DAY_01 / SECTION_02 // FOUNDATION
MODULE READY
Reference architecture
A reference architecture is a template of how the pieces fit. Five areas show up across every cloud project — compute, data, security, operations, and AI/ML. Use them as a checklist when scoping or critiquing an integration.
AREA_01
ONLINE
memory
Compute & Apps
Where code runs
Modernization (containers, serverless), administrative services, high availability,
disaster recovery. The runtime layer of the architecture.
AREA_02
ONLINE
database
Data
Where state lives
Database (SQL, NoSQL), object storage, block & archive storage, media / CDN.
The system of record for everything else.
AREA_03
ONLINE
shield
Security
Who can do what
Identity (IAM), network (VPC), audit, key management. Day 1's deeper dive.
AREA_04
IDLE
settings_suggest
Operations
How it runs
DevOps · CI/CD · monitoring · alerting · cost management. Day 2 lives here.
AREA_05
STANDBY
psychology
Data + AI
What you do with it
Analytics · big data · data warehouse · AI/ML. The newer layer — increasingly
table-stakes for any modern cloud architecture.
// modernization · the six Rs
When teams say "modernize," they usually mean one of six things. Each step is more disruptive but more value. Most projects mix them — pick deliberately, not by reflex.
| R | What it is | When to pick |
|---|---|---|
| Retain | Leave it where it is, for now | Stable, low-priority, or truly hard to move |
| Retire | Turn it off | Nobody uses it, or replaced by something else |
| Rehost | Lift & shift to cloud VMs | Speed of migration matters more than gains |
| Replatform | Move with small targeted improvements | e.g. SQL Server → managed RDS |
| Refactor | Keep logic, change runtime | Monolith → containers, on-prem → serverless |
| Repurchase | Buy SaaS instead of building | Commodity functionality (CRM, email, …) |
help Knowledge Check
Question 1/1 An old SQL Server database is running on a beat-up box in the office closet. The team wants it on AWS by next quarter, with minimal app changes. Which 'R' fits best?
// pick one to verify
// explanation Replatform fits the constraint: minimal app changes (the SQL Server connection string is the only edit) but you gain managed backups, patching, HA. Rehost (A) is faster but keeps you operating the OS. Refactor (C) is over-scope for the quarter.