Leverage AWS Training to enable your workforce to achieve digital transformation

Developing cloud skills and expertise across the workforce is a critical first step as organizations continue their cloud journeys. While cloud maturity is an iterative process, effective training and enablement is crucial for the success of this transformative journey. This blog will highlight AWS training resources and strategies that organizations can leverage to upskill their workforce across five key cloud initiatives – migration, modernization, generative AI and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), security and resiliency, and cost optimization.

Assessing cloud skill gaps to drive targeted upskilling

The first step to properly plan for and deploy a training and enablement strategy is to assess your organization’s current skills gaps. Without visibility into your existing cloud expertise and skills gaps, it’s challenging to make informed decisions about upskilling initiatives, training investments, and development plans. Relying on anecdotal assessments or self-reported surveys often provides an incomplete or inaccurate picture. The complementary AWS Learning Needs Analysis (LNA) can help you evaluate your current cloud skills maturity and identify the most pressing training needs. This objective, in-depth analysis is conducted by AWS experts to give you an accurate picture of your organization’s cloud skills across key job roles and technical domains. Its granular, targeted, and data-driven roadmap insights empower you to create a skilling program that ensures your workforce is equipped with the right cloud competencies.

AWS Training and Certification offers courses and learning resources for any level of learner, from new-to-cloud learners to tenured professionals, via instructor-led training (delivered live in-person or digitally), digital, self-paced or interactive courses on AWS Skill Builder, and industry-recognized AWS Certifications.

Initiative 1: Migration

Investing in cloud-specific training is essential for successful cloud migrations. Cloud training equips IT teams with the expertise to assess readiness, plan the migration strategy, and execute the move seamlessly. It enables employees to understand cloud architectures, deployment models, management tools, and optimizing the new infrastructure. Moreover, cloud training fosters a cloud-first mindset, allowing the organization to fully leverage the cloud’s agility, scalability, and cost-optimization capabilities. By reducing migration risks and ensuring optimal cloud utilization, AWS specific training is a strategic imperative for companies embarking on their cloud transformation journey. Read how Choice Hotels speeds deployment and supports cloud migration using AWS Training and Certification.

Suggested training resources:

• Migration Learning Plan helps you build technical knowledge on migrating to the AWS Cloud, with a focus on AWS Migration Evaluator, AWS Migration Hub, and AWS Application Migration Service. You can earn digital badges as a reward for completing the readiness path assessment.
• AWS Cloud Quest is a role-playing game that helps learners build practical cloud skills by helping citizens of a virtual city. Teams can start with the Cloud Practitioner_role _to build foundational cloud expertise. They’ll complete specific job or business specific tasks and build solutions within a sandbox AWS environment with step-by-step instructions. Team members can motivate each other as they gain insights together or compete with AWS Cloud Quest Tournaments that incorporate cloud skills into a virtual match.
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate is a great way to validate expertise in designing scalable, highly-available, and cost-effective cloud architectures, enabling efficient planning, seamless integration, and optimized cloud utilization. Refer to the exam preparation materials to help you succeed in earning this valuable credential.

Initiative 2: Modernization

As organizations progress in their cloud maturity, modernizing legacy applications becomes a key priority. Training on modern cloud-native architectures and serverless computing can empower teams to re-imagine and modernize legacy applications, unlocking new levels of agility and innovation. This empowers the workforce to drive innovation and efficiently navigate the complexities of cloud migration and transformation. Comprehensive training programs also facilitate faster adoption of new cloud-based tools and practices. Strong understanding of AWS capabilities helps employees more readily identify opportunities for optimization, automation, and seamless integration – accelerating the organization’s modernization journey. By ensuring that employees are well-versed in security best practices, architectural patterns, and change management procedures, organizations can minimize downtime, data loss, and other potential pitfalls during the modernization process. Read how Infor is increasing speed to market and solution functionality after training on AWS.

Suggested training resources:

• Using Modernization Pathways to Modernize on AWS provides an overview of six modernization pathways and how they fit in the migration and modernization landscape.
• The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification validates your advanced skills and knowledge of designing and deploying complex, enterprise-grade cloud architectures on AWS. Earning this prestigious credential demonstrates your ability to guide large-scale cloud modernization initiatives, optimize system performance and cost-effectiveness, and implement robust security and governance controls. Comprehensive study materials are available on AWS Skill Builder.

