Hello and welcome to this course. This is an introductory course designed to provide an overview of AWS Direct Connect, why it's needed, and basic architectural concepts. My name is David Ball and I'm an AWS Content Creator for Cloud Academy. Feel free to connect with me to ask any questions using the details shown on the screen. Alternatively, you can always get in touch with us here at Cloud Academy by sending an email to support@cloudacademy.com, where one of our cloud experts will reply to your question. 

The information set out in this course has been designed for those who may be in one of the following roles: AWS Administrators, AWS Architects, Network Engineers, Network Architects, and anyone who is looking to increase their knowledge of Direct Connect in preparation for an AWS certification exam. By the end of this course, you will have a greater understanding of what AWS Direct Connect is and why it's needed, AWS Direct Connect architecture and prerequisites, and how AWS Direct Connect is built. 

In taking this course, it would be beneficial to have a basic understanding of AWS networking components and principles, especially in regard to connecting an on-prem data center to an AWS environment. It would also be advantageous if you had some basic hands-on experience of AWS and some of its core services, but it is not essential. Feedback on our courses here at Cloud Academy is valuable to both us as trainers and any students looking to take the same course in the future. If you have any feedback, positive or negative, it would be greatly appreciated if you could contact support@cloudacademy.com. Please note that at the time of writing this content, all course information was accurate.

However, AWS implements hundreds of updates every month as part of its ongoing drive to innovate and enhance its services. As a result, minor discrepancies may appear in the course content over time. Here at Cloud Academy, we strive to keep our content up to date in order to provide the best training possible. So, if you notice any information that is outdated, please contact support@cloudacademy.com. This will allow us to update the course during its next release cycle. Thank you.