Associate Architect package for AWS

AWS Architecting — Complete Learning Path From absolute beginner to AWS Certified Solutions Architect — in one structured programme

Have you ever wondered how platforms like Netflix or Airbnb stay online when millions of people use them simultaneously?

The answer is cloud computing — and more specifically, Amazon Web Services, the world's largest and most widely adopted cloud platform. Every time you stream a video, book a stay, or use an app on your phone, there's a good chance AWS infrastructure is powering it behind the scenes.

This programme teaches you exactly how those systems are designed, built, and kept running — and prepares you to do it yourself.

Everything you need to go from zero to AWS Certified Solutions Architect — in one place

Most people who want to become cloud architects don't know where to start. There are dozens of certifications, courses, and resources available — and very little guidance on the right order, or how everything connects.

This learning path solves that problem entirely. We've built a single, progressive programme that takes you from the very first principles of cloud computing all the way through to one of the most respected and in-demand certifications in the technology industry — the AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate. No guesswork, no wasted effort, just a clear and structured path forward.

No prior experience is required. Just bring your curiosity.

What's included

This bundle combines two carefully sequenced courses and their full exam preparation into one exceptional-value package:

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Your starting point. This course builds a clear, jargon-free understanding of cloud computing, AWS services, and how technology drives business value. It's the foundation everything else builds on — and the certification that signals to employers you're serious about cloud from day one.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate The destination. Building directly on your Cloud Practitioner foundation, this programme teaches you how to design secure, scalable, resilient, and cost-efficient cloud architectures on AWS — following the AWS Well-Architected Framework best practices. It is one of the most widely recognised and sought-after certifications in the global technology market, and it consistently opens doors to some of the highest-paying roles in the industry.

What you will learn

• How cloud computing works and why businesses everywhere are moving to AWS
• How modern websites, applications, and digital platforms are designed and built in the cloud
• The core AWS services — compute, storage, networking, databases, and security — and how they work together
• How to design cloud systems that are resilient, secure, fast, and cost-efficient
• The AWS Well-Architected Framework — the industry blueprint for building reliable, enterprise-grade cloud solutions
• How to approach and pass both the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner and AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate exams with confidence

How you will learn it

Theory alone doesn't build cloud architects. This programme is hands-on from day one — guided labs, scenario-based exercises, and practical design sessions that reflect the real challenges you'll face in an enterprise environment.

Every session is delivered by an active industry professional, not just a course instructor. You'll have access to expert support before, during, and after every session — so no question goes unanswered and no concept gets left behind.

Flexible delivery — designed around your life

We offer multiple training formats so you can learn in the way that works best for you:

One-to-one (1:1)Private, personalised sessions scheduled around your availability.

Group training (cohort) Prefer to learn alongside others? Our weekend cohort sessions bring motivated learners together in a structured, collaborative environment — ideal if you enjoy the energy of a group and want to build connections with like-minded people along the way.

What's included

• Personalised AWS Cloud Practitioner training plan and full exam preparation
• Personalised AWS Solutions Architect — Associate training plan and full exam preparation
• Hands-on labs and real-world architecture scenarios throughout
• Access to an expert trainer before, during, and after every session
• Guidance on study materials and additional resources

Who this is for

This learning path is designed to be genuinely accessible — whether you're completely new to technology or already working in IT and looking to move into cloud architecture. It is particularly well suited to:

Complete beginners If you have no IT background whatsoever, this path starts from the very beginning and builds your knowledge step by step. No prior experience is assumed, no jargon goes unexplained, and no step is skipped.

Career changers If you're moving from a different industry and want a clear, structured route into cloud technology, this bundle gives you everything you need — in the right order, with the right support.

IT professionals moving into cloud If you already work in technology — in networking, system administration, development, or technical support — this programme gives you a structured path into cloud architecture and two recognised certifications to validate the transition.

