Cloud Security Fundamentals — IAM, VPCs, and Least Privilege

In a traditional data center, security has a physical dimension. There is a door with a lock. There is a firewall at the network edge. You know exactly who has access because you can see them walk in.

In the cloud, there are no doors. Your infrastructure is accessible from anywhere on the internet by default. Security becomes entirely about configuration — identity policies, network rules, encryption settings. A single misconfigured permission can expose your entire database to the public internet. A forgotten security group rule can open a backdoor that automated scanners find within hours.

Cloud security is not a feature you bolt on after deployment. It is a set of practices woven into every resource you create. This lesson covers the three pillars: identity (who can do what), network