Course

Introduction to Cloud Computing

Managing your own servers is like running a personal power plant — expensive, complex, and time-consuming. Cloud computing changed everything by providing on-demand computing resources that scale with your needs. This course teaches you the fundamentals you need before deploying anything to the cloud. You’ll understand the service models that shape how you build applications — from full control with IaaS to turnkey solutions with SaaS — and explore deployment strategies across public, private, and hybrid clouds. You’ll also compare the major cloud providers, AWS, Azure, and GCP, to understand their core services and strengths. By the end, you’ll have the conceptual foundation to make informed decisions about cloud architecture and be ready to deploy real infrastructure in the follow-up course.

Enroll for free

Part of the Data Engineer (Python), and Introduction to Cloud Computing paths.

4.8 (359 reviews)

89 learners enrolled in this course.

Intermediate friendly
8 hours
Self paced
4 lessons

“The learning paths on Dataquest are incredible. They give you a direction through the learning process – you don’t have to guess what to learn next.”

Otávio Silveira

Data Analyst @ Hortifruti

Introduction to Cloud Computing

Enroll For Free

Course overview

Cloud computing transformed technology from owning infrastructure to renting it on demand — eliminating the complexity and cost of managing physical servers. This course teaches you the fundamentals. You’ll understand service models: IaaS for maximum control, PaaS for faster development, and SaaS for turnkey solutions. You’ll explore deployment strategies — public clouds for scalability, private for security, hybrid for flexibility — and compare AWS, Azure, and GCP to understand what each platform offers. By the end, you’ll have the conceptual foundation to make smart cloud architecture decisions and be ready to deploy real pipelines to AWS and GCP in the next course.

Key skills

Understanding cloud service models and selecting appropriate levels of infrastructure control
Comparing cloud deployment strategies and major providers for different use cases
Making informed decisions about cloud architecture based on project requirements

Course outline

Introduction to Cloud Computing [4 lessons]

Introduction to Cloud Computing 2h

Lesson Objectives

Understand cloud computing fundamentals and modern digital infrastructure
Differentiate between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS service models
Compare public, private, and hybrid cloud deployment strategies
Identify major cloud providers and their key strengths
Recognize cloud scalability benefits over traditional physical servers

Introduction to Cloud Deployment Models 2h

Lesson Objectives

Understand characteristics of public, private, and hybrid clouds
Identify appropriate cloud deployment models for business needs
Evaluate security and compliance requirements across cloud models
Analyze cost implications of different cloud deployment strategies
Apply cloud bursting and multi-cloud management concepts

Cloud Service Models: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS 2h

Lesson Objectives

Differentiate IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS service models
Identify which infrastructure layers users versus vendors manage
Match cloud service models to appropriate use cases
Evaluate tradeoffs between control, convenience, and cost
Select optimal cloud models based on project requirements

Cloud Providers: AWS, Azure, GCP 2h

Lesson Objectives

Distinguish between AWS, Azure, and GCP deployment models
Identify core cloud services across major providers
Evaluate pricing models and cost optimization strategies
Match cloud providers to specific use cases
Compare IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS implementations practically

The Dataquest guarantee

Dataquest has helped thousands of people start new careers in data. If you put in the work and follow our path, you’ll master data skills and grow your career.

We believe so strongly in our paths that we offer a full satisfaction guarantee. If you complete a career path on Dataquest and aren’t satisfied with your outcome, we’ll give you a refund.

Master skills faster with Dataquest

Go from zero to job-ready

Learn exactly what you need to achieve your goal. Don’t waste time on unrelated lessons.

Build your project portfolio

Build confidence with our in-depth projects, and show off your data skills.

Challenge yourself with exercises

Work with real data from day one with interactive lessons and hands-on exercises.

Showcase your path certification

Share the evidence of your hard work with your network and potential employers.

Grow your career with
Dataquest.

98%

of learners recommend

Dataquest for career advancement

4.85

Dataquest rating

SwitchUp Best Bootcamps

$30k

Average salary boost

for learners who complete a path

Aaron Melton

Business Analyst at Aditi Consulting

“Dataquest starts at the most basic level, so a beginner can understand the concepts. I tried learning to code before, using Codecademy and Coursera. I struggled because I had no background in coding, and I was spending a lot of time Googling. Dataquest helped me actually learn.”

Jessica Ko

Machine Learning Engineer at Twitter

“I liked the interactive environment on Dataquest. The material was clear and well organized. I spent more time practicing then watching videos and it made me want to keep learning.”

Victoria E. Guzik

Associate Data Scientist at Callisto Media

“I really love learning on Dataquest. I looked into a couple of other options and I found that they were much too handhold-y and fill in the blank relative to Dataquest’s method. The projects on Dataquest were key to getting my job. I doubled my income!”