This three-week learning plan is designed to guide you from foundational understanding to confident mastery of the IBM S2000-023 IBM Cloud for Financial Services v2 Specialty exam. It combines structured content progression with proven learning methods, including the Pomodoro technique for focused study and spaced-repetition scheduling for long-term retention. The plan is organized around the exam’s six major knowledge areas, moving systematically from core cloud and compliance concepts to architectural design, implementation practices, and operational readiness. Through detailed daily tasks, scenario-based reasoning, and continuous consolidation, this study plan ensures that you not only memorize the material but also develop the ability to analyze, design, and evaluate regulated financial cloud solutions in real-world contexts.
Week 1 Study Plan
Focus Knowledge Points:
An Introduction to IBM Cloud for Financial Services
Components, Risk, and Compliance
Customer Workload Environment
Primary Learning Methods:
Pomodoro technique (25 minutes study, 5 minutes rest)
Spaced repetition review (Day 2, Day 4, Day 7, Day 14)
Week 1 Objective:
Develop a solid, foundational understanding of the IBM Cloud for Financial Services environment, including why it exists, how it integrates with regulatory needs, how the framework is structured, and how customer workloads are classified and analyzed for migration and architecture decisions.
Day 1 – An Introduction to IBM Cloud for Financial Services
Daily Goal:
Understand the purpose, positioning, core concepts, industry drivers, and baseline architectural options in IBM Cloud for Financial Services.
Content to Learn Today:
Purpose and Positioning
Key Concepts (Regulated Workloads, Controls Framework, Shared Responsibility Model)
Why Financial Institutions Need a Specialized Cloud
Main Architectural Options (VPC, Satellite, VMware Regulated Workloads)
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Learn the purpose and positioning of IBM Cloud for Financial Services.
Actions to complete:
Write a detailed explanation of what makes IBM Cloud for Financial Services an industry-specific public cloud, and how it differs from general-purpose public clouds.
Explain why financial workloads require strong security, regulatory alignment, resiliency, and strict data protection.
Describe the types of institutions and workloads IBM Cloud for Financial Services is designed for, including banking, payments, insurance, and other regulated workload categories.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand the three core concepts behind IBM Cloud for Financial Services.
Actions to complete:
Define “regulated workloads” in detail, including data types, regulatory considerations, and mission-critical characteristics.
Describe the IBM Cloud Framework for Financial Services as a controls framework: its purpose, how it supports compliance, and how it standardizes expectations.
Write a complete explanation of the shared responsibility model and identify responsibilities of IBM Cloud, clients, and ecosystem partners.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand industry motivations and architectural choices.
Actions to complete:
Explain in writing the regulatory pressures driving financial institutions toward specialized cloud environments, including outsourcing regulations, operational resilience requirements, and data location requirements.
Describe modernization and innovation pressures, including cloud-native adoption and fintech collaboration.
Document in detail the three primary architectural options:
VPC-based architecture
Satellite-based architecture
VMware Regulated Workloads architecture
For each option, write use cases, compliance implications, and its suitability for different regulated workload types.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Perform structured consolidation and spaced repetition.
Actions to complete:
Summarize the entire day’s learning into a one-page text-based outline.
Write ten factual statements capturing the core ideas from today.
Perform Day 1 spaced repetition review of key terms for five minutes.
Identify any unclear areas for further clarification on Day 2.
Day 2 – Components, Risk, and Compliance
Daily Goal:
Understand the IBM Cloud Framework for Financial Services, how controls are structured, how platform components map to controls, and how financial risks are interpreted in the cloud.
Content to Learn Today:
IBM Cloud Framework for Financial Services (definition, structure, governance)
Key Platform Components (infrastructure, network, security, data protection, observability)
Risk Types Relevant to Regulated Workloads
Compliance Approach in IBM Cloud for Financial Services
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand the IBM Cloud Framework for Financial Services.
Actions to complete:
Describe what the framework is, why it was created, and what compliance problems it solves.
Write down the structure: more than 600 control requirements, seven focus areas, twenty-one control families.
Explain how the framework is continuously updated based on regulatory change and input from industry councils.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Study platform components from a control-mapping perspective.
Actions to complete:
Write a detailed explanation of VPC, subnets, routing, ACLs, and Security Groups as tools for network isolation.
