ACE-Associate study plan
ACE-Associate · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Set up a cloud solution environment
Create a billing account and link a new project to it
Provision a VPC network with two subnets across regions
Configure firewall rules to allow and deny specific traffic
Deploy a Compute Engine instance with a startup script
Your checkpoint
A written runbook documenting the project, network, firewall, and instance you created, with screenshots replaced by command output pasted into the doc
Set up a cloud solution environment & Plan and implement a cloud solution
Set up IAM roles and service accounts for a multi-tier app
Deploy a managed database and connect an app instance to it
Configure a load balancer in front of two instances
Write a design note comparing managed vs. self-managed options
Your checkpoint
A one-page architecture diagram plus a cost estimate table for the deployed stack
Plan and implement a cloud solution
Choose storage classes for three given workload scenarios and justify each
Implement a lifecycle policy on a bucket
Design a backup and retention scheme for a database
Estimate monthly cost for two competing designs
Your checkpoint
A decision memo that recommends one design, lists tradeoffs, and includes a cost comparison
Plan and implement a cloud solution & Ensure the successful operation of a cloud solution
Automate deployment of the week-2 stack with a repeatable script or template
Set up monitoring dashboards and alerting policies for CPU, disk, and error rates
Configure log-based alerts for application errors
Tear down and redeploy the stack from scratch using only your automation
Your checkpoint
A redeploy from zero to working stack completed in under 30 minutes, with a log of each step and timing
Ensure the successful operation of a cloud solution
Diagnose and fix a simulated instance connectivity failure
Configure autoscaling and verify scale-up and scale-down behavior under load
Set up budget alerts and a quota monitoring check
Write an incident response checklist for common failure modes
Your checkpoint
An incident report for the simulated failure, including symptom, root cause, fix, and prevention step
Configure access and security
Design least-privilege roles for three personas in a sample org
Configure organization policies that restrict public bucket access
Enable and interpret audit logs for a privileged action
Test that an over-permissioned account is denied after remediation
Your checkpoint
A permissions matrix mapping each persona to roles, with a before/after test result showing the denied action
Configure access and security & Ensure the successful operation of a cloud solution
Implement encryption and key management for stored data
Set up a security review of your week-2 stack and remediate findings
Configure network segmentation to isolate a sensitive subnet
Document a break-glass access procedure
Your checkpoint
A remediation log listing each finding, the fix applied, and verification evidence
Set up a cloud solution environment & Plan and implement a cloud solution & Ensure the successful operation of a cloud solution & Configure access and security
Complete a timed end-to-end scenario covering all four domains
Review every missed item and redo the underlying hands-on task
Rebuild the full stack from documentation alone
Write a personal weak-spot list with a follow-up action for each
Your checkpoint
A full end-to-end build completed within the time limit plus a scored self-assessment across all four domains
Milestones
Week 2: Can deploy a working multi-tier app from memory in a fresh project
Week 4: Can redeploy the full stack from automation alone and explain every component's purpose
Week 6: Can justify each IAM role assigned and demonstrate a denied over-permissioned action
Week 8: Scores at least 80% on the timed end-to-end scenario and has a written remediation plan for every miss