Preparing for Your Professional Cloud Architect Engineer Journey («GCPPCA»)

Learners explore the breadth and scope of the domains covered in the exam. Learners assess their exam readiness and create their individual study plan.

0 Introduction to the Professional Cloud Architect Certification

• Role of a Professional Cloud Architect and scenario introduction*
• Certification value and benefits
• Certification process
• Describe the purpose and benefits of the PCA certification.
• Explain the certification process

1 Designing and planning a cloud solution architecture
Scenario: Defining initial technical and business design considerations for Cymbal’s migration to a cloud solution

• Identify considerations involved in designing solution infrastructure that meets business and technical requirements
• Describe options for designing network, storage, and compute resources leveraging Google Cloud
• Explain the elements of a migration plan
• Recognize the potential for future solution improvements
• Determine the skills you need to develop in order to design and plan solution architecture leveraging Google Cloud

2 Managing and provisioning a solution infrastructure
Scenario: Provisioning and deploying the cloud solution per Cymbal’s requirements

• Identify considerations involved in configuring network topologies, individual storage systems, and compute systems
• Determine the skills you need to develop in order to manage and provision solution infrastructure

3 Designing for security and compliance
Scenario: Identifying the security and compliance considerations pertinent to Cymbal’s cloud solution

• Explain recommended design practices to ensure security across a cloud solution
• Recognize aspects of designing for compliance
• Determine the skills you need to develop in order to apply Google’s recommended approach to designing for security and compliance

4 Analyzing and optimizing technical and business processes
Scenario: Analyze costs, KPIs, etc. and identify opportunities for optimization 

• Describe the technical and business processes involved in solution production
• Identify ways to optimize processes and develop procedures to ensure reliability of solutions in production
• Determine the skills you need to develop to optimize technical and business processes involved in producing a cloud solution

5 Managing implementation/Ensuring solution operations and reliability
Scenario: How the PCA helps establish best practices for Cymbal’s solution deployment and ongoing operations

• Describe best practices for development and operations teams to ensure successful solution deployment
• Explain methods to interact with Google Cloud programmatically
• Explain methodologies for managing configuration and code updates and tools available for monitoring and analyzing KPIs

6 Your Next Steps

• Learn how to break down a case study to pinpoint business and technical requirements, and find differentiators
• Finalizing your study plan
• Creating a weekly study sheet
• Registering for the exam
• Create a personalized study plan
• Review next steps

Cloud professionals who intend to take the Professional Cloud Architect certification exam

To get the most out of this course, participants should have 3+ years of industry experience including 1+ years designing and managing solutions using Google Cloud.

Products

• Google Cloud Armor 
• Cloud CDN 
• Cloud Console
• Cloud DNS
• IAM
• Cloud Interconnect
• Cloud Load Balancing
• Cloud Shell
• Network Service Tiers
• Networking
• Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

Not covered
This course is not an exam “cram session.” It doesn’t by itself prepare you to take the exam. It is a tool to help prospective exam candidates better understand the Professional Cloud Architect certification and find any gaps in their knowledge, so that they can create a personalized study plan to remedy those areas.