This textbook provides a thorough yet compact review of cloud technologies. It offers easy to understand explanations of the technical concepts underlying cloud services, platforms, and applications offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). It presents cloud concepts at a depth that can be understood and applied by both technical and non-technical readers. Once that is accomplished the learner can then easily move toward more advanced topics. Or, they can use the knowledge gained from this book to obtain industry certifications and be competitive in this exciting industry. Reader learning is enhanced with quizzes and exam questions and hands-on labs throughout the book with PowerPoint slides, instructor guide and additional labs online. All the tools needed for advancement to the level of cloud architect are found in this book. The author has verified the success of this approach in his own academic environment with much success. He teaches Cloud Engineering and Advanced Cloud Engineering at Southern Methodist University. Both courses were developed in partnership with the AWS Academy, the education arm of the Amazon Web Services cloud platform. Using this methodology his students routinely take and pass cloud certification exams and obtain lucrative employment positions in the rapidly expanding cloud industry.
