CIS 214 - Cloud Architecting with AWS

Description
This course provides a comprehensive exploration of cloud computing principles with a focus on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Students will gain practical knowledge in designing, deploying, and managing secure, scalable, and cost-effective cloud solutions. Topics include cloud architecture principles, networking, storage, compute services, and security best practices. The course emphasizes hands-on labs and real-world scenarios to build critical thinking and technical problem-solving skills.

Credit Hours: 3
Contact Hours: 3
Prerequisites/Other Requirements: None
English Prerequisite(s): None
Math Prerequisite(s): None
Course Corequisite(s): None
Academic Program Prerequisite: None
Consent to Enroll in Course: No Department Consent Required
Dual Enrollment Allowed?: Yes
Course Fees: 0
Number of Times Course can be taken for credit: 1
General Education Requirement:
None
General Education Learner Outcomes (GELO):
NA
Course Learning Outcomes:

Apply AWS architectural principles and best practices to make informed infrastructure design decisions.
Utilize appropriate AWS services and features to build scalable, reliable, and highly available cloud solutions.
Select and implement AWS managed services to enhance infrastructure flexibility and resiliency.
Optimize the performance and cost-efficiency of cloud infrastructures built on AWS.
Implement AWS services to ensure secure access to users, applications, and data.
Incorporate the AWS Well-Architected Framework to evaluate and improve cloud architectures.

Course Outline:
I. Introduction to AWS and Cloud Architecting
I.A. Overview of Cloud Computing and the AWS global Infrastructure
I.B. Introduction to the Café Business Case and the Role of a Cloud Architect

II. Designing Cloud Architectures
II.A. Principles of Cloud Architecture Design
II.B. Utilizing the AWS Well-Architected Framework for Building and Evaluating Solutions

III. Securing Access in AWS
III.A. Understanding Security Principles in the AWS Cloud
III.B. Managing Permissions with IAM Users, Groups, Roles, and Policies

IV. Building a Storage Layer with Amazon S3
IV.A. Features and Use Cases of Amazon S3.
IV.B. Data Transfer, Storage Management, and Lifecycle Optimization
IV.C. Configuring Static Websites and Designing Solutions with Amazon S3

V. Adding Compute with Amazon EC2
V.A. Launching and Configuring Amazon EC2 Instances
V.B. Selecting AMIs, Instance Types, and Storage Solutions
V.C. Optimizing EC2 Pricing and Leveraging Auto Scaling for Elasticity

VI. Implementing a Database Layer
VI.A. Overview of Database Services, Including Amazon RDS and DynamoDB
VI.B. Designing and Deploying Database Servers
VI.C. Migrating Data and Applying Well-Architected principles

VII. Networking in AWS
VII.A. Designing Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) with Subnets, Gateways, and Route Tables

VII.B. Securing and Monitoring Network Environments

VIII. Connecting Networks in AWS
VIII.A. Connecting On-premises Networks to AWS Using Site-to-Site VPN and Direct Connect
VIII.B. Scaling and Connecting Multiple VPCs with VPC Peering and AWS Transit Gateway

IX. Advanced Security for Users, Applications, and Data
IX.A. Implementing User Federation and Managing Multiple AWS Accounts
IX.B. Encrypting Data and Securing Resources with AWS Key Management Service (KMS)

X. Monitoring, Elasticity, and High Availability
X.A. Using CloudWatch and EventBridge for Monitoring and Nifications
X.B. Scaling Compute and Database Resources for High Availability
X.C. Designing Load-balanced Architectures and DNS Failover trSategies

XI. Automating Architectures
XI.A. Leveraging Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with AWS CloudFormation
XI.B. Automating Deployments with AWS Quick Start Templates and Amazon CodeWhisperer

XII. Caching for Performance Optimization
XII.A. Using CloudFront and ElastiCache to Reduce Latency and Improve Performance
XII.B. Designing Caching Strategies with Well-Architected Principles

XIII. Building Decoupled Architectures
XIII.A. Differentiating Tightly and Loosely Coupled Architectures
XIII.B. Decoupling Applications with Amazon SQS, SNS, and MQ

XIV. Serverless Architectures and Microservices
XIV.A. Architecting Serverless Solutions with AWS Lambda and API Gateway
XIV.B. Utilizing Containers and Step Functions for Microservices

XV. Data Engineering Patterns
XV.A. Selecting AWS Services for Batch and Real-time Data Ingestion
XV.B. Processing and Analyzing Data Pipelines for Various Use Cases

XVI. Planning for Disaster Recovery
XVI.A. Strategies for Disaster Recovery, Including RPO and RTO
XVI.B. Implementing Backup and Disaster Recovery Patterns with AWS Services

Approved for Online and Hybrid Delivery?:
No
Instructional Strategies:
Lecture: 35-45%

Lab work: 35-45%

Facilitated discussion/group work: 10-30%

Mandatory Course Components:
None
Equivalent Courses:
None

Accepted GRCC Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Credit: None
AP Min. Score: NA
Name of Industry Recognize Credentials: AWS Certified Solutions Architect Certification

Course prepares students to seek the following external certification:
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam.
Course-Specific Placement Test: None
Course Aligned with ARW/IRW Pairing: NA

Mandatory Department Assessment Measures:
Quizzes / Tests

Labs / Homework Assignments

Final Exam

Course Type:
Program Requirement- Offering designed to meet the learning needs of students in a specific GRCC program.
Course Format:
Lecture - 1:1
Total Lecture Hours Per Week: 3
People Soft Course ID Number: 105330
Course CIP Code: 11.9999
Maximum Course Enrollment: 26
School: School STEM
Department: Computer Information Systems
Discipline: CIS
First Term Valid: Fall 2025 (8/1/2025)
1st Catalog Year: 2025-2026
Name of Course Author:
Kenneth Smith

Faculty Credential Requirements:
Master’s Degree (GRCC general requirement), Professionally qualified through work experience in field (Perkins Act or Other) (list below)
Faculty Credential Requirement Details:
A master’s degree in CS/CIS or IT-related field

Course Review & Revision Year: 2029-2030