Information Technology (IT) and Cloud Fundamentals Specialization

If you’re ready to enter the world of Information Technology (IT), you need job-ready skills. This course provides the core hardware and operating system knowledge needed by anyone new to IT and computer hardware who wants to start a new career in technology, including IT Support, Networking, Cybersecurity, and Software Development.

Learn about the software brain of a computer—its operating system software—and explore Microsoft Windows. Become knowledgeable of internal computer components, including motherboards, central processing units (CPUs), memory, hard drives, expansion slots, and others. Learn to identify interfaces, ports, connectors, and peripherals such as mice, keyboards, and others. Explore workstation setup processes, commonly used operating system settings, screen capture commands, computer acquisition practices, and job-essential troubleshooting processes. You will also learn about mobile operating systems, Linux, and macOS, and complete a final project. Throughout the course you will practice what you learn using interactive exercises and hands-on labs. This course is also part of the series to help you prepare for CompTIA ITF+ and A+ certification exams.

Discover the world of software with this comprehensive course designed for beginners. Gain an understanding of various types of software and how to manage software from an IT perspective. This course covers the basics of software, cloud computing, web browsers, development concepts, programming languages, and database fundamentals.

After completing this course, you'll have a better grasp of software processes and feel more confident about using and securing applications. From mobile phone operating systems to workplace database applications, this course covers a wide range of software. You'll also learn about installing and managing web browsers, using extensions and plug-ins, and keeping them secure and updated. Discover the benefits of cloud-based technologies and see how using the cloud can help businesses create and deploy applications faster. Learn about software development and delivery, as well as simple programming concepts and types, and become familiar with database management fundamentals. To solidify your understanding and put your skills to the test, the course ends with a challenging final project where you’ll develop a complete solution to a problem encountered in everyday life. Your work on a real-world scenario will showcase your newfound expertise and demonstrate your understanding of software, programming, and databases. Enroll now to take the next step in your IT professional journey.

This course introduces you to the core concepts of cloud computing. You gain the foundational knowledge required for understanding cloud computing from a business perspective as also for becoming a cloud practitioner. You understand the definition and essential characteristics of cloud computing, its history, the business case for cloud computing, and emerging technology usecases enabled by cloud. We introduce you to some of the prominent service providers of our times (e.g. AWS, Google, IBM, Microsoft, etc.) the services they offer, and look at some case studies of cloud computing across industry verticals.

You learn about the various cloud service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) and deployment models (Public, Private, Hybrid) and the key components of a cloud infrastructure (VMs, Networking, Storage - File, Block, Object, CDN). We also cover emergent cloud trends and practices including - Hybrid Multicloud, Microservices, Serverless, DevOps, Cloud Native and Application Modernization. And we go over the basics of cloud security, monitoring, and different job roles in the cloud industry. Even though this course does not require any prior cloud computing or programming experience, by the end of the course, you will have created your own account on IBM Cloud and gained some hands-on experience by provisioning a cloud service and working with it. This course is suitable for a large variety of audiences - whether you are an executive / manager / student who wants to become familiar with cloud computing terminology and concepts, or someone who wants foundational grounding in cloud computing to start a career in this field or become a cloud practitioner - such as a cloud engineer, developer, analyst, etc. The completion of this course also makes you eligible to earn the Cloud Computing Core IBM digital badge. More information about the badge can be found here: https://www.youracclaim.com/org/ibm/badge/introduction-to-cloud-computing

Designed for beginners, this course is for anyone new to networking and storage. Kickstart an IT Support role or network technician role, or enhance your base knowledge for system administration.

Videos, practice activities, and virtual hands-on labs will help you develop and apply the skills you need to diagnose and repair basic networking and storage issues so you can keep users connected. you'll learn about network types, topologies, and models, see how data travels across a network, and discover how protocols and standards enable all network activity. Then, you’ll learn how to set up and configure devices and cables for both wired and wireless networks. And then you’ll learn to diagnose and troubleshoot network connectivity issues and discover how to use command line utilities and network tools in Windows Settings. After that, you’ll identify different types of storage drives and discover the difference between short-term and long-term memory. Lastly, you’ll find out the features of local, offsite, and cloud storage and when to use each. And you’ll investigate file, block, and object storage and work out which cloud provider solutions work best for different networking scenarios.