AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) Video Training

Product Overview

Do you want to launch into a career as an AWS solutions architect? Mike Meyers and the Total Seminars team bring you this SAA-C03 video training course with expert Tom Carpenter. It delivers 20+ hours of instruction covering the essentials of the AWS solutions architect role.

First, you get an orientation to AWS and the exam, plus AWS Essentials training for anyone who needs the fundamentals. Then you work through storage design, the Virtual Private Cloud, and compute services. After that, you cover identity and access management, auto scaling, application deployment, and databases.

Finally, you round out the service catalog and learn operational excellence practices. Every chapter maps to a competency the exam actually tests. So you build architecture skills you can use at work, not just answers you can recall. Start designing on AWS today.

• Applies to the current AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) exam
• Includes 20+ hours of expert video training
• Covers 16 chapters and 165 video lessons, including a Getting Started section of 15 lessons
• Includes AWS Essentials training, the exam guide PDF, and episode notes
• Single-user license — access via the Total Seminars Training Hub
• Compatible with all devices and browsers — no special software required

Certification Alignment

This course maps directly to all four official SAA-C03 exam domains. The exam breaks down as follows.

• Design Secure Architectures (30%) — identity and access management, security controls, and data protection across AWS workloads
• Design Resilient Architectures (26%) — scalable, loosely coupled, and highly available solutions using AWS services
• Design High-Performing Architectures (24%) — storage, compute, database, and network solutions optimized for performance
• Design Cost-Optimized Architectures (20%) — cost-effective storage, compute, database, and network solutions

SAA-C03 remains the current version of this exam. Therefore, every chapter targets its published objectives, and the course closes with an exam update video.

Career Impact

Solutions architect is one of the most in-demand cloud roles. Therefore, this associate-level certification carries real weight with employers.

• Prepares you for roles such as Solutions Architect, Cloud Engineer, and Cloud Consultant
• Also fits DevOps Engineers and systems administrators moving into cloud infrastructure
• Validates design skills across security, resilience, performance, and cost — not just service trivia
• Leads naturally to AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional and the Security Specialty

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you can do the following.

• Design secure, resilient, high-performing, and cost-optimized architectures on AWS.
• Configure IAM users, roles, and policies following least-privilege best practices.
• Build a Virtual Private Cloud, including subnets, gateways, and security groups.
• Select and deploy the right storage services, such as S3, EBS, EFS, and FSx.
• Launch, manage, and scale EC2 compute resources with Auto Scaling and load balancing.
• Design database solutions using RDS, Aurora, Redshift, and DynamoDB.
• Deploy serverless and application services, then monitor them with CloudWatch and CloudTrail.

Prerequisites

AWS recommends at least one year of hands-on experience designing cloud solutions with AWS services. However, that is a recommendation rather than a requirement. Candidates with one to three years of general IT experience regularly use this certification as their starting point.

This course suits existing cloud practitioners who want to formalize their skills, and IT professionals moving into architecture. It also includes AWS Essentials training, so you can refresh core concepts before the exam-level content. If you have no IT experience at all, consider AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner first.

About the Experts

Course Outline

This course runs 16 chapters and 165 video lessons, including a Getting Started section of 15 lessons. Together, they cover all four SAA-C03 exam domains. The chapters below appear in five groups.

Getting Started, AWS Services, and Storage

First, an orientation to AWS and the exam itself. Then you tour the core AWS services and work through storage design in depth.

Getting Started: About AWS and the Exam — 15 lessons

• Introduction to the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Video Course
• What is AWS?
• Why Use AWS?
• How to Get Started with AWS
• AWS Certifications
• Preperation Resources
• Benefits of Certification
• AWS CSA-A Overview
• AWS CSA-A Exam Objectives
• The Four Key Areas (Compute, Networking, Storage, and Databases)
• Master the Knowledge Areas
• Use the System
• Take Notes
• Be Mentally and Physically Prepared
• Take the Exam

Chapter 1: AWS Cloud Services Overview — 9 lessons

• Cloud Computing Defined
• Benefits of Cloud Computing
• Cloud Computing Models
• History
• Platform
• Services, Part 1
• Services, Part 2
• Security and Compliance
• Regions and Availability

Chapter 2: AWS Storage Design — 21 lessons

• Storage Services
• S3 Storage Class
• S3 Terminology
• S3 Advanced Features
• Creating S3 Buckets Lab
• S3 Bucket Properties
• S3 Managing Objects Lab
• Glacier
• Setting up a Glacier Vault Lab
• S3 and Tape Gateway
• S3 Enhanced Features
• Elastic Block Store (EBS)
• Creating EBS Volumes Lab
• Elastic File System (EFS)
• Creating an EFS File System Lab
• EFS and PrivateLink
• Intro to Amazon FSx
• Hands-on with FSx
• Integrating on-Premises Storage
• Storage Access Security Lab
• Storage Performance

Networking and Compute Services

Next, you build the network your workloads live in. These chapters cover the Virtual Private Cloud, then compute design, implementation, and management.

Chapter 3: Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) — 12 lessons

• Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Overview
• Creating a VPC Lab
• Configuring DHCP Options Lab
• Elastic IP Addresses (EIPs)
• Elastic Network Interfaces (ENIs)
• Endpoints
• VPC Peering
• Creating a VPC Peering Connection Lab
• Security Groups Overview
• Network Address Translation (NAT)
• Gateways (VPGs and CGWs)
• VPN Configuration Options

Chapter 4: Compute Services Design — 4 lessons

• EC2 Overview
• EC2 Instance Types
• EC2 Pricing
• EBS and EC2

Chapter 5: Compute Services Implementation — 7 lessons

• Launching an EC2 Linux Instance Lab
• Configuring an EC2 Linux Instance Lab
• Setting up an EC2 Windows Instance Lab
• Shared Tenancy
• Dedicated Hosts
• Dedicated Instances
• AMI Virtualization

Chapter 6: Compute Services Management — 8 lessons

• Instance Management
• Connecting to Instances Lab
• Working with Security Groups
• Working with Security Groups Lab
• Advanced EC2 Management
• AWS Batch
• Elastic Container Service (ECS)
• Elastic Beanstalk Environment

Identity, Access, and Scaling

Security starts with identity. So these chapters cover IAM and its best practices, followed by auto scaling and virtual network services.

