Course content (30 lessons)

1. Unit I: Overview - Cloud Computing Foundations — Unit I: Cloud Computing Foundations Welcome to Unit I of the Cloud Computing course. This unit lays the conceptual groundwork for understanding what cloud computing is, where it…
2. Services of Internet — Services of the Internet The cloud did not emerge from a vacuum. It was built on top of decades of internet infrastructure development. Understanding the core services of the…
3. Origins of Cloud Computing — Origins of Cloud Computing Cloud computing did not appear overnight. It is the product of six decades of computing evolution , each era solving the limitations of the previous…
4. Cloud Components — Cloud Components A cloud computing system is composed of several interconnected components. Understanding these components helps demystify what actually happens when you deploy an…
5. NIST 5 Essential Characteristics — NIST 5 Essential Characteristics of Cloud Computing The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published the authoritative definition of cloud computing in Special…
6. The Vision of Cloud Computing — The Vision of Cloud Computing Cloud computing is more than a technology — it is a vision of how computing should work , inspired by the way we consume other utilities in modern…
7. Benefits of Cloud Computing — Benefits of Cloud Computing Cloud computing has been widely adopted because it delivers concrete, measurable benefits to organizations of all sizes — from solo developers to…
8. Challenges Ahead — Challenges Ahead in Cloud Computing Cloud computing offers transformative benefits, but it also introduces significant challenges. Organizations that adopt cloud without…
9. Unit II: Overview - Cloud Architecture — Unit II: Cloud Computing Architecture — Overview This unit provides a structured exploration of Cloud Computing Architecture , covering the foundational concepts, reference…
10. Internet as a Platform — Internet as a Platform The Internet is not merely a communication network — it is the foundational delivery platform for all cloud computing services. Understanding how the web…
11. Cloud Reference Model: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS — Cloud Reference Model: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS The NIST Cloud Reference Model defines three service layers, each abstracting a different level of infrastructure complexity. Understanding…
12. Types of Clouds — Types of Clouds Cloud deployments are not one-size-fits-all. The NIST SP 800-145 standard defines four deployment models, each with distinct trade-offs in cost, control, security,…
13. Computing Platforms & Technologies — Computing Platforms & Technologies Multiple cloud platforms have emerged to serve different organizational needs — from hyperscale public clouds to open-source private cloud…
14. Cloud Computing Economics — Cloud Computing Economics One of the most compelling reasons organizations migrate to the cloud is the economic model shift from capital expenditure to operational expenditure.…
15. Cloud Infrastructure & Economics of Private Clouds — Cloud Infrastructure & Economics of Private Clouds While public clouds dominate headlines, private clouds remain essential for organizations with strict compliance, latency, or…
16. Software Productivity & Economies of Scale: Public vs Private — Software Productivity & Economies of Scale: Public vs Private Cloud Economies of scale are central to why public clouds can offer powerful services at dramatically lower costs…
17. Unit III: Overview - Parallel and Distributed Computing — Unit III: Principles of Parallel and Distributed Computing This unit explores the foundational concepts that power modern cloud infrastructure. At its core, cloud computing is…
18. Parallel vs. Distributed Computing — Parallel vs. Distributed Computing Though often used interchangeably, parallel computing and distributed computing are distinct paradigms. Modern cloud systems routinely combine…
19. Elements of Parallel Computing — Elements of Parallel Computing Before writing a single line of parallel code, you must understand the building blocks: concurrency , parallelism , granularity , speedup , and…
20. Hardware Architectures: Flynn's Taxonomy — Hardware Architectures: Flynn's Taxonomy In 1966, Michael Flynn proposed a classification of computer architectures based on two dimensions: the number of instruction streams and…
21. Approaches to Parallel Programming — Approaches to Parallel Programming Parallel hardware is useless without programming models that let developers express parallelism. Four major paradigms cover the landscape, each…
22. Levels of Parallelism — Levels of Parallelism Parallelism exists at multiple levels of abstraction in a computing system, from the width of a single data bus up to entire data centers. Understanding each…
23. Laws of Caution: Amdahl's Law and Gustafson's Law — Laws of Caution: Amdahl's Law and Gustafson's Law Before you invest in parallelizing a workload, two fundamental laws tell you what speedup is theoretically achievable. They often…
24. Unit IV: Overview - Virtualization — Unit IV: Virtualization — Overview Virtualization is the cornerstone technology underpinning modern cloud computing. It enables multiple virtual instances of computing resources…
25. Introduction & Characteristics of Virtualized Environments — Introduction & Characteristics of Virtualized Environments What Is Virtualization? Virtualization is the abstraction of physical computing resources — CPU, memory, storage, and…
26. Taxonomy of Virtualization Techniques — Taxonomy of Virtualization Techniques Virtualization is not a single technology — it is a family of techniques applied across different layers of the computing stack. The taxonomy…
27. Virtualization and Cloud Computing — Virtualization and Cloud Computing The Enabling Relationship Cloud computing would not exist without virtualization. The defining characteristics of cloud services — on-demand…
28. Pros and Cons of Virtualization — Pros and Cons of Virtualization Virtualization delivers transformative benefits, but it also introduces real operational and security challenges. Any serious practitioner must…
29. VMware: Full Virtualization Technology Example — VMware: Full Virtualization Technology Example What Is VMware ESXi / vSphere? VMware ESXi is a Type-1 (bare-metal) hypervisor — it runs directly on server hardware, with no host…
30. Hardware Virtualization Types & Hypervisors — Hardware Virtualization Types & Hypervisors Three Virtualization Approaches Full Virtualization The guest OS runs completely unmodified . The hypervisor intercepts all privileged…