DevOps engineers, system administrators, and cloud engineers If you're already working with cloud infrastructure and want to formalise your architectural knowledge with the industry's most recognised certification, this is the most direct and comprehensive path available.

Anyone serious about a career in AWS If your goal is to build a long-term career on the world's leading cloud platform, this learning path gives you the strongest possible foundation to build it on.

Your outcome

You will complete this programme with two globally recognised AWS certifications, deep hands-on experience across the AWS platform, and the skills to design and deliver robust, production-ready cloud architectures that support real business transformation.

More than that — you will have a clear, credible story to tell any employer about your cloud expertise and exactly how you built it.

Not sure if this learning path is right for you, or want to understand how it fits your specific goals? Speak to one of our advisers — no commitment, no pressure, just an honest conversation about where you want to go and the best way to get there.

Course curriculum

AWS Architecting — Complete Learning Path

Part one — AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

Build the foundation. Understand cloud computing and the AWS platform from the ground up.

Foundations of cloud computing and virtualisation

Begin your AWS journey by understanding how modern cloud infrastructure works — from traditional IT models through to the core concepts and global infrastructure that power AWS itself.

• Types of computing: traditional IT, cloud computing, and hybrid models compared
• Virtualisation: server, network, and storage virtualisation explained
• Cloud deployment models: public, private, and hybrid clouds — and when each makes sense
• Key advantages of cloud computing: cost efficiency, scalability, elasticity, agility, and global reach
• AWS global infrastructure: regions, availability zones, and edge locations
• Accessing AWS: management console, CLI, SDK, and the free tier

Cloud service and deployment models

Understand the three fundamental service models that underpin every cloud platform and how they apply to real-world architecture and business decisions.

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): what it is and when to use it
• Platform as a Service (PaaS): what it is and when to use it
• Software as a Service (SaaS): what it is and when to use it
• Public, private, and hybrid deployment models in practice

AWS security, pricing, and the Well-Architected Framework

Develop a clear understanding of how AWS approaches security and pricing — and learn the five pillars of good cloud design that guide every architecture decision on the platform.

• The AWS Shared Responsibility Model: what AWS secures and what you are responsible for
• Introduction to AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): users, groups, roles, and policies
• Core security best practices for AWS accounts: MFA, root account protection, and least privilege
• AWS pricing models: on-demand, reserved instances, savings plans, and spot pricing
• AWS Free Tier: what's included and how to make the most of it
• AWS Pricing Calculator and Cost Explorer: estimating and monitoring cloud spend
• AWS Trusted Advisor: automated recommendations for cost, security, and performance
• Introduction to the AWS Well-Architected Framework: the five pillars of reliable, secure, and cost-efficient cloud design

Part two — AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate

Design at scale. Build the architectural skills to create secure, resilient, and cost-efficient AWS solutions.

Account security and Identity Access Management (IAM)

Go deeper into AWS security — learning how to control access, manage permissions, and build a secure account foundation that scales across complex organisations.

• Introduction to IAM, API interfaces, and multi-factor authentication (MFA)
• Root users, IAM users, and IAM groups
• Credentials management best practices
• Delegating access securely using IAM roles — without sharing credentials
• Configuring and understanding IAM policies
• Resource-based policies and permission boundaries
• Policy inheritance and advanced policy types

Introduction to EC2: launching Linux and Windows instances

Get hands-on with AWS's core compute service — launching, connecting to, and configuring virtual servers in the cloud for the first time.

• EC2 core concepts: instances, Amazon Machine Images (AMIs), and instance types
• Configuring security groups for inbound and outbound traffic
• Key pair creation and secure SSH access
• Step-by-step launch of Windows Server and Linux instances

EC2 configuration and vertical scaling

Go beyond launching instances — learn how to configure, automate, and scale your compute resources efficiently and cost-effectively.