Chapter 7: Identity and Access Management (IAM) — 11 lessons

• Identity and Access Management (IAM) Overview
• Principles
• Root User
• Authentication
• Authorization Policies
• Multi-Factor Authentication
• Key Rotation
• Multiple Permissions
• AWS Compliance Program
• AWS Security Hub
• Shared Responsibility Model

Chapter 8: IAM Best Practices — 7 lessons

• User Accounts
• Password Policies
• Credential Rotation
• Principle of Least Privilege
• IAM Roles
• Policy Conditions
• CloudTrail

Chapter 9: Auto Scaling Solutions — 7 lessons

• Auto Scaling Overview
• Auto Scaling Groups
• Termination Policies
• Auto Scaling Configuration Lab
• Launch Methods
• Load Balancer Concepts
• Elastic Load Balancing (ELB)

Chapter 10: Virtual Network Services — 5 lessons

• DNS
• Configuring DNS Lab
• Configuring Route 53 Lab
• Configuring ACLs and NACLs Lab
• Flow Logs

Application Deployment and Databases

After that, you deploy real applications on AWS. You also design and deploy both relational and NoSQL database solutions.

Chapter 11: AWS Application Deployment — 21 lessons

• Application and Deployment Services
• Lambda
• API Gateway
• Kinesis
• Kinesis Data Streams and Firehose
• Kinesis Data Analytics
• Reference Architectures
• CloudFront
• Web Application Firewall (WAF)
• Simple Queue Service (SQS)
• Simple Notification Service (SNS)
• Simple Workflow (SWF)
• Step Functions
• OpsWorks
• Cognito
• Elastic MapReduce (EMR)
• CloudFormation
• CloudFormation Properties
• CloudWatch
• Trusted Advisor
• Organizations

Chapter 12: AWS Database Design — 9 lessons

• Database Types
• Relational Databases
• Database Hosting Methods
• High Availability Solutions
• Scalability Solutions
• Database Security
• Aurora
• Redshift
• DynamoDB

Chapter 13: Database Deployment — 7 lessons

• DynamoDB Tables Lab
• MySQL Lab
• Configuration Lab
• Backups Lab
• Restore Lab
• Snapshot Lab
• Monitoring Lab

Additional Services, Operations, and Exam Update

Finally, you round out the service catalog and learn operational excellence practices. The course closes with an exam update video covering recent SAA-C03 changes.

Chapter 14: Additional AWS Services — 10 lessons

• Media Content Delivery
• Desktop and Appstreaming
• ElastiCache
• Security Services Lab
• Analytics Engines
• Development Operations (DevOps)
• AWS Solutions
• AWS Transit Gateway
• AWS Backup
• AWS Cost Explorer

Chapter 15: Operational Excellence with AWS — 11 lessons

• The Operational Excellence Process
• Widget Makers Scenario
• Resilient Design
• Resilient Design Scenario
• Performant Design
• Performant Design Scenario
• Secure Design
• Secure Design Scenario
• Cost Optimization
• Cost Optimization Scenario
• General Best Practices

Chapter 16: AWS (SAA-C03) Exam Update — 1 lesson

• What’s New on the AWS Exam (SAA-C03)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is included in the AWS Solutions Architect – Associate course?

This course includes 20+ hours of expert video training across 16 chapters and 165 lessons, including a Getting Started section. You also get AWS Essentials training, the exam guide PDF, and episode notes. All content lives in the Total Seminars Training Hub.

How long do I have access to the course?

You have one year of access from the date of purchase.

What devices can I use to access the training?

Compatible with all devices and browsers — no special software required. In other words, you can watch on a laptop, tablet, or phone.

Is this course aligned to the latest AWS Solutions Architect exam version?

Yes. This course aligns to the current SAA-C03 exam objectives and covers all four domains. The course also includes an exam update video covering recent changes.

What is the SAA-C03 exam like?

The exam runs 130 minutes and contains 65 questions, either multiple choice or multiple response. You can take it at a Pearson VUE testing center or online with a proctor. The certification stays valid for three years.

What prior experience do I need?

AWS recommends about one year of hands-on experience designing AWS solutions. However, many candidates start with one to three years of general IT experience. The included AWS Essentials training covers the fundamentals first.

Can I use this course for classroom or multi-user training?

Single-user licenses cover individual use only. Therefore, they are not valid for classroom instruction. For volume licensing, call 877-687-2768 for discounted multi-user pricing.

What happens after I purchase?

You’ll receive an order confirmation email immediately. A second email then arrives with your Total Seminars Training Hub login. Most customers get access within minutes. If nothing arrives within 30 minutes, check your spam folder or contact support@totalsem.com.

Educators

Please call 877-687-2768 for discounted multi-user pricing. Single-user licenses are not valid for classroom use.

Order Process

After completing your purchase, you will receive:

• E-mail message confirming the order
• A second email with your login credentials for the Total Seminars Training Hub. You have one year of access from the date of purchase. Log in at hub.totalsem.com on any device — no download required. If nothing arrives within 30 minutes, check your spam folder or contact support@totalsem.com.