- [Seph] Hey, you all. Welcome to our technology domain. With cloud concepts, and security and compliance being covered, now is when we start to introduce the broad world of AWS services and technology. Technology is the weightiest part of the exam, consisting of around a third of your overall score. And when I say technology, I'm referring to the various types of AWS services, the infrastructure, and the operational aspects of using the AWS Cloud. For this domain, we'll be covering four sections. First will be the methods of deploying and operating in the AWS Cloud. This will be where I talk about different ways of operating in the AWS Cloud, types of deployment models, and briefly discuss connectivity options. Second will be the focus on the global infrastructure. I'll talk about the various components that make up our global infrastructure. Such as the Availability Zones, Regions, and edge locations. For the third section, I'll introduce the realms of AWS core services. I'll talk about the categories of core services, and then give you some examples of each. I'll close out the domain by introducing you to the resources you have for technology support. There, I'll discuss things like documentation, levels of support, and discuss some of the other services associated with supporting your utilization of AWS technology. All right. Now that you know what you're in for, let's get started. As I stated for this section, we'll be starting with the methods of deploying and operating in the AWS Cloud. Here, we'll look at different ways of provisioning and operating in the AWS Cloud, different types of cloud deployment models, and identify some of the connectivity options you have with the AWS Cloud. To begin, there are various methods that can be used to communicate to the AWS Cloud, for provisioning, and necessary operations you might need to manage. Methods available are programmatic access to the APIs through the SDKs, API access through AWS Command Line Interface, or the CLI, graphical interface through the AWS Management Console, and the ability to create and deploy through various infrastructure as code offerings. Not only is it important for you to know what method exists, but you should also be aware of the strengths and limitations of each. Think about when you'd use the Management Console over the SDKs, or the CLI versus something like AWS CloudFormation. What benefits do you see in accessing a service, like Amazon S3, in the console? What about running the commands in the CLI? It's one thing to know that different methods exist, but it's more important to know how and when you'd use them. Next, we have the cloud deployment models. What I'm referring to here are methods of cloud utilization. This is not about code deployment. The models to be mindful of are cloud native, or all in with the cloud, hybrid, and on premises. Similar to the ways of provisioning and operating I previously discussed, it's not only important that you know how to define these different deployment types, but that you are also aware of how they would look in action. Would applications working together between your local data center and AWS be considered an on-premises or hybrid deployment? Would you choose to keep certain resources on premises, instead of moving everything directly to AWS? What are some considerations that need to be noted when utilizing the various types of deployments? These are some questions that you should be asking yourself, when trying to understand the cloud deployment models. The exam, similar to the real world, will require more of you than just a textbook definition. The last part of this section covers the connectivity options. These options consists of ways network connectivity can be handled to various AWS services, and include creating a virtual private network, or VPN, setting up AWS Direct Connect, and using the public internet. As I've previously stated, it's more than just knowing what these are. You should be able to identify the advantages and limitations of each of the connectivity types, understand use cases, where one might be preferred or avoided, and know the generalities of how they work. As you've seen, the exam is similar to real-world usage in that it's more than just being able to define a term. You're expected to know how these connectivity deployment and operational methods can be utilized, and when you would choose one option over another. As you continue through the technology domain, keep in mind that it's more than just definitions. Envision how you would use the components, tools, features, and services, and how they interact with each other. You're not going to be expected to be an expert on everything, but part of the base understanding is comprehending the interactions. Good luck as you progress. And you'll see me later.
