CCP (WorldatWork Rewards Certifications) study plan
CCP · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Cloud Concepts and Architecture
Define the shared responsibility model and map which controls shift to the provider versus the customer for IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS offerings
Describe the core architectural pillars of cloud computing (on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, measured service) and give one concrete example of each
Compare at least four cloud deployment models (public, private, hybrid, community) and justify a deployment choice for three different workload scenarios
Explain the difference between vertical and horizontal scaling and identify which one a given workload description implies
Your checkpoint
A one-page comparison table of IaaS/PaaS/SaaS responsibility boundaries plus a written justification of deployment and scaling choices for three sample workloads
Cloud Concepts and Architecture
Sketch a reference architecture for a multi-tier web application using load balancers, application tier, and managed database, and label each component's role
Distinguish between availability zones, regions, and edge locations and explain how each affects fault tolerance and latency
Identify the trade-offs among availability, durability, and cost when selecting redundancy patterns
Explain the concept of loose coupling and asynchronous messaging and describe when to decouple components
Your checkpoint
A hand-drawn or text-described reference architecture diagram with annotations explaining fault domains, redundancy choices, and cost implications
Compute and Application Services
Compare virtual machines, containers, and serverless functions on startup time, scaling model, and operational overhead
Explain how a container orchestrator schedules workloads and what responsibilities remain with the operator
Describe how managed application platforms handle patching, scaling, and deployment slots
Select an appropriate compute service for four described workloads and defend each choice
Your checkpoint
A decision matrix mapping four sample workloads to compute options with a two-sentence rationale per row
Storage and Data Management
Differentiate block, file, and object storage and match each to at least two realistic use cases
Explain storage durability and availability guarantees and how replication strategy affects both
Describe lifecycle policies for tiering data from hot to cold to archive and the retrieval trade-offs involved
Explain how snapshots, versioning, and immutability support backup and ransomware recovery
Your checkpoint
A storage selection guide covering block, file, and object storage with a lifecycle policy example and a snapshot-based recovery plan
Networking and Connectivity
Describe how a virtual private network is segmented into subnets and how routing tables direct traffic between them
Explain the difference between security groups and network access control lists and the order in which they are evaluated
Compare site-to-site VPN and dedicated private connectivity on latency, cost, and setup effort
Explain how DNS resolution and content delivery networks reduce latency for global users
Your checkpoint
A network design document for a two-tier application with subnet layout, routing rules, and a justified connectivity choice for an on-premises link
Security, Identity, and Compliance
Explain the principle of least privilege and translate it into a concrete role or policy example
Describe identity federation and single sign-on flows and when to use them over local accounts
Identify the shared responsibility boundary for encryption at rest and in transit and describe key management options
List the categories of compliance evidence (audit logs, access reviews, configuration assessments) a customer must produce
Your checkpoint
A least-privilege access design for a three-person team with role definitions, federation approach, and an encryption and key management summary
Operations, Monitoring, and Reliability & Cost Management and Governance
Define service level objectives and explain how error budgets drive release decisions
Describe the purpose of centralized logging, metrics, and distributed tracing and what each reveals
Explain how tagging and cost allocation enable chargeback and identify common sources of cloud cost waste
Compare reserved capacity, savings plans, and spot or preemptible pricing on commitment and risk
Describe how budget alerts and policy guardrails prevent overspend
Your checkpoint
An operations and cost governance one-pager containing three example SLOs, a tagging standard, and a pricing strategy recommendation for a steady-state workload
Cloud Concepts and Architecture & Security, Identity, and Compliance & Cost Management and Governance
Re-derive the shared responsibility model from memory and check it against week one notes
Complete a timed 60-question mixed practice set and score at least 80 percent
Review every missed question and record the underlying concept rather than the question wording
Re-explain the three highest-weight domains aloud in under five minutes each
Your checkpoint
A scored practice exam log with a concept-level error list and a final one-page summary sheet of the top ten weak areas with corrections
Milestones
Week 2: Can explain the shared responsibility model and regional fault tolerance without notes, and correctly classify five unfamiliar workloads by deployment model
Week 4: Scores at least 75 percent on a self-made 20-question quiz covering domains 1 through 3 and can justify compute and storage choices in writing
Week 6: Can describe subnet routing, security group versus network ACL evaluation, and a least-privilege policy from memory
Week 8: Scores at least 80 percent on a timed 60-question mixed set and has a written remediation list for every missed concept