Will this course help me get a cloud security job?

This programwon’tmake you job-ready on its own, but it provides the required groundwork for more advanced training, certifications, and junior cloud or security positions.

Do I need hands-on cloud experience before starting?

A background in cloud services or IT systems is beneficial. While youdon’tneed to be an expert, understanding the Cloud Computing basics will help you better understand IAM, virtualization, and architecture in general.

What skills will I gain by the end of the course?

You’lllearn cloud models, identity management, virtualization, and cloud infrastructure, Zero Trust fundamentals, and IAM controls and metrics—core skills you need to begin or enhance your career in cloud security.

What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Cloud Security Foundations

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Cloud Security Foundations

This course is part of Certified Cloud Security Professional Exam Prep Specialization

Instructor: LearnKartS

Included with

Learn more

3 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

No prior experience required

9 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

3 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

No prior experience required

9 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Understand core cloud technologies, deployment models, and architectural roles that define how modern cloud platformsoperateand scale securely.
Learn key technical concepts like virtualization, Containers vs VMs, infrastructure components, and cloud management used to build resilient systems.
Identifycommon identity threats and apply controls, Zero Trust principles, and IAM metrics to effectively strengthen cloud security and reduce risk.
Explore IAM, including identity lifecycle, authentication methods, MFA, policies, and standards, to manage secure access across cloud environments.

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Certified Cloud Security Professional Exam Prep Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 3 modules in this course

The future of technology runs on the cloud—and securing it starts here. Cloud Security Foundations offers a clear, practical introduction to the systems, identities, and controls that keep cloud environments resilient.

Start by getting to know the fundamentals of cloud platforms, including basic principles, deployment and delivery models, roles, and architectural elements. Then it's time to grasp core technical concepts—virtualization, containers vs. VMs, components of cloud infrastructure, and managing a cloud platform—to learn how cloud systems are structured and run. From there, dive into the world of Identity and Access Management. Understand IAM basics, identity lifecycle management, authentication vs. authorization, IAM standards, policies, MFA, and how they are implemented in the real world. You'll also learn how identity threats develop, how to prevent them, and how Zero Trust and IAM metrics improve cloud security. Perfect for beginners, IT professionals, and those looking to become cloud or security enthusiasts, this course will give you the basics of understanding how modern cloud works and how to secure it.

This section builds your understanding of cloud fundamentals—covering cloud concepts, NIST characteristics, service models, deployment models, architecture basics, and migration approaches. It gives you the core vocabulary and mental models needed to interpret how cloud environments are designed and operated.

What's included

19 videos6 assignments

19 videos Total 92 minutes

Course Introduction 4 minutes
What is Cloud? 3 minutes
What is Cloud Computing? 6 minutes
Key Characteristics (NIST 800-145) 5 minutes
Service Models: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS 6 minutes
Benefits and Limitations 5 minutes
Cloud Usage Trends 6 minutes
Public Cloud 4 minutes
Private Cloud 5 minutes
Hybrid Cloud 5 minutes
Community Cloud 4 minutes
Use Case Comparison 5 minutes
Shared Responsibility Model 5 minutes
Cloud Actors 5 minutes
Cloud Reference Architecture 4 minutes
Cloud Computing Activities 5 minutes
Cloud Interactions 5 minutes
Architecture Design 5 minutes
Cloud Migration Models 5 minutes

6 assignments Total 90 minutes

Understanding Cloud Basics 18 minutes
Cloud Deployment Models 18 minutes
Cloud Roles and Architecture 18 minutes
Understanding Cloud Basics 12 minutes
Cloud Deployment Models 12 minutes
Cloud Roles and Architecture 12 minutes

This section explores how cloud infrastructure works under the hood through virtualization, containers, multi-tenancy, resiliency, IaC, monitoring, scalability, and capacity planning. It prepares you to understand real-world cloud performance, reliability, and architectural decisions.

