Overview

Google defines cloud computing as “the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer.” Today, the DoD and all of the military services are racing to the cloud to reap the benefits of cost savings, increased speed and agility, and access to advanced computational resources for complex data applications. This short course provides a high-level introduction to the core ideas of cloud computing, as well as the related field of high performance computing, with a particular focus on how these tools can be used for defense applications. The course will explore a sample case study of building and sharing a web dashboard application, allowing students to walk away with a practical understanding of how any DoD organization, big or small, can use these powerful resources to help their mission.

Learning Outcomes

After successfully completing this short course, you will:

1. Be able to articulate the key features, benefits, and services offered by cloud computing providers.
2. Gain practical hands-on experience on common cloud computing platforms including Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.
3. Learn how to price and procure cloud computing resources to help with your own mission.
4. Understand how to use the DoD’s High Performance Computing platform, why they are useful, and what makes these remote supercomputing resources different from other remote computing services.
5. Learn how to build and deploy web-based data visualization dashboards that can be shared within your DoD organization.