• Connecting to Linux and Windows instances via SSH and RDP
• Installing and configuring Apache web server on EC2
• Automating instance setup with User Data bootstrapping scripts
• Vertical scaling: resizing instances to meet changing demand
• EC2 pricing models: on-demand, reserved, savings plans, and spot pricing

Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS): managing and scaling storage

Learn how to attach, manage, and protect block storage volumes for your EC2 instances — including backup and disaster recovery strategies.

• EBS volume types: General Purpose SSD, Provisioned IOPS SSD, Throughput Optimised HDD, and Cold HDD
• Creating, attaching, detaching, and extending EBS volumes
• Snapshots for backup and disaster recovery
• AMI creation and management from snapshots
• Cross-region snapshot copying for resilience and compliance

Elastic File System (EFS) and Amazon S3 storage solutions

Explore AWS's two most widely used storage services — one built for shared file access across multiple instances, the other for scalable, durable object storage.

• Amazon S3: buckets, objects, object URLs, and storage classes (Standard, Standard-IA, Glacier, Intelligent-Tiering)
• S3 versioning, lifecycle policies, and static website hosting
• S3 Transfer Acceleration for faster global data transfers
• Amazon EFS: setting up and managing shared elastic file storage across multiple EC2 instances

Data protection and encryption

Understand how to protect sensitive data at rest and in transit using AWS-native encryption tools and key management services.

• Data protection strategies and best practices for cloud environments
• Client-side encryption (CSE) vs server-side encryption (SSE): when to use each
• AWS Key Management Service (KMS): managing and using encryption keys
• Overview of AWS CloudHSM for dedicated hardware security modules

Virtual Private Cloud (VPC): networking in AWS

Master the networking layer of AWS — building isolated, secure, and highly connected cloud environments from the ground up.

• VPC fundamentals: subnets, route tables, internet gateways, and NAT gateways
• Creating custom VPCs and configuring public, private, and elastic IP addresses
• Subnetting: CIDR notation and fixed-length subnet masking (FLSM)
• VPC peering: cross-region and cross-account connectivity
• Site-to-site VPN: virtual private gateway, customer gateway, and AWS Direct Connect
• VPC endpoints: gateway and interface types for S3, DynamoDB, and other services

Load balancers, auto scaling, and DNS

Learn how to build systems that stay fast, available, and resilient under any level of demand — distributing traffic intelligently and scaling automatically in response to load.

• Elastic Load Balancing (ELB): Application Load Balancer (ALB) and Network Load Balancer (NLB)
• Path-based routing rules with ALB for intelligent traffic distribution
• Auto Scaling Groups: scaling policies, launch configurations, and termination policies
• High availability architecture with AWS Route 53 and DNS fundamentals

Cloud monitoring and event response

Build full operational visibility into your AWS environment — detecting issues early, automating responses, and maintaining healthy, well-observed systems.

• Amazon CloudWatch: metrics, alarms, dashboards, and log management
• AWS EventBridge: event-driven automation and automated incident response
• Amazon SNS: topics, subscribers, and service notifications
• Log collection, processing, and centralised analysis

Serverless technologies: Lambda, API Gateway, SQS, and Kinesis

Discover how to build scalable, event-driven applications without managing any underlying infrastructure — one of the most in-demand skills in modern cloud development.

• AWS Lambda: event-driven compute, function configuration, and AWS service integrations
• API Gateway: building and managing APIs that trigger Lambda functions
• Amazon SQS: standard and FIFO queues, message visibility, and decoupled architectures
• Amazon Kinesis: real-time data streaming, collection, and ingestion at scale

Databases in AWS: RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, and ElastiCache

Explore the full range of AWS database services — from relational and NoSQL through to in-memory caching and live database migration tools.

