Module 1
Module 1
AWS Ecosystem:
Amazon Web Services, or AWS for short, is a comprehensive cloud computing platform offered by Amazon. It provides a vast
array of on-demand services that cater to everything from computing power and storage to databases and analytics. In
essence, AWS allows individuals and organizations to access computing resources without the need to invest in physical
hardware and infrastructure.
CloudTrail
Purpose: Tracks API calls made to AWS services.
Functionality: Records information about the identity of the user who made the call, the
time of the call, the source IP address, and the request parameters and response
elements.
Use Cases:
Auditing and compliance: Logs API calls for security and regulatory purposes.
Troubleshooting: Helps identify the root cause of issues by analyzing API call history.
Cost analysis: Tracks resource usage and billing information.
CloudWatch
Purpose: Monitors AWS resources and custom metrics.
Functionality: Collects, processes, and analyzes metrics from EC2 instances, S3 buckets,
RDS instances, and other AWS resources. It also allows you to create custom metrics to
track specific application performance indicators.
Use Cases:
Application monitoring: Tracks performance metrics like CPU utilization, memory
usage, and response times.
System monitoring: Monitors the health and performance of AWS resources.
Alerting: Sets up alarms to notify you when metrics exceed thresholds.
In Summary
CloudTrail focuses on logging and auditing API calls made to AWS services.
CloudWatch focuses on monitoring and alerting on AWS resources and custom metrics.
The AWS ecosystem is built on a foundation of several core principles that guide its design
and operation. These principles ensure scalability, flexibility, reliability, and cost-
effectiveness for customers. Here are some of the key principles that underpin AWS:
AWS offers a comprehensive suite of security services to protect your cloud workloads. Here
are some of the key features:
Centralized management: Control access to AWS resources and manage user identities.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Add an extra layer of security to user accounts.
Role-based access control (RBAC): Grant permissions based on a user's role or job
function.
Single sign-on (SSO): Integrate with existing identity providers for seamless user
authentication.
Encryption:
Key Management Service (KMS): Generate, store, and manage cryptographic keys.
Data encryption: Encrypt data at rest and in transit.
Server-side encryption: Encrypt data stored in S3, EBS, and other services.
Client-side encryption: Encrypt data before uploading it to AWS.
Network Security:
Virtual Private Cloud (VPC): Create isolated virtual networks within AWS.
Security Groups: Control inbound and outbound traffic to EC2 instances.
Network Access Control Lists (NACLs): Control traffic at the subnet level.
Web Application Firewall (WAF): Protect web applications from common web attacks.
Compliance:
Compliance certifications: AWS meets various industry and regulatory standards (e.g.,
HIPAA, PCI DSS, ISO 27001).
Audit reports: Provide evidence of compliance with AWS security controls.
Shared responsibility model: Clearly defines the security responsibilities between AWS
and the customer.
Additional Features:
AWS Identity Federation (AWS IAM Federation): Integrate with on-premises identity
providers.
AWS Directory Service: Manage user directories and authentication.
AWS Artifact: Access AWS audit reports and certifications.
AWS Config: Track changes to AWS resources and enforce compliance.
5)Discuss the services which are used to manage the hardware and key
management services?
AWS offers several services that are used to manage hardware and key management services:
Hardware Management:
EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud): This is the primary service for managing virtual servers in
AWS. It allows you to launch instances with various hardware configurations, including
CPU, memory, storage, and networking options. You can also manage these instances
using tools like AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or AWS SDKs.
EBS (Elastic Block Store): This service provides block-level storage volumes that can be
attached to EC2 instances. You can create and manage EBS volumes with different
performance characteristics, such as General Purpose SSD (gp2), Provisioned IOPS SSD
(io2), and Magnetic.
S3 (Simple Storage Service): This is an object storage service that can be used to store
and manage large amounts of data. While it's not directly for hardware management, it's
often used in conjunction with other AWS services to store data associated with
hardware configurations and management.
AWS KMS (Key Management Service): This service provides a managed service for
creating, storing, and managing cryptographic keys. You can use KMS to encrypt data at
rest and in transit, and to protect sensitive data.
CloudHSM (Hardware Security Module): This is a managed service that provides a
dedicated HSM appliance for generating, storing, and managing cryptographic keys.
CloudHSM is a more secure option than KMS for highly sensitive data.
These services work together to provide a comprehensive solution for managing hardware
and key management in AWS.
The shared security model in AWS outlines the responsibilities of both AWS and the customer
in ensuring the security of cloud-based resources. While AWS is responsible for the security
of the cloud, the customer is responsible for the security in the cloud.
Network Security:
Data Security:
Data encryption: Encrypt data at rest and in transit using KMS or other encryption
methods.
Data classification: Classify data based on sensitivity and implement appropriate
security measures.
Data retention: Implement data retention policies to comply with regulations and best
practices.
Patch Management:
Operating system patches: Keep operating systems and applications up-to-date with the
latest security patches.
Custom applications: Patch custom applications to address vulnerabilities.
Incident Response:
Compliance:
Regulations: Understand and comply with relevant regulations (e.g., HIPAA, PCI DSS,
GDPR).
Certifications: Consider obtaining certifications to demonstrate compliance.