Beyond the Certs: My Take on 'Confident Cloud'
Introduction
Perusing the Brooklyn Public Library Technology section is one of my weekly go-to routines. The library is right next to the entrance to the beautiful Prospect Park so I visit frequently. On one of my latest trips, this book immediately caught my attention as someone who's been immersed in the cloud world for 4 years and holds certifications like the AWS Solutions Architect... I often wonder if introductory cloud books can still offer value. I recently finished reading 'Confident Cloud: Uncover the Essentials of Cloud Computing' by Adora Nwodo to find out.
Brief Summary
In 'Confident Cloud,' Adora Nwodo takes readers on a journey through the fundamentals of cloud computing. The book covers a wide range of topics, from what is cloud computing, to platform engineering/no-code tools, and even navigating cloud careers. Even as someone who has studied most of these concepts and products through AWS certifications, Adora’s chapters are helpful by providing the same amount of context as the other cloud service providers. For someone brand new to cloud computing, this would be a huge advantage in being able to connect the dots and understand certain topics (compute, storage, databases, etc.) agnostic of one cloud provider they might be studying up on.
Other Cloud Service Providers
I also found the inclusion of chapters on topics like FinOps and Cloud Careers to be extremely valuable. FinOps seems to be glanced over pretty quickly in most certification prep, but the business world seems to be catching on quickly as a solid career field as cloud costs continue to grow (with no end in sight!). Cloud Careers has breakdowns of the typical culprits, Solutions Architect, Cloud Engineer, but it also breaks down a few others that can benefit from Cloud like DevRel (Developer Relations) and Documentation Engineer (this was the first time hearing this one for me as well).
I am a fan of the structure of the content, each chapter had the same framework:
A main topic: ‘Cloud Security and Privacy’
Sub-sections on the most important areas in that topic with a paragraph or two explanation: ‘The federated identity pattern’
Case studies or real-world examples: ‘Login with Google as an example of federated identity’
A chapter review and glossary of main terms
Internal Developer Program Workflow
Who Should Read “Cloud Confident”?
For beginners wanting to break into Cloud - a must-read.
For professionals comfortable in Cloud - optional, it’s a nice refresher, sometimes reviewing the basics can help concepts click that maybe didn’t the first time that you just haven’t seen since. Or that you have seen at work and didn’t remember the lesson 😊
If you are an expert or looking to go deep in one specific area of cloud computing - this book is not for you!
Kubernetes Overview
Closing Thoughts
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4 out of 5 stars)
If you’re looking to understand cloud computing, ‘Confident Cloud’ is an excellent book to add to your reading list. Reach out if you have any questions or if you have also read this book and want to share some thoughts! If you found this review helpful, please share it with others who might be interested in learning about cloud computing.
Find the book on Amazon here.