Cybersecurity
Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure
Learn to secure workloads in AWS and Azure: identity, networks, encryption and monitoring, with a free account to practise.
Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for cloud, IT and DevOps engineers who secure AWS and Azure workloads. It has 9 modules and takes about 8.7 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 8.7 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Cloud, IT and DevOps engineers who secure AWS and Azure workloads
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: OT security analyst, security engineer, network engineer and compliance analyst. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- A web browser. An AWS Free Tier account and an Azure free account are optional but recommended for the practice tasks. Hardware: none.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Apply the shared responsibility model to IaaS, PaaS and SaaS
- Write least-privilege AWS IAM policies
- Design Entra ID Conditional Access without locking out the tenant
- Configure network security groups and private endpoints
- Choose encryption and key management options
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Cloud, IT and DevOps engineers who secure AWS and Azure workloads.
Level: Beginner. Beginner. You should know what a server, a network and a user account are. No cloud certification is needed; a free AWS or Azure account makes the exercises more useful.
What you need
Software: A web browser. An AWS Free Tier account and an Azure free account are optional but recommended for the practice tasks..
Hardware: None.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
9 modules in order, at your own pace. 8.7 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1What cloud security is13m
- 2The shared responsibility model44m
- 3Identity first: AWS IAM26m
- 4Identity in Azure: Entra ID and conditional access1h 0m
- 5Zero trust for the cloud29m
- 6Network controls in the cloud49m
- 7Encryption and key management35m
- 8Threats, posture management and monitoring1h 4m
Show the other 1 modules
- 9Final Assessment24m
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
A web browser is enough. The cloud accounts are optional, and recommended for the practice tasks.
Show what to download (2 tools)
Optional
Useful, not needed to finish the course.
- 01Free plan: 6 months with credits
AWS Free Tier
Amazon Web Services, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser
- Account
- An AWS account, with a credit or debit card for verification
New accounts can choose the Free plan: starting credits plus more earned by trying services, usable for up to 6 months. You are not charged unless you upgrade to the Paid plan. The Free plan account closes after 6 months or when credits run out; data is kept for 90 days, and you must upgrade to get it back. Over 30 services stay free within monthly limits.
Steps
- 1.Open aws.amazon.com/free and click Create a free account.
- 2.Enter your email, account name and contact details.
- 3.Add a credit or debit card. AWS makes a small verification charge that is refunded.
- 4.Verify your phone number, then choose the Free plan.
- 5.Sign in to the console and set up a budget alert before you start labs.
- In India, accounts are usually set up with AWS India (AISPL); the card check is a small refundable charge.
- Delete lab resources when you finish so they do not use up credits.
Open AWS Free Tieraws.amazon.com - 02Free trial: 30 days of credit, some services free for 12 months
Azure free account
Microsoft, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser
- Account
- A Microsoft account, a phone number and a credit or debit card for identity checks
New customers get credit to use within 30 days, free monthly amounts of 20+ popular services for 12 months, and 65+ always-free services. The card is only for identity checks: Microsoft does not charge it, though a temporary one-dollar (or equivalent) hold may appear. You are not charged unless you upgrade.
Steps
- 1.Open the Azure free account page and click Try Azure for free.
- 2.Sign in with a Microsoft account or create one.
- 3.Verify your phone number and enter a card for identity verification.
- 4.Accept the agreement and open the Azure portal.
- 5.Set a budget alert in Cost Management before starting labs.
- Students at eligible universities can use Azure for Students instead, which needs no card.
Open Azure free accountazure.microsoft.comAlternatives
- Azure for Students: Credit for 12 months with no credit card, for full-time university students using a school email. Renews each year while you are a student.
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
What you practise
Course project, about 10 hours
Cloud security review for a logistics company on AWS and Azure: asset inventory, risk register, identity baseline and posture report
You are the first cloud security engineer at a growing logistics software company. You inventory its AWS and Azure estate, register the risks, write the identity and access baseline, and report the posture before and after.
- 4documents in the pack
- 5steps to follow
- 4things to hand in
- 10 hof work, at your pace
- Asset inventoryCloud asset inventory: Nimbus Freight Tech
- Risk registerCloud risk register: Nimbus Freight Tech
- ProcedureIdentity and access baseline: AWS and Microsoft Entra ID
- ReportCloud posture report: weeks 1 to 4
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
Free 3D lab
Process lab
Practise in your browser. Free, nothing to install.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
Cybersecurity (IT and OT)
Eight short weeks of security basics, networks, access control, a security operations centre, industrial (OT) security, IEC 62443 and incident response: notes, diagrams, a few videos and worked exercises. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipMore free courses
Roles that use this skill
- OT security analyst
- Security engineer
- Network engineer
- Compliance analyst
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: John Savill's Technical Training, IBM Technology, Amazon Web Services, Amitabh Soni, KodeKloud, BeSA Cloud Academy, Tiny Technical Tutorials. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
John Savill's Technical Training · IBM Technology · Amazon Web Services · Amitabh Soni · BeSA Cloud Academy · KodeKloud · Tiny Technical Tutorials. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Who is the Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course for?
IT administrators, developers, support engineers and students who look after, or want to look after, workloads in AWS and Azure. No cloud certification is needed.
Is this an AWS or Microsoft course?
No. It uses lessons that Amazon Web Services, John Savill, IBM Technology and other educators publish free on YouTube, credited on each module. AWS and Azure are trademarks of Amazon and Microsoft, and neither company is affiliated with EDWartens.
Does it prepare me for a cloud security certification?
Not directly. It covers the fundamentals that vendor exams such as Microsoft's security certifications and AWS Certified Security - Specialty build on, but it is not exam preparation for either, and the EDWartens certificate is not a vendor certification.
Do I need to pay for AWS or Azure?
No. The practice tasks fit inside the AWS Free Tier and an Azure free account. Switch off anything you create when you finish, and set a budget alert so nothing is charged by surprise.
Is the Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course really free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the certificate, if you want it.
What certificate does the Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course give?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a number anyone can verify on our site.
How long does the Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course take?
About 8.7 hours of video lessons, notes and practice questions, plus about 10 hours if you do the project. At an hour a day, that is about three weeks.
What is the project in the Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course?
You review the AWS and Azure estate of a logistics software company as its first cloud security engineer. You write an asset inventory, a risk register, an identity and access baseline for AWS and Entra ID, and a posture report the CTO can use to answer a customer's security questionnaire.
What topics does the Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course cover, module by module?
The Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course has 9 modules. It opens with "What cloud security is", goes through "The shared responsibility model", "Identity in Azure: Entra ID and conditional access", "Network controls in the cloud" and "Threats, posture management and monitoring" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course?
After the Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course: Explain what cloud security covers and how it differs from on-premises; Apply the shared responsibility model to IaaS, PaaS and SaaS; Write least-privilege AWS IAM policies and predict how they are evaluated. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course, and does it cost anything?
For the Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course, software: A web browser. An AWS Free Tier account and an Azure free account are optional but recommended for the practice tasks. Hardware: none. The course itself is free.
Is the Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course suitable for me, and what level is it?
Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure is rated beginner. Beginner. You should know what a server, a network and a user account are. No cloud certification is needed; a free AWS or Azure account makes the exercises more useful. It is written for cloud, IT and DevOps engineers who secure AWS and Azure workloads, and takes about 8.7 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course?
Skills from the Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure course (for example: explain what cloud security covers and how it differs from on-premises) are used in roles such as OT security analyst, security engineer, network engineer and compliance analyst, and in cloud security engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
Cloud Security Fundamentals: AWS and Azure, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.