Elastic Google Cloud Infrastructure: Scaling and Automation Course Syllabus

Overview: This accelerated course provides a practical, lab-driven exploration of scalable and automated infrastructure on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Designed for practicing IT and cloud professionals, it covers core topics including network interconnectivity, load balancing, autoscaling, infrastructure automation, and managed services. With approximately 7–10 hours of total effort, learners gain hands-on experience essential for modern DevOps and cloud engineering roles. Modules are tightly scoped to deliver actionable skills quickly, with guided labs reinforcing real-world application.

Module 1: Introduction

Estimated time: 0.2 hours

• Course overview and learning objectives
• Program context and target audience
• Navigating course structure and expectations

Module 2: Interconnecting Networks

Estimated time: 2 hours

• Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) and subnetworks
• Configuring VPNs for hybrid connectivity
• Implementing firewall rules
• Securely connecting on-premises infrastructure to Google Cloud

Module 3: Load Balancing & Autoscaling

Estimated time: 2.5 hours

• Internal and external load balancers
• Setting up health checks and backend services
• Managing managed instance groups
• Configuring autoscaling policies based on load

Module 4: Infrastructure Automation

Estimated time: 2.5 hours

• Introduction to Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• Automating deployments with Deployment Manager
• Scripting resource provisioning using gcloud CLI
• Best practices for repeatable infrastructure configurations

Module 5: Managed Services

Estimated time: 2 hours

• Overview of Google Cloud managed services
• Deploying Cloud SQL and Cloud Storage
• Integrating managed services into infrastructure workflows
• Automation of managed service provisioning

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with basic Google Cloud concepts and services
• Experience with cloud computing fundamentals
• Basic understanding of networking and command-line tools

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Securely interconnect on-premises environments with Google Cloud networks
• Configure and manage load balancing and autoscaling for Compute Engine instances
• Automate infrastructure deployment using IaC and scripting techniques
• Utilize and provision managed Google Cloud services programmatically
• Design scalable, automated cloud architectures aligned with DevOps practices