Security in the AWS Cloud requires a new way of looking at traditional tools and practices. Luckily, many free and low-cost resources are available to get hand-on training in cloud security best practices.
As a Managed Service Provider, Logicworks has frequently used this training ourselves or recommended it to teams that are new to AWS. Below is a list of training resources we have found to be the best for engineers and non-engineering professionals.
AWS Security Fundamentals
Creator: AWS
Level: Foundational
Type: Self-paced, online
Length: 4 hours
Cost: Free
This recently-released course from AWS is a great, free overview of basic security concepts. This makes it perfect for non-engineering staff who need some understanding of fundamentals, such as finance and GRC teams. The course covers the following concepts:
- Introduction to Cloud Computing and AWS Security
- Access Control and Management
- AWS Security: Governance, Logging, and Encryption
- Compliance and Risk Management
Introduction to AWS IAM
Creator: AWS
Level: Foundational
Type: Online Lab
Length: 30 minutes
Cost: Free (must sign up for QwikLabs)
This lab shows you how to manage access and permissions to your AWS services using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM). If you have never used QwikLabs before, it offers a more seamless experience than flipping back and forth from a training video to the AWS console. This lab allows you to practice the steps to add users to groups, manage passwords, log in with IAM-created users, and see the effects of IAM policies on access to specific services.
Security and Advanced Automation in AWS
Creator: Logicworks
Level: Intermediate
Type: Webinar Video Recording
Length: 45 minutes
Cost: Free
This in-depth webinar on Advanced Security Automation is for engineers who understand the basic concepts — but want to be able to implement security at scale in large deployments. Utilizing both AWS-native and 3rd party tools, Sr. DevOps Engineer Phil Christensen shows you how to architect your system for self-healing and auto-correction, and discusses why the security of your system should not depend on the manual labor — or the memory — of your engineers. You will walk away understanding:
- The step-by-step process of automation from build-out to configuration
- AWS CloudFormation fundamentals
- The impact of configuration management on security and compliance
Security Operations on AWS
Creator: AWS
Level: Intermediate
Type: Live or Online Class
Length: 3 days
Cost: $2095
This course is intended for security engineers, architects, analysts, and auditors that have some existing knowledge of AWS. The course reviews all of the major topics in AWS security, and attendees walk away with a deep understanding of AWS tools, security automation principles, incident management in AWS, and more.
CloudAcademy: AWS Security
Creator: CloudAcademy
Level: Beginner – Intermediate
Type: Online hands-on lab
Length: 9 labs, each ~1 hour long
Cost: Free Trial, then $59/month
These hands-on labs walk you through a broad overview of building and securing your VPCs, an introduction to IAM, and AWS governance tools. This is perfect for engineers who are new to AWS, and do not want to work with documentation alone.
A Cloud Guru: AWS Security Master Class
Creator: A Cloud Guru
Level: Beginner – Intermediate
Type: Online videos
Length: 10 hours
Cost: $49
This master class includes two collections of videos, a beginning primer on AWS Security and a more advanced, event-driven security course. This includes a deep-dive into AWS’ monitoring, logging, and firewall tools. The creator of A Cloud Guru, Ryan Kroonenburg, also creates videos to assist engineers in training for AWS Certification Exams.
Linux Academy: Advanced AWS Security
Creator: Linux Academy
Level: Intermediate
Type: Online videos
Length: 3 hours
Cost: Free Trial, $29/month
A solid video overview of AWS security fundamentals. Perfect for systems engineers who may want to brush up on Linux skills or learn about other cloud platforms, as Linux Academy subscription also gives you access to hundreds of hours of videos and workshops on Linux, OpenStack, and Azure.
Logicworks is an enterprise cloud automation and managed services provider with 23 years of experience transforming enterprise IT. Contact us to learn more about our managed cloud solutions.