What's included

18 videos6 assignments

18 videos Total 87 minutes

Virtual Machines 6 minutes
Hypervisors 5 minutes
Containers vs VMs 4 minutes
Orchestration Basics 5 minutes
Isolation in VMs 5 minutes
Multi-Tenancy 6 minutes
Compute Virtualization 5 minutes
Network Virtualization 5 minutes
Storage Virtualization 5 minutes
High Availability 5 minutes
Fault Tolerance 5 minutes
Disaster Recovery 4 minutes
Infrastructure as Code 5 minutes
Cloud Monitoring 6 minutes
Elasticity and Scalability 4 minutes
Metering and Billing 4 minutes
Capacity Planning 5 minutes
Resilient Architectures 5 minutes

6 assignments Total 90 minutes

Virtualization & Infrastructure Fundamentals 18 minutes
Cloud Infrastructure Components 18 minutes
Cloud Platform Management 18 minutes
Virtualization & Infrastructure Fundamentals 12 minutes
Cloud Infrastructure Components 12 minutes
Cloud Platform Management 12 minutes

This section focuses on Identity & Access Management, including identity lifecycle, authentication, authorization, RBAC, ABAC, MFA, federation, and Zero Trust principles. It equips you with the skills to design secure access controls and manage identities in modern cloud environments.

What's included

19 videos6 assignments

19 videos Total 94 minutes

What is IAM? 6 minutes
Identity Lifecycle 4 minutes
Authentication vs Authorization 5 minutes
Privileged Access 6 minutes
Federated Identity 5 minutes
IAM Standards 6 minutes
RBAC (Role Based Access Control) 5 minutes
ABAC (Attribute Based Access Control) 5 minutes
IAM Policies 6 minutes
IAM in SaaS/IaaS 5 minutes
Just-in-Time Access 4 minutes
MFA 5 minutes
Identity Compromise 5 minutes
Insider Threats 5 minutes
Access Reviews 5 minutes
IAM Best Practices 5 minutes
Zero Trust 5 minutes
IAM Metrics 5 minutes
Course Completion 1 minute

6 assignments Total 90 minutes

Identity and Access Management (IAM) 18 minutes
IAM Implementation 18 minutes
Identity Threats and Controls 18 minutes
Identity and Access Management (IAM) 12 minutes
IAM Implementation 12 minutes
Identity Threats and Controls 12 minutes

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructor

LearnKartS

136 Courses 179,885 learners

Offered by

LearnKartS

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Frequently asked questions

This course is ideal for anyone interested in gaining IT skills, including IT professionals, cloud practitioners, system administrators, and security learners. The course also lays a foundation for more advanced certifications, such as CCSP.

It’sdesigned with a security-first perspective, breaking down cloud fundamentals, IAM, threat knowledge, and architectural clarity into one learning pathway. It sets you up not only to use the cloud, but also to secure it — whether forsubsequentstudies or your job as an IT professional.

Yes. Cloud security is one of the fastest-growing fields in terms of skills. This course will help you strengthen your technical foundation, assume cloud-focused roles, and position you well for highly sought-after certifications such as CCSP.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

Cloud Security Foundations

Cloud Security Foundations

What you'll learn

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Details to know

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Build your subject-matter expertise

There are 3 modules in this course

Introduction to Cloud Technologies

What's included

19 videos Total 92 minutes

6 assignments Total 90 minutes

Virtualization & Infrastructure Fundamentals

What's included

18 videos Total 87 minutes

6 assignments Total 90 minutes

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

What's included

19 videos Total 94 minutes

6 assignments Total 90 minutes

Earn a career certificate

Instructor

Offered by

Explore more from Security

Palo Alto Networks Cloud Security Fundamentals

Cloud Basics

Cloud Security Basics

Cloud Computing Security - Master's

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.

Jennifer J.

Larry W.

Chaitanya A.

Open new doors with Coursera Plus

Advance your career with an online degree

Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business

Frequently asked questions

More questions

Cloud Security Foundations

Cloud Security Foundations

What you'll learn

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Details to know

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Build your subject-matter expertise

There are 3 modules in this course

Introduction to Cloud Technologies

What's included

Virtualization & Infrastructure Fundamentals

What's included

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

What's included

Earn a career certificate

Instructor

Offered by

Explore more from Security

Palo Alto Networks Cloud Security Fundamentals

Cloud Basics

Cloud Security Basics

Cloud Computing Security - Master's

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.

Jennifer J.

Larry W.

Chaitanya A.

Open new doors with Coursera Plus

Advance your career with an online degree

Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business

Frequently asked questions

Who is this Cloud Security Foundations course ideal for?

What makes this course different from other cloud basics programs?

Will this course help me advance my career?

More questions