Amazon Web Services, Coursera, Google, MIT Courseware and Microsoft are accelerating the depth and variety of cloud computing courses, courseware and learning materials they are freely making available online.
Over the last six months since the last Roundup Of Free Cloud Computing Online Courses, Amazon Web Services has added an additional series of free instructional videos, self-paced labs and selected free courses in the seven areas their AWS Training programs focus on. Microsoft’s Virtual Academy has grown to include more courses, training material and entire section of free downloadable books from Microsoft Press. Google’s continual additions to the Developer Academy include online courses to learn more about Google AppEngine, Python App Engine and Google Cloud SQL.
Coursera and the University of Maryland, University of New Mexico and Vanderbilt University are all offering free courses on Android, mobile and web application development. MIT Courseware continues to add useful courses across the broad spectrum of subjects they cover. The dominant theme of all courses is a new focus on creating and launching a new cloud computing application during the course.
Update on Cloud Computing Online Courses – Full Index Available For Download
One of the best indicators of how serious a software company is about their developer evangelism strategy is how much they invest in free training, easily accessible knowledge, and work to break down learning barriers. Amazon Web Services, Google and Microsoft are each accelerating these areas quickly. Each are choosing to freely provide valuable training videos, books and content in the hope of attracting and educating more developers.
In addition to these extensive evangelism efforts, there are several excellent courses and educational programs available entirely online at various price points. You can find entire roundup of cloud computing online courses and programs here (in PDF) and also in Microsoft Word.
The following table compares the free cloud computing online courses. Please click on the graphic to expand for easier reading.
Key Take-Aways:
- Coursera & the University of New Mexico are partner to offer the free course Web Application Architectures starting next month. By the end of this course, students will be able to design, develop and deploy a modern web application. You can find more information about the course here.
- DePaul University College of Computing and Digital Media is offering a Cloud Computing Technologies Program where students will build their own cloud applications. Using Amazon Web Services, IBM, Microsoft and Salesforce cloud platforms, students will learn how to create and manage cloud-based applications. The eleven-week in-depth program in the principles, methods, and technologies of Cloud Computing. The program provides a broad understanding of the different leading Cloud Computing technologies.
- Stanford University is offering CS309A – Cloud Computing one of the most sought-after online courses in this field, from September 23rd to December 16th, 2014. This class includes discussions with cloud computing industry leaders and CEOs who share their vision of the future of software-powered businesses. Previous guest speakers include Hamish Brewer, CEO, JDA Software, Godfrey Sulliva, CEO, Splunk, Human Shah, CEO, RMS, Rob Bearden, CEO, Hortonworks, Bill Ruh, VP & Corporate Officer, GE Global Software and Aaron Levie, CEO, Box. The course is taught by Timothy Chou, a widely recognized pioneer in cloud computing. He has been teaching introductory computer architecture at Stanford for 15 years. He has an extensive background in cloud computing and is a high energy, engaging speaker. You can find his LinkedIn profile here.
