Define cloud computing and explain essential characteristics, history, the business case for cloud, and the emerging technologies enabled by cloud

Describe the cloud service models- IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and cloud deployment models- Public, Private, Hybrid; explain cloud infrastructure components

Explain emerging Cloud related trends including HybridMulticloud, Microservices, Serverless, Cloud Native, DevOps, and Application Modernization

List and describe services of popular cloud platforms including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, and others

Adopt the 5 practices of Agile, a subset of DevOps: small batches, minimum viable product, pair programming, behavior- and test-driven development.

Write good user stories, estimate and assign story points and track stories using a kanban board. Incorporate Scrum artifacts, events, and benefits.

Create and refine a product backlog using the sprint planning process. Produce potentially shippable product increments with every iteration.

Create burndown charts to forecast the ability to meet a sprint goal. Use metrics to enhance performance, productivity, and client satisfaction.

Explain the principles of software engineering, the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), and software development tools, technologies, and stacks

Differentiate between programming language types and apply basic programming constructs such as loops, conditionals, and functions using Python

Summarize key software architecture and design approaches, including common architectural and deployment patterns

Outline the roles, skills, and career paths in software engineering

Describe version control and its place in social and collaborative coding and in DevOps.

Explain basic Git concepts such as repositories and branches used for distributed version control and social coding.

Create GitHub repositories and branches, and perform pull requests (PRs) and merge operations, to collaborate on a team project.

Build your portfolio by creating and sharing an open-source project on GitHub.

Describe the Linux architecture and common Linux distributions and update and install software on a Linux system.

Perform common informational, file, content, navigational, compression, and networking commands in Bash shell.

Develop shell scripts using Linux commands, environment variables, pipes, and filters.

Schedule cron jobs in Linux with crontab and explain the cron syntax. 

Develop a foundational understanding of Python programming by learning basic syntax, data types, expressions, variables, and string operations.

Apply Python programming logic using data structures, conditions and branching, loops, functions, exception handling, objects, and classes.

Demonstrate proficiency in using Python libraries such as Pandas and Numpy and developing code using Jupyter Notebooks.

Access and extract web-based data by working with REST APIs using requests and performing web scraping with BeautifulSoup.

Describe the steps and processes involved in creating a Python application including the application development lifecycle

Create Python modules, run unit tests, and package applications while ensuring the PEP8 coding best practices

Build and deploy web applications using Flask, including routing, error handling, and CRUD operations.

Create and deploy an AI-based application onto a web server using IBM Watson AI Libraries and Flask

Using containers, learn how to move applications quickly across any environment.

Build cloud native applications using Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift, and Istio.

Describe and leverage Kubernetes architecture to set up and use an entire lifecycle-based container management system.

Create and leverage a YAML deployment file to configure and create resources such as pods, services, replicasets, and others in a declarative way.

Summarize the fundamentals of Microservices, their advantages, and contrast with monolithic architectures.

Create REST API endpoints and invoke them using cURL and Postman; Use SwaggerUI to document and test APIs.

Create, and deploy microservices using Docker containers and serverless technologies like IBM Code Engine.

Practice hands-on with labs and projects using a no-charge cloud-based environment.

Explain the importance of testing 

Describe test-driven development (TDD) and explain its benefits for DevOps

Develop unit tests with test assertions and test fixtures and then run the tests

Improve unit testing through advanced TDD methods including coverage reports, factories, fakes, and mock objects

Explain Infrastructure as Code, describe tools used, and create Infrastructure as Code scripts using Terraform

Describe cloud platforms and automation, and automate CI/CD tasks using Jenkins and GitHub actions

Define Continuous Integration (CI) and list some examples of tools used for CI

Describe the process of Continuous Deployment (CD) with tools like OpenShift Pipelines and Argo CD

Explain security by design, learn to develop applications using security by design principles; perform defensive coding following OWASP principles.

Describe IBM cloud container vulnerability; perform vulnerability scanning and pen testing with Kali Linux.

Describe what to look for in app performance; perform troubleshooting using logging, stack trace, and log analytics.

Discuss concepts like Golden Signals; list tools for monitoring and troubleshooting; and test monitoring in action with Prometheus and Grafana.

Explain the importance of monitoring and describe concepts like Golden Signals

Demonstrate your knowledge of observability with Instana and explain the pillars of observability, cloud native observability, and types of sampling

Implement logging and demonstrate your knowledge of telemetry using OpenTelemetry and tracing using Kubernetes

Develop hands-on experience with a variety of tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, Mezmo (LogDNA), OpenTelemetry, and Instana

Identify user requirements, write user stories, create and execute sprint plans.

Build an application composed of several microservices and employ containers and serverless for running apps in Cloud.

Develop test cases and test your app during various stages of its lifecycle; utilize CI/CD tools to update and deploy your app.

List several next steps for starting or enhancing your career as a DevOps professional.