Overview

GCP: Compute and Networking is the first course of Exam Prep: Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect Specialization. This course prepares learners to become confident cloud architects by mastering the skills required to design, build, and manage secure and scalable solutions using Google Cloud. Through a combination of practical labs, architectural walkthroughs, and guided demos, learners will gain hands-on experience with core services like Compute Engine, VPC, Kubernetes Engine, Cloud Run, App Engine, and Cloud Functions. You'll learn how to architect resilient systems, manage network configurations, implement load balancing, and monitor infrastructure using real-world scenarios. The course is designed not just to help you pass the Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect certification exam, but to think like an enterprise architect. This course is ideal for: - Cloud engineers and DevOps professionals moving into architecture roles. - System administrators and solution architects aiming to validate their GCP skills. - IT professionals seeking to grow into high-impact cloud design and governance roles. - Anyone who wants to master how to design scalable, secure, and resilient solutions on Google Cloud. By the end of the course, you will be able to: - Understand and deploy core GCP compute services. - Design and implement secure virtual networks. - Monitor, scale, and troubleshoot GCP network and compute workloads.

Syllabus

Computing in Google Cloud

Welcome to Week 1. This week, we’ll begin with an introduction to Google Cloud Platform (GCP). You'll learn how to navigate the Google Cloud Console and understand how GCP organizes resources. Next, we’ll explore the various compute services available in GCP, helping you know which service to use based on workload type. We’ll dive into Compute Engine, GCP’s IaaS offering, and walk through provisioning virtual machines with a hands-on demo. You’ll also get an overview of Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) for container orchestration, Cloud Run for deploying containerized applications without managing servers, and Cloud Functions for lightweight, event-driven workloads. Additionally, we’ll introduce App Engine, GCP’s fully managed platform for scalable web apps. By the end of this module, you’ll have a solid foundation in GCP compute services and be able to choose the right tool for various deployment scenarios, from VMs to serverless functions.

Networking in Google Cloud

Welcome to Week 2. This week, we’ll focus on networking in Google Cloud, starting with an overview of Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). You’ll learn how to create VPCs, configure firewall rules, and launch virtual machines (VMs) within these networks. We’ll explore key networking services such as VPC peering, which allows communication across different VPCs. Next, we’ll introduce Network Topology, a visual tool to monitor and understand your network layout and traffic flow. You’ll get insights into Partner Interconnect for connecting on-premises infrastructure to GCP. We'll also cover Cloud Load Balancing, including a hands-on demo to showcase how to distribute traffic across multiple backend instances for improved performance and availability. In addition, we’ll dive into Cloud DNS, Routes, and Firewall rules that govern network traffic. You’ll also learn about Cloud CDN for content delivery acceleration and Autoscaler, which automatically adjusts the number of VM instances in response to traffic. By the end of this module, you’ll have a solid grasp of how to build, secure, scale, and monitor a robust network infrastructure in GCP.