Learn how to secure your compute infrastructure by enforcing keyless, least-privilege VM identities and centralizing remote SSH access without public IP exposure. You will verify boot-level integrity against rootkits using Shielded VMs, and deploy Confidential VMs and Confidential Spaces to enforce memory-level encryption for secure multi-party collaboration.

Course introduction

Machine identity

Remote access perimeter

Shielded VMs

Confidential VMS

gsp2001-secure-virtual-machine-workloads-on-google-cloud

Secure Virtual Machine Workloads on Google Cloud

Course summary

Quiz: Security Best Practices in Google Cloud: Compute — Question 1

Quiz: Security Best Practices in Google Cloud: Compute — Question 2

Quiz: Security Best Practices in Google Cloud: Compute — Question 3

Quiz: Security Best Practices in Google Cloud: Compute — Question 4

Securing compute

This course equips you with the strategies to harden virtual machines and protect critical workloads in Google Cloud. By moving beyond traditional perimeter defenses, you explore how to secure the entire compute lifecycle, from boot to runtime.

<h2>Go Beyond Perimeter Defenses</h2>Firewalls alone can’t protect a virtual machine that’s been compromised at boot or misconfigured at runtime. This intermediate course shows you how to harden virtual machines and protect critical workloads in Google Cloud by securing every stage of the compute lifecycle.<br><br><h2>Harden Virtual Machines From Boot to Runtime</h2>You’ll learn how to use hardware-rooted integrity controls, such as Shielded VMs, to verify that your instances start in a trusted state. You’ll then explore how to keep workloads protected while they run, including identity-based access controls that replace broad network trust and reduce the risk of unauthorized access.<br><br><h2>Protect Critical Workloads</h2>Throughout the course, you’ll focus on practical strategies you can apply to real production environments. By the end, you’ll be able to build a hardened compute environment on Google Cloud, protect sensitive workloads from boot through runtime, and make compute security a built-in part of how you deploy virtual machines.

Manage Security in Google Cloud

Harden Google Cloud VMs and protect critical workloads across the compute lifecycle, from boot to runtime.

Secure Virtual Machine Workloads on Google Cloud

Security Best Practices in Google Cloud: Compute

Exercise instructions