Why I decided to pursue the PGP course on Cloud Computing from Great Learning

As an Information Security Professional it is essential to remain in touch with the latest technologies in the IT field to ensure you can are able to suggest suitable measures to protect the business when new technologies are adopted.

The key technologies which are being adopted by businesses in the current times are as under 
  • Cloud 
  • IOT 
  • AI and ML 
  • Big Data 
  • Block Chain
The First of these - Cloud through providers such as Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure has transformed IT infrastructure and each day more and more companies are adopting Cloud for their technology needs. To acquaint myself with this I had done a few short online course on the basics of Cloud Technology and then using Cloud Security Alliance for learning key measures to secure Cloud. I also studied for and gained the CCSK Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge which gives a vendor neutral learning on the key aspects of securing cloud assets. However in the last two years of my job, I felt that I did not have any practical experience in Cloud and could not participate in any conversations with IT folks when discussing or understanding their deployments in Cloud. 
Therefore, I have decided to go back to the drawing board and start learning Cloud technologies from the basics. Why am I doing this ? The world is moving towards Cloud services at a furious pace and adoption of Cloud services are running at an even faster pace with SAAS , PAAS and IAAS. As security professionals we cannot ignore this shift. We can continue to lean towards Compliance and Risk Governance but Cloud, DevOps and AI are breaking these barriers. For any new player in the market who is not regulated adopting Cloud is a no brainer. Therefore I feel it is imperative to understand the Cloud by going into the trenches and learn the basics from the ground up.
Till now my understanding was more theoretical and conceptual than what knowing how things function. But I realised the futility of this when you do not understand new concepts such as micro services or how development happens in DevOps. The whole CI/ CD development methodology can be easily replicated in the cloud. 
Therefore to enhance my learning and improve my practical knowledge I have decided to do a six month course on Cloud Computing from Great Learning. The course has a good mix of theoretical and practical aspects with focus on AWS as the key Cloud provider which they are covering in full detail. Moreover the courses supplemented with Lab assignments and Mentor sessions which would be useful for gaining an in-depth understanding of key concepts. Additionally the main faculty of the course Mr Nirmaallya Mukherjee is an experienced practitioner and industry expert in Cloud Computing.  
The detailed syllabus of the course is available at this link - PGP Cloud Computing.  
I intend to publish weekly updates on what I have learnt each week . 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

API Security - A risk based approach for CISOs

       APIs or Application Programming Interfaces are the building blocks of modern applications. As the usage of APIs  and API traffic increases it is likely to be the major attack vector for hackers. APIs are utilised for a variety of purposes such as - share data with partners, customers, and other third parties. As per Akamai, 83 % of internet traffic is driven by APis. While APIs are a powerful enabler of digital transformation, they also present new security challenges. In fact, Gartner predicts that in 2023, API abuses will be the most frequent attack vector. To substantiate that prediction, OWASP has come out with a separate OWASP Top 10 for APIs in 2019. Also multiple organisations such as Coinbase and IRCTC have been affected by API security vulnerabilities in their applications.  To tackle this emerging attack vector, CISOs should understand the key risks associated with APIs. These include: Data Breaches or Data Leakages -  Risk of data le...
Read more

2024 Year Review and thoughts

  My review of 2024.  The year was a mixed bag with a overall positive outlook and a few hiccups. My ratings on key parameters  Health - Average  Family - Good  Professional - Good  Career - Good  Finances - Average  Health -  My health has been a mixed bag with several notable improvements and some setbacks. Exercise - I was able to regularly attend Gym and do strength training.  Due to improved leg strength I was able to run a 10 k run in Dec in a time of 67 mins . I was 40th out of 120 runners in the Veteran category which I am satisfied with keeping in mind the several issues I had been having at the start of the year.  Gut Health : My stomach and gut issues continued which led me to a take a nutritionist led meal plan. This has helped but I still continue to have gas and loose motions intermittently  and outside food does not suit me at all. The worry is that my weight has reduced from 68 Kg to 63 Kg in las...
Read more

Key Steps for Building an Effective Data Protection Program: From Analysing Business Needs to Ongoing Protection

Key Steps for Building an Effective Data Protection Program: From Analysing Business Needs to Ongoing Protection In today's world, data is often referred to as the new oil, given its immense value to organisations. Companies have access to vast amounts of data, from customer information to intellectual property and strategic plans.  Over the last decade cyber criminals have targeted organisations repeatedly related to multiple breaches. Some organisations like Uber have faced multiple breaches and even government organisations are not spared as we observed in the Snowden case where confidential data of US  govt was leaked online. Protecting this data has become essential, and having an effective data protection program is crucial to achieving this requirement.  In my role as a CISO for the last five years I have found data protection as the most complex initiative yet most closely related to business enablement. This can be related to protecting customer data to prevent c...
Read more