Unit I: Overview - Cloud Computing Foundations

Unit I: Cloud Computing Foundations

Welcome to Unit I of the Cloud Computing course. This unit lays the conceptual groundwork for understanding what cloud computing is, where it came from, and why it matters in today's technology landscape.

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of IT resources — compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, and more — over the Internet with pay-as-you-go pricing. Instead of owning and maintaining physical data centers, organizations rent access to infrastructure and services from cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Topics Covered in Unit I

This unit is organized into seven focused lessons:

• Services of the Internet — the foundational internet services (web, email, FTP, DNS, streaming) that enabled cloud platforms to emerge.
• Origins of Cloud Computing — a historical timeline from 1960s mainframes to the 2006 AWS launch.
• Cloud Components — clients, datacenters, regions, availability zones, and distributed servers.
• NIST 5 Essential Characteristics — the authoritative definition of cloud computing.
• The Vision of Cloud Computing — utility computing, serverless, edge, and multi-cloud futures.
• Benefits of Cloud Computing — cost savings, scalability, reliability, and agility.
• Challenges Ahead — security, vendor lock-in, compliance, and data sovereignty.

Why Cloud Computing Matters

Cloud computing has fundamentally transformed how software is built and delivered. Startups can launch globally in minutes. Enterprises can scale to millions of users without buying a single server. Research institutions can run massive simulations on demand. The cloud is not a technology trend — it is the primary computing paradigm of the modern era.

How to Use This Unit

Read each lesson in order. Every lesson contains diagrams, real-world examples, and where relevant, CLI or configuration code snippets. By the end of Unit I, you will have a solid foundation to explore advanced cloud topics in subsequent units.

Continue reading: Unit I: Overview - Cloud Computing Foundations →

Frequently asked questions

Is the Cloud Computing course really free?

Yes. The entire Cloud Computing course on Siksha Sarovar is free to read with no account required. You can optionally sign in with Google to save your progress.

Do I get a certificate for Cloud Computing?

Yes — finish the lessons and pass the quiz to earn a free, verifiable certificate you can share on LinkedIn or with recruiters.

Can I run code while learning?

Yes. The built-in online compiler runs C, C++, Python, Java, PHP, JavaScript, C# and SQL directly in your browser — no installation needed.