Are you interested in learning more about cloud security but don't want to break the bank?

Luckily for you, there's a plethora of free online courses available. They can be a great way of testing the waters to see if you want to commit to a paid course – or of refreshing or consolidating your knowledge.

So join us as we whizz through 10 free resources you can use online.

1. National Cyber Security Centre guidance

The NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre) is a British organisation that launched in October 2016. Its mission is to provide "a single point of contact for SMEs, larger organisations, government agencies, the general public and departments".

As part of this mission, it provides practical guidance that's available free of charge on its website. Geared towards organisations, this guidance covers the basics of cloud services and cloud security principles, along with advice on choosing a cloud provider.

It's worth noting that this guidance is text-only, so auditory and visual learners may want to look elsewhere.

2. The Law Society

A more industry-specific resource is that provided by the Law Society. This is the professional body that represents solicitors in England and Wales.

Its guidance is aimed at "any person at a law firm […] looking to procure cloud computing services on behalf of their firm and all solicitors using or planning to use cloud computing services".

As well as breaking down the basics of cloud services, it runs through security risks including data protection and information security. It also provides information about compliance – not just the Data Protection Act (2018) but also the international standard ISO/IEC 27001.

As with the NCSC guidance, this is currently available only in text form.

3. Simplilearn

Simplilearn is an online boot camp and certification platform. Its seven-hour "Introduction to Cloud Security" course is billed as "ideal for anyone looking to build a career as a cloud security professional".

Consisting of articles and YouTube videos on cloud computing, it aims to give you a primer in the fundamentals of cloud security. It covers information security risks and data security strategies, broken into the following topics:

• Cloud computing
• Cloud architecture
• Risk management
• Disaster recovery
• Business continuity
• Threat modelling
• Encryption
• Identity and access management

Once enrolled, you can access the course for 90 days.

4. edX

edX is an organisation that partners with universities and other organisations to provide massive open online courses (MOOCs).

Its "Cloud Computing Security" course focuses on the identification of cloud security issues and techniques and procedures to mitigate them. It promotes industry best practices and includes case studies and government documentation in its learning materials.

The course is free of charge. However, if you want to be graded or to receive a certificate on completion, you have to pay for the "verified track".

5. CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency)

The CISA is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Its role is to bolster cybersecurity and infrastructure security against hackers of all stripes.

One of its initiatives is to offer free courses to the general public. It offers a range of short courses at different skill levels, which you can fit around your schedule.

Relevant free courses from CISA include "Cloud Computing Security" (two-and-a-half hours), "Cloud Security – What Leaders Need to Know" (one hour) and "Foundations of Cybersecurity for Managers" (two hours).

These are video presentations accompanied by downloadable PDFs.

6. Class Central

Online learning site Class Central hosts a "Cloud Computing Security" course presented by the University of Colorado. It's a 12-hour course spread over four weeks, available in Arabic, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

This course for beginners focuses on AWS (Amazon Web Services). AWS is one of the biggest public cloud providers in the world – and it provides its own training courses if you're really serious about becoming a cloud engineer or architect.

Much of it concerns the basics of the AWS cloud computing platform, but it also covers "best practice in cloud security".

7. The Open University

The Open University charges for its courses – but you can sample its materials free of charge. You can also join in discussions about your self-learning.

Its "Introduction to Cyber Security" walks you through the threat landscape and gives guidance on how to improve network security and protect data. It also covers legal and regulatory issues in the cybersecurity field.

8. Cyber Aces

Cyber Aces is a course provided by SANS – a cooperative for "information security thought leadership". SANS has been providing training and certifications for cyber professionals since 1989.

The free course in question is a series of cybersecurity training modules. You can learn "the core concepts needed to assess and protect information security systems" at your own pace through a combination of tutorials and videos.

The course is aimed at anyone who wants to strengthen their existing knowledge. It has been used by a range of participants – from high school students to military veterans, from job seekers to career changers.

9. Cybrary

Cybrary offers online training programmes aimed at cybersecurity professionals. It offers video lessons, assessments and certifications. While you have to pay to unlock all its features, there's an option to begin learning free of charge.

10. AWS

At the time of writing, the biggest public cloud providers are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Together, they make up around 65% of the global market share.

They all offer a range of free learning tools. If you decide to specialise in one particular provider, these skill-building resources can be invaluable.

So there you have it. Whichever route you take, we wish you a fun and productive learning experience!

Ascend is a team of cloud experts with more than 400 successful migrations and counting. If you'd like to learn more about our cloud solutions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.