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How to Buy Cloud - Strategies for Cloud Procurement

Learn how to bring about a digital transformation within your organisation through cloud acquisition and deployment.

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  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    2 hours

Lead your organisation’s digital transformation strategy with cloud adoption

Covering everything from initial needs identification, through to post-migration service monitoring, this three-week course from AWS will guide you through every step of the cloud procurement and buying cycle.

You’ll gain the skills to plan and implement a cloud integration strategy within your organisation, working alongside a cloud service provider (CSP) such as AWS.

Plan a comprehensive cloud acquisition strategy

There are six key areas affecting how cloud is bought – pricing, security, data residency, sustainability, and terms and conditions.

Taking a deep dive into each, you’ll discover the advantages of cloud and its impact on processes across your organisation.

Using quizzes, videos, and interactive activities, you’ll delve into each aspect of procurement, defining different procurement methods and identifying the most appropriate for your organisation.

Improve your change management process

Cloud procurement needs a different approach to traditional IT procurement methods due to its flexible, dynamic, and scalable properties.

You’ll explore innovative planning strategies and learn how to involve stakeholders in the acquisition process, ensuring you only buy services that your organisation really needs.

Discover the benefits of working with AWS partners

Using the AWS Partner Network (APN), you’ll learn how to choose partners that have the right expertise, wherever you are in your cloud-adoption journey.

With this knowledge, you’ll be able to assess whether the APN could provide value and support during your procurement and whether to budget for this during planning.

By the end of this course, you’ll have the skills to plan a cloud procurement strategy that meets the needs of your organisation, understanding the cloud’s impact across all areas of your business.

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Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Introduction and Cloud Acquisition Fundamentals

    • Welcome to the Course

      Welcome to our course about how to buy cloud!

    • Cloud Procurement Fundamentals

      Cloud consumption and pricing are similar to how you pay for water and electricity—you only pay for what you consume.

    • Procurement Foundations

      Successful cloud procurement strategies can help all parts of your organization benefit from the cloud. Thus, you can test and innovate quickly, and benefit from the highest levels of security.

  • Week 2

    Key Aspects of Procurement

    • Key Aspects of Procurement

      This section focuses on helping you find the answers to some critical questions that you might have about procurement in the cloud.

  • Week 3

    Working with Partners and Making it Real

    • Working with Partners and Making it Real

      In the previous weeks, you learned the fundamentals of cloud acquisition and procurement, and explored some of the key aspects of procurement.

    • Course Wrap-Up

      As we wrap up the course there is a practice assessment that includes questions from all topics and concepts discussed in prior weeks.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Differentiate between traditional IT and cloud acquisition models
  • Describe the parts of a cloud acquisition strategy
  • Explore the benefits of using Cloud Service Providers (CSPs)
  • Describe the shared responsibility model
  • Differentiate between data sovereignty and data residency
  • Explore why AWS is more sustainable than on-premise infrastructure
  • Describe how AWS Organizations help you govern your environment
  • Describe the six key areas that affect how cloud is bought
  • Differentiate between a good and less-cloud-appropriate procurement vehicle
  • Explore answers to frequently asked questions about buying cloud
  • Describe the benefits of a one-organization cloud migration roadmap
  • Explore additional resources for cloud procurement best practices

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone involved in the cloud buying process, including C-suite, buyers and procurement specialists, and project managers.

It’s also suitable for those working within enterprises whose working practices would be affected by Cloud implementation. This may include anyone working in finance, HR and training, security, risk and compliance, internal auditing, and legal within a wider organisation.

Who will you learn with?

Blaine Sundrud is a technology education specialist for AWS - teaching classes on Security, Architecture and AI/ML.

Who developed the course?

AWS Training and Certification

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform, offering over 200 fully featured services from data centers globally. Millions of customers—including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—are using AWS to lower costs, become more agile, and innovate faster.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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