NET 316 - Cloud Systems Admin II

1. Cloud Infrastructure Architecture
   1. Foundational: Understand the global multi-cloud footprint (e.g., AWS Regions & AZs, Azure Regions & Availability Zones, GCP Regions & Zones) and map service availability across providers
   2. Intermediate: Identify and compare core compute, storage and networking services across major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their typical enterprise use-cases
   3. Advanced: Design a resilient multi-cloud infrastructure architecture including global region/zone choices, high-availability strategies, and cross-cloud connectivity Mapped Frameworks: DoD Role: System Administrator (SA), Cloud Computing Specialist (CCS); NICE Role: SA-05 (Systems Administrator) / SP-CLD (Cloud Services Specialist); KSAs: K0001, K0042., S0018, A0003
2. Command-Line and Automation Tools
   1. Foundational: Use AWS CLI, Azure CLI and gcloud CLI to perform basic resource ·list, create, update, delete operations
   2. Intermediate: Implement platform-specific SDKs and automation scripts (Python, PowerShell, Bash) for multi-cloud resource management
   3. Advanced: Apply Infrastructure as Code (IaC) frameworks-e.g., AWS CloudFormation, Azure ARM/Bicep/Template, Terraform-for reproducible, version-controlled deployments across clouds Mapped Frameworks: DoD Role: CCS, SA; NICE Role: DEV-05 (Software Developer); KSAs: K0050, S002.2., A0010
3. Compute Resource Administration
   1. Foundational: Provision and configure virtual compute instances (AWS EC2., Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine)
   2. Intermediate: Apply security policies, identity/access controls and baseline hardening to compute resources
   3. Advanced: Implement and configure scaling strategies (e.g., AWS Auto Scaling Groups, Azure VM Scale Sets, GCP Managed Instance Groups) and cost-efficient compute models (spot/preemptible, serverless compute) Mapped Frameworks: DoD Role: SA, CCS; NICE Role: SP-CLD (Cloud Services Specialist); KSAs: K0039, S0030, A002.5
4. Configuration and Compliance Management
   1. Foundational: Use cloud-native configuration and systems-management services (e.g., AWS Systems Manager, Azure Automation, GCP Config Connector) to inventory and baseline resources
   2. Intermediate: Apply patch management, configuration drift detection, and automated remediation across cloud instances
   3. Advanced: Enforce governance policies (tagging, resource locks, policy-as-code), compliance standards (e.g., CIS benchmarks, DoD RMF) and audit reporting across clouds Mapped Frameworks: DoD Role: SA; NICE Role: CM-01.(Configuration Management); KSAs: K0078, S0045, A0032
5. Containerization and Serverless Computing
   1. Foundational: Deploy container workloads using managed services (e.g., AWS ECS, Azure AKS, GCP GKE) and understand container orchestration basics
   2. Intermediate: Implement serverless functions (e.g., AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, GCP Cloud Functions) and integrate with event-driven architecture (e.g., cloud events, messaging) 3. Advanced: Optimize workloads for portability, scalability, and cost across container and serverless platforms-including hybrid/multi-cloud container orchestration and function-as-a-service strategies Mapped Frameworks: DoD Role: CCS; NICE Role: SP-CLD (Cloud Services Specialist); KSAs: K0102., S0058, A0040 6. Database Services Administration
6. Examine common systems management topics related to cloud environments
   1. Foundational: Configure managed relational databases (e.g., AWS RDS, Azure SQL Database, GCP Cloud SQL) including provisioning, access and backups
   2. Intermediate: Apply security controls, backup/restore and high-availability configurations (multi-AZ, replicas) across clouds
   3. Advanced: Optimize database performance (indexing, caching, read/write splitting), select appropriate engine types (relational vs NoSQL), and design cross-cloud disaster recovery strategy Mapped Frameworks: DoD Role: Database Administrator (DBA);NICE Role: DBA-01.(Database Administration); KSAs: K0115, S0062., A0048
7. Virtual Networking
   1. Foundational: Design and configure Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) networks: AWS VPC, Azure Virtual Network, GCP VPC - subnets, route tables, NAT, gateways
   2. Intermediate: Implement routing, peering, and connectivity across clouds (VPN, Direct Connect/Express Route, inter-region links) and firewall/security controls
   3. Advanced: Apply network security best practices-segmentation, micro-segmentation, zero-trust architecture-and optimize network design for performance, egress cost, and resilience across multi-cloud Mapped Frameworks: DoD Role: Network Operations Specialist; NICE Role: NET-02. (Network Infrastructure Specialist); KSAs: K0130, S0075, A0055 8
8. Cloud Storage Management
   1. Foundational: Manage object and block storage services (e.g., AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, GCP Cloud Storage) including lifecycle policies and tiering
   2. Intermediate: Implement cost-optimization strategies (e.g., infrequent access, archival tiers), redundancy, and durability (cross-region replication, versioning)
   3. Advanced: Design a unified storage strategy across compute, data lake, and analytics workloads, integrate storage with compute scaling, and manage large-scale data migration between clouds and on-premises Mapped Frameworks: DoD Role: SA; NICE Role: Storage Specialist (note: you may need to map to appropriate NICE Work Role); KSAs: K0142., S0088, A0062
9. Monitoring and Logging
   1. Foundational: Implement native monitoring tools (e.g., AWS CloudWatch, Azure Monitor, GCP Cloud Monitoring) to collect metrics, set alerts and visualize system health
   2.  Intermediate: Configure auditing and compliance logging (e.g., AWS CloudTrail, Azure Activity Logs, GCP Audit Logs) across clouds and aggregate into a centralized log platform 
   3. Advanced: Analyze logs and metric data for anomalies and incident detection (machine-learning where appropriate), integrate with SOC workflows/SIEM, build dashboards and dashboards tailored for cloud operations Mapped Frameworks: DoD Role: Cyber Defense Analyst; NICE Role: CDA-01.(Cyber Defense Analyst); KSAs: K0155, S0099, A0070 10
10. Cost and Resource Optimization
    1. Foundational: Establish tagging and resource tracking across clouds, adopt naming conventions and resource hierarchies for accountability
    2. Intermediate: Use cost-analysis and billing tools (e.g., AWS Cost Explorer, Azure Cost Management, GCP Billing) to identify waste, rightsizing opportunities, and cost-driver
    3. Advanced: Forecast resource usage, budget impacts, implement show-back/charge-back models, and design governance mechanisms to enforce cost-effective architectures across clouds Mapped Frameworks: DoD Role: IT Investment Specialist; NICE Role: IT Program Auditor (or a suitable NICE role for cost/resource optimization); KSAs: K0168, S0105, A0078
11. Automated Deployments and CI/CD in Multi-Cloud
    1. Foundational: Create reusable machine images/custom images (e.g., AWS AMIs, Azure Managed Images, GCP Custom Images) for consistent deployment
    2. Intermediate: Develop Infrastructure-as-Code templates (CloudFormation, ARM/Bicep, Deployment Manager) and version them in CI/CD pipelines for cloud deployments
    3. Advanced: Integrate full CI/CD pipelines (Git, build system, test, deploy) for multi-cloud, multi-region automated deployments, with rollback, blue-green/Canary patterns, and continuous delivery Mapped Frameworks: DoD Role: Systems Developer; NICE Role: DEV-05 (Software Developer); KSAs: K0180, S0112., A0085