Initiative 3: Generative AI & AI/ML

The rise of generative AI models and AWS AI/ML services presents an unprecedented opportunity for enterprises to drive innovation. However, realizing the full potential of these technologies requires robust training programs. By equipping employees across the organization with the skills to leverage AWS AI/ML services, organizations can automate processes, enhance customer experiences, and free up time for more strategic, high-value work.

Suggested training resources for technical learners:

• AWS Skill Builder offers several learning plans for decision maker, developer, and non-technical roles as well as AWS Cloud Quest: Generative AI.
• Amazon Bedrock – Getting Started teaches technical audiences about Amazon Bedrock, a fully managed service that offers leading foundation models along with a set of tools to quickly build and scale generative AI-powered applications.
• Low-code Machine Learning on AWS teaches how to use Amazon SageMaker, Data Wrangler, and Amazon SageMaker Autopilot to prepare data, train, and deploy machine learning (ML) models with minimal coding.
• Building Language Models on AWS teaches data scientists how to use Amazon SageMaker distributed training libraries to build language models on AWS.
• Foundations of Prompt Engineering introduces prompt engineers, data scientists, and developers to the basics of prompt engineering and progresses to advanced prompt techniques and guarding against prompt misuses.
• In addition to the existing AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty, AWS recently announced two new AI/ML AWS Certifications. Empower your workforce with these new certifications to accelerate your organization’s AI/ML initiatives. Registration opens August 13, 2024.
  • The AWS Certified AI Practitioner validates the ability of non-technical professionals to identify AI use cases and collaborate effectively with technical teams.
  • The AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer- Associate certification recognizes proficiency in ML engineering, covering aspects like optimizing model performance, managing resources efficiently, updating models seamlessly, and securing AI solutions.

Initiative 4: Security and Resiliency

In an era of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, security training is not just a compliance requirement, but a strategic imperative. Comprehensive training equips employees with deep expertise in cloud security best practices, risk mitigation strategies, and the proper use of AWS security services. This empowers the workforce to proactively identify and address potential vulnerabilities, ensuring the organization’s cloud environment remains secure. Effective training programs also prepare employees to respond swiftly and effectively to security incidents or disruptions in the cloud. By instilling a strong understanding of incident response protocols, recovery procedures, and AWS resilience features, organizations can minimize the impact of threats and maintain business continuity. By training employees on these solutions and cultivating a security-first mindset, enterprises can build resilience and protect their most valuable assets, enabling them to innovate with confidence.

Suggested training resources:

• AWS Security Essentials covers fundamental AWS cloud security concepts, including AWS access control, data encryption methods, and how network access to your AWS infrastructure can be secured.
• Security Ramp Up Guide will help you navigate the broad set of resources and content to help you develop your skills in security—all in one place.
• The AWS Certified Security – Specialty certification validates a professional’s deep security expertise to drive secure cloud innovation at the enterprise level. Certified individuals can guide organizations in adopting the latest AWS services and technologies while maintaining robust security controls, compliance, and a security-first mindset – all crucial for accelerating innovation without compromising on risk management. Refer to this blog post for 10 tips to study for the AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam.

Initiative 5: Cost Optimization

As enterprises scale their cloud footprint, cost optimization becomes a critical concern. Effective cost optimization training equips employees with the knowledge and skills to leverage AWS services and features that enable significant cost savings. By understanding principles like right-sizing resources, optimizing storage and data transfer, and applying appropriate pricing models, the workforce can proactively identify opportunities to reduce cloud expenditures without compromising performance or functionality. Training in AWS cost management tools and budgeting best practices empowers employees to monitor, analyze, and continuously optimize the organization’s cloud costs, ensuring financial efficiency and alignment with business objectives. Further, by empowering employees to continuously identify and implement cost optimization strategies, organizations can redirect resources towards innovation initiatives that drive long-term growth.

Suggested training resources:

• AWS Cost Management Ramp-Up Guide, featuring the AWS Cloud Financial Management Framework, as well as various resources, training, whitepapers, and videos to support learners building cloud cost management skills.

Conclusion

The journey to cloud maturity is an exciting and rewarding, but it requires a strategic and proactive approach to cloud upskilling. By leveraging the comprehensive training and certification resources from AWS, your organization can equip its workforce with the necessary skills and expertise to navigate the complexities of cloud migration, modernization, AI/ML, security, and cost optimization. With the right training and enablement, your organization can unlock the full potential of the AWS Cloud and drive innovation, efficiency, and long-term success for a future-proof, cloud-centric tomorrow.