Describe Key Protect and Hyper Protect Crypto Services in terms of encryption, key management, and HSM requirements.
Explain Context-Based Restrictions, including scenarios where they enforce policy.
Describe Flow Logs, Activity Tracker, and monitoring tools as compliance evidence systems.
Create a mapping list:
Identity and Access controls → IAM, Access Groups, Service IDs
Data Protection controls → Encryption, Key Protect, HPCS
Network controls → VPC, ACL, Security Groups
Logging controls → Flow Logs, Activity Tracker
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand risk types and compliance methods.
Actions to complete:
Write definitions for operational risk, cybersecurity risk, regulatory compliance risk, third-party risk, and data-related risk.
For each risk type, list two examples demonstrating how the risk appears in cloud environments.
Describe how IBM Cloud for Financial Services uses validated services, standardized controls, and continuous compliance tooling to reduce risk exposure.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Summarize and reinforce learning.
Actions to complete:
Create a one-page document titled “How Controls Map to IBM Cloud Services.”
Review Day 1 content using spaced repetition for ten minutes.
Capture five difficult points and prepare to clarify them on Day 3.
Day 3 – Customer Workload Environment
Daily Goal:
Understand how to analyze a customer’s current environment, classify workloads, evaluate data sensitivity, and determine appropriate migration and integration strategies.
Content to Learn Today:
Workload Classification
Existing Environment and Integration Considerations
Data Residency and Sovereignty
Customer Operating Model
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Learn workload classification.
Actions to complete:
Write detailed definitions for regulatory criticality, including the difference between regulated, partially regulated, and non-regulated workloads.
Describe the four data sensitivity levels and examples of each.
Explain how business impact is measured for financial workloads, including financial impact, customer impact, and reputational impact.
Write how classification impacts required controls and architectural choices.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand customer environments and integration patterns.
Actions to complete:
Describe on-premises environments (mainframes, legacy systems) and their implications.
Describe private cloud and virtualized environments (particularly VMware) and typical hybrid patterns.
Describe hybrid and multi-cloud patterns involving IBM Cloud and other clouds.
Document integration mechanisms: VPN, Direct Link, routing, identity federation, and SIEM integration.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Study data residency, sovereignty, and operating models.
Actions to complete:
Write the definitions of data residency and data sovereignty.
Explain how IBM Cloud regions and Satellite support local data compliance.
Document how change management, incident response, and security operations influence cloud architecture.
Explain how the customer’s operating model affects automation strategies.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Structured consolidation and review.
Actions to complete:
Produce a full summary titled “How to Analyze a Customer’s Workload Environment.”
Review Day 1 and Day 2 content for ten minutes using spaced repetition.
Write a short reflection explaining how workload classification directly affects architectural design.
Day 4 – Consolidated Review of Days 1–3
Daily Goal:
Strengthen memory, refine understanding, and identify gaps across all three learned knowledge points.
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Review all key notes from the past three days.
Actions to complete:
Reread summaries from Days 1–3.
Highlight unclear sections, mismatched concepts, or sections needing deeper clarification.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Reconstruct conceptual maps.
Actions to complete:
Rewrite a clean conceptual map containing:
Purpose of IBM Cloud for Financial Services
Controls and components
Workload classification modelConnect relationships between them.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Apply all concepts to scenario-based reasoning.
Actions to complete:
Write three complete scenario analyses:
A bank with strict data residency requirements
A payment processor with high availability needs
A multi-cloud customer migrating a legacy core system
For each scenario, answer:
Required controls
Suitable architecture
Integration options
Risks
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Spaced repetition and consolidation.
Actions to complete:
Review all key terms using spaced repetition for fifteen minutes.
Write a list of the top ten concepts you understand and the top five you need deeper study.
Day 5 – Deepening Understanding and Strengthening Weak Points
Daily Goal:
Reinforce difficult concepts from the first three knowledge points and improve comprehension through active reconstruction.
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Identify weak areas across all content.
Actions to complete:
Review your Day 4 “top five weak areas.”
Prepare to restudy those topics.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Focused re-learning of weak points.
Actions to complete:
Re-learn:
Controls framework structure
VPC vs Satellite vs VMware
Data residency and sovereigntyRewrite explanations in your own words.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Create deeper synthesis.
