Securing GCP Services – Best Practices & Implementations Step by Step
This course, Google Cloud Security Best Practices, is an in-depth, practical guide designed for cloud professionals, security engineers, architects, system administrators, and compliance officers who want to secure their workloads on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). As cloud environments grow increasingly complex, adopting a proactive and structured security posture is no longer optional—it is essential. This course equips learners with both the conceptual understanding and the technical implementation skills needed to build, manage, and scale secure cloud environments in GCP.
What you’ll learn
- Best Practices for Google Cloud Security.
- Understand the Shared Responsibility Model in Google Cloud and how to divide security responsibilities between Google and the customer..
- Identify and use key GCP security services such as Cloud IAM, Cloud KMS, Cloud Audit Logs, and VPC Service Controls to protect infrastructure and data..
- Apply core security foundations across Identity, Network, Data, and Operations within the GCP environment..
- Implement least privilege access, zero trust architecture, and defense-in-depth strategies for securing cloud workloads..
- Configure and enforce IAM policies to prevent access from personal accounts and limit access to only approved users and groups..
- Set up and manage Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and enforce security key usage for privileged admin accounts..
- Disable risky practices like project-wide SSH keys, IP forwarding, and serial port access on VM instances..
- Safeguard service account usage by avoiding default and user-managed keys, limiting their scope, and implementing custom roles with least privileges..
- Rotate KMS encryption keys automatically and secure data stored in Cloud Storage by enabling uniform bucket-level access and preventing public access..
- Configure VPC Flow Logs for network traffic monitoring and detect anomalous behavior across subnets..
- Use Cloud Audit Logging to capture administrative and data access activities, and set up log sinks and retention policies for compliance..
- Enforce HTTPS on App Engine, require SSL connections to Cloud SQL, and restrict public IP access to GCP services..
- Set up automated backups for Cloud SQL instances and ensure BigQuery datasets are never unintentionally shared publicly..
- Gain hands-on experience with CLI and Console-based implementation steps for all best practices covered..
- Build a secure, compliant, and scalable Google Cloud environment aligned with global security and privacy standards like ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, and CIS Benchmarks..
Course Content
- Introduction –> 4 lectures • 15min.
- Ensure that IAM policies do not grant access to personal email accounts. –> 2 lectures • 4min.
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for All User Accounts –> 2 lectures • 5min.
- Enforcing Security Key Usage for Admin Accounts –> 2 lectures • 6min.
- Preventing the Use of User-Managed Service Account Keys –> 2 lectures • 4min.
- Restricting Service Account Permissions –> 2 lectures • 4min.
- Rotate KMS Encryption Keys Regularly –> 2 lectures • 3min.
- Preventing Public Access to Cloud Storage Buckets –> 2 lectures • 4min.
- Enable Uniform Bucket-Level Access –> 2 lectures • 6min.
- Enable VPC Flow Logs for Subnets –> 2 lectures • 5min.
- Block Project-Wide SSH Keys –> 2 lectures • 5min.
- Disabling Serial Port Access for VM Instances –> 2 lectures • 5min.
- Avoid Using Default Service Accounts –> 2 lectures • 5min.
- Limiting API Access for Service Accounts –> 2 lectures • 6min.
- Enabling OS Login for VM Instances –> 2 lectures • 5min.
- Enabling Cloud Audit Logging –> 2 lectures • 5min.
- Configuring Log Sinks for All Log Entries –> 2 lectures • 5min.
- Setting Retention Policies on Log Buckets –> 2 lectures • 5min.
- Enforcing HTTPS for App Engine Applications –> 2 lectures • 6min.
- Require SSL for Cloud SQL Connections –> 2 lectures • 5min.
- Restricting Public IP Access to Cloud SQL Instances –> 2 lectures • 5min.
- Enabling Automated Backups for Cloud SQL –> 2 lectures • 5min.
- Preventing Public Access to BigQuery Datasets –> 2 lectures • 5min.
- Disabling IP Forwarding on VM Instances –> 2 lectures • 4min.
Requirements
This course, Google Cloud Security Best Practices, is an in-depth, practical guide designed for cloud professionals, security engineers, architects, system administrators, and compliance officers who want to secure their workloads on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). As cloud environments grow increasingly complex, adopting a proactive and structured security posture is no longer optional—it is essential. This course equips learners with both the conceptual understanding and the technical implementation skills needed to build, manage, and scale secure cloud environments in GCP.
We begin by demystifying the Shared Responsibility Model in GCP, establishing a clear understanding of which security controls are managed by Google and which fall under the customer’s responsibility. This is followed by an overview of GCP’s native security services, such as Cloud IAM, Cloud KMS, VPC Service Controls, Cloud Audit Logging, and Security Command Center, each designed to strengthen different aspects of the cloud security architecture.
The course dives deep into the foundational pillars of cloud security—Identity, Network, Data, and Operations—and teaches how to apply key principles like least privilege, defense in depth, and zero trust across GCP services. Students will gain hands-on knowledge through modules that include ensuring IAM policies don’t allow access to personal email accounts, enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA), enforcing security keys for admin accounts, and preventing the use of user-managed service account keys.
We also cover crucial topics such as service account permission restriction, automated KMS key rotation, and preventing public access to Cloud Storage and BigQuery datasets. Network-level best practices include enabling VPC Flow Logs, blocking project-wide SSH keys, and disabling serial port and IP forwarding on VM instances. Additionally, students will learn how to enable OS Login for centralized SSH access, configure Cloud Audit Logs, set up log sinks, and define log retention policies.
Data protection topics cover enforcing HTTPS for App Engine, requiring SSL for Cloud SQL, restricting public IP access, and enabling automated backups to safeguard against data loss. Each module includes clear implementation steps, ensuring students can directly apply what they learn using the GCP Console or gcloud CLI.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to design and maintain a secure GCP environment that aligns with modern cloud security frameworks and compliance standards such as CIS Benchmarks, ISO 27001, NIST 800-53, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA. This course is essential for any team seeking to operationalize security at scale within GCP.