• Amazon RDS: database types, multi-AZ deployments, read replicas, backups, and restore
• Amazon Aurora: cluster architecture, read scaling, and fault tolerance
• Amazon DynamoDB: key-value concepts, tables, partition keys, indexes, and capacity planning
• DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX): in-memory query acceleration for DynamoDB
• Amazon ElastiCache: Redis and Memcached for high-performance caching
• AWS Database Migration Service (DMS): migrating on-premises databases to AWS with minimal downtime
• AWS Server Migration Service (SMS): planning and executing server migrations to the cloud

Automating infrastructure: Terraform, CloudFormation, and Elastic Beanstalk

Learn how to define, deploy, and manage infrastructure as code — reducing manual effort, increasing consistency, and enabling repeatable deployments at scale.

• AWS CloudFormation: infrastructure as code, template structure, stacks, and change sets
• Terraform: modules, variables, state management, and provider configuration
• AWS Elastic Beanstalk: rapid application deployment and environment management without infrastructure complexity

AWS Systems Manager and AWS Organizations

Understand how to manage infrastructure and enforce governance across multiple AWS accounts at enterprise scale.

• AWS Systems Manager: managing EC2 instances, run commands, and automated patching across accounts and regions
• AWS Organizations: multi-account management, service control policies, cross-account services, and consolidated billing
• AWS Control Tower: governance best practices and landing zone setup

Introduction to containers

Get up to speed with containerisation — one of the most important and widely adopted shifts in modern application deployment and infrastructure management.

• What containers are, how they work, and why they matter
• Introduction to Docker and container images
• Container management, orchestration, and Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR)
• Amazon ECS: launch types, Fargate vs EC2, task definitions, and service scheduling
• Introduction to Kubernetes and Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS)
• Choosing the right container hosting option on AWS for different workloads

Edge services and application security

Learn how to deliver content globally and protect your applications against modern cyber threats — including DDoS attacks and malicious web traffic.

• Content delivery fundamentals and Amazon CloudFront
• Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS): attack types and mitigation strategies
• AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF): setup and configuration for application-layer protection
• AWS Firewall Manager and AWS Shield: centralised security management and advanced threat protection

Backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity

Prepare your architectures to withstand failure — understanding how to design for resilience and recover quickly and reliably when things go wrong.

• Recovery Point Objective (RPO) vs Recovery Time Objective (RTO): what they mean and why they matter for every architecture
• Backup and disaster recovery features built into core AWS services
• Disaster recovery strategies: backup and restore, pilot light, warm standby, and multi-site active/active

This programme is fully aligned with the official AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate and AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exams.

Every module, lab, and practical exercise is designed not only to build real-world cloud architecture skills, but to ensure you have exactly the knowledge and confidence needed to sit and pass this globally recognised certification.

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam (CLF-C02)

AWS Certified Solution Architect exam (SAA-C03)

Where this course can take you

Completing your AWS Solutions Architect — Associate training is a significant milestone — but it's also a starting point. Whether you want to specialise deeper into AWS, broaden into other cloud platforms, or move into an entirely new area of tech, there are clear paths forward from here.

Your next steps

Sit the AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate exam (SAA-C03) Put your new knowledge to the test and earn one of the most recognised certifications in the cloud industry. We'll have you exam-ready and confident before you book your seat.

Advance to AWS Professional Architect Ready to go deeper? The AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Professional certification builds on your Associate foundation with more advanced topics including multi-account strategy, complex hybrid architectures, and enterprise-scale organisation management.

Specialise in operations, security, or DevOps Take your skills in a more focused direction with advanced AWS programmes in SysOps Administration, DevOps Engineering, or AWS Security Specialty — each one building directly on what you've already learned.

Move into data or machine learning If working with data interests you, our AWS Data Engineer and AWS Machine Learning Engineer programmes offer a natural next step — opening doors into two of the fastest-growing and highest-paying areas in tech right now.

Explore other cloud platforms AWS is the market leader, but the cloud world is broader than one provider. Our Google Cloud Platform (GCP) training and certification programmes give you the flexibility to expand your expertise and make yourself an even more versatile candidate in the job market.

Not sure which direction is right for you? Speak to one of our advisers — we'll help you map out a learning path that matches your goals, your timeline, and where you want your career to go.