use AWS.
Specific Skills Training
Once you know what kinds of projects you plan to use AWS to optimize, you can make a more informed decision about the kinds of training options you will need. For some cases, such as learning how to use AWS to build enterprise-level networks or how to host webpages, you’ll be able to jump right into a professional skills training course with no additional background. Students who want to learn how to use AWS for machine learning or cybersecurity purposes are likely to need additional training in skills like Python or SQL. The requisite training will vary from skill to skill, but in general, any advanced AWS function will require students to have a fairly robust background in computer science.
Key Insights
- AWS is a collection of cloud computing services available through Amazon. These services range from simple web hosting to complex machine learning assistance programs.
- Since AWS is a collection of tools and services rather than a single process, the requirements to learn the basics of the platform will vary depending on the kinds of work you plan to do on the platform.
- Some skills, such as learning basic web hosting will have no prerequisites, some like building linked networks won’t have prerequisites but will require dedicated training, and some, like machine learning projects, will require both prerequisite knowledge and professional skills training.
- Students looking to learn AWS or any of its prerequisites should consider enrolling in a comprehensive in-person or live online training course through Noble Desktop.
Learn AWS with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop
Those interested in learning how to utilize AWS and the various computing processes available through the service may want to receive guidance on using these tools. Anyone looking for this guidance can find it through the professional training services offered by Noble Desktop. These classes are available in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus or online in private digital classrooms. Regardless of how you take these classes, students will be taught by expert instructors who have years of experience working with AWS. Class sizes, even those online, are kept small so students won’t have to worry about competing with their classmates for their instructor’s attention. Plus, anyone enrolling in a Noble training course can retake the class any time within a calendar year for free. This will ensure that students have even more time to practice their AWS skills.
People who are interested in an overview of the tools offered by Amazon and their basic functions will want to enroll in Noble’s Cloud Computing with AWS course. This class will teach participants how to build enterprise-level cloud computing environments for various professional purposes. Students will learn how to use cloud infrastructure for building networks and databases and receive practical, hands-on training in these skills to be ready to apply their training once they enter the professional world. This is an excellent course for those who want to work with AWS tools but aren’t sure that they want to specialize in a specific aspect of the program suite.
AWS is vital to modern cybersecurity infrastructures because many major institutions and organizations utilize the platform. If you’re interested in entering this important and growing career field, you will want to enroll in Noble’s Cybersecurity Bootcamp. In this immersive, career-focused training program, students will learn how to analyze and engineer cybersecurity systems for Python, Linux, and cloud computing databases like AWS. As more important and sensitive data is stored on cloud systems, businesses will become more invested in their cybersecurity infrastructure. In this class, students will learn techniques for monitoring, analyzing, and planning cybersecurity systems, how to discover weaknesses and potential exploits in a system, and how to recognize attackers and security breaches. This is an ideal course for any student who wants to enter into a new career in the in-demand field of cybersecurity. You may also wish to explore their other options for cybersecurity classes and bootcamps through Noble Desktop.