Actions to complete:
Produce a long-form explanation titled “How Regulatory Requirements Drive Cloud Architecture.”
Base it explicitly on content learned in Days 1–3.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Spaced repetition and memory reinforcement.
Actions to complete:
Perform spaced repetition review for Days 1, 2, 3.
Rewrite all key definitions without looking at notes.
Day 6 – Applied Practice Day
Daily Goal:
Apply knowledge in realistic scenarios to ensure transferability and understanding.
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Practice identifying architectures.
Actions to complete:
Write architecture recommendations for six hypothetical workloads.
For each, justify using purpose, controls, and workload classification.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Practice mapping controls to components.
Actions to complete:
- Select ten controls from your notes and write which IBM Cloud services implement them.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Practice designing integration models.
Actions to complete:
- Create diagrams (textual description acceptable) of:
Hybrid integration
Multi-cloud integration
On-prem to IBM Cloud network flows
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Spaced repetition
Actions to complete:
Review all major definitions and key elements of the three knowledge points.
Write down the ten most easily forgotten concepts.
Day 7 – Week 1 Final Review and Knowledge Consolidation
Daily Goal:
Complete a full consolidation of Week 1, prepare knowledge base for Week 2.
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Full knowledge reconstruction.
Actions to complete:
Reconstruct all major concepts without looking at notes.
Compare your output with your materials.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Create final Week 1 summary.
Actions to complete:
- Write a 2–3 page summary of:
Purpose and architecture of IBM Cloud for Financial Services
Controls and compliance structure
Workload classification
Environment analysis
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Self-assessment.
Actions to complete:
List ten questions you would ask yourself if you were the exam reviewer.
Answer them in writing.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Spaced repetition and preparation for Week 2.
Actions to complete:
Perform Day 7 spaced repetition review.
Identify what to carry into Week 2 (solution design and implementation).
Week 2 Study Plan
Focus Knowledge Points:
Technical Solution Design
Implementation Considerations
Primary Learning Methods:
Pomodoro technique (25 minutes study, 5 minutes rest)
Spaced repetition review (Day 2, Day 4, Day 7, Day 14)
Week 2 Objective:
Build the ability to design compliant financial cloud architectures, understand core IBM Cloud architectural components, and learn how to actually deploy regulated workloads using automation, migration strategies, control implementation, and operational readiness.
Week 2 requires deep technical thinking and scenario reasoning.
This is the week where conceptual understanding becomes architectural skill.
Day 8 – Technical Solution Design (Reference Architectures)
Daily Goal:
Gain full understanding of the three IBM Cloud reference architectures used for regulated workloads: VPC-based, Satellite-based, and VMware Regulated Workloads.
Content to Learn Today:
Reference Architectures
VPC-based Architecture
Satellite-based Architecture
VMware Regulated Workloads Architecture
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand each reference architecture in depth.
Actions to complete:
Write full explanations of the three reference architectures, including definition and purpose.
For each architecture, document:
The architectural model
Connectivity design
Regulatory and compliance alignment
Typical use cases in financial institutions
Describe how each architecture supports regulated workloads differently.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Build comparative reasoning.
Actions to complete:
Create a detailed comparison table including:
Compute model
Network isolation
Data residency
Compliance strengths
Operational complexity
Integration methodsWrite a paragraph explaining when each architecture is the best choice.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Apply architecture selection in scenarios.
Actions to complete:
Write answers for five hypothetical customer scenarios.
Examples:
A bank with strict on-prem data residency → Satellite
A regulated workload needing rapid elasticity → VPC
A legacy system with VMware dependencies → VMware Regulated WorkloadsJustify each answer using compliance and workload characteristics.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Consolidation and repetition.
Actions to complete:
Summarize the entire day into a one-page architectural selection guide.
Perform spaced repetition review for ten minutes.
Identify weak points for Day 9 focus.
Day 9 – Technical Solution Design (Landing Zones)
Daily Goal:
Develop deep understanding of secure landing zones for regulated workloads, especially the OpenShift FS Edition Landing Zone and Terraform landing zone modules.
Content to Learn Today:
Secure Landing Zone
Landing Zone for OpenShift – Financial Services Edition
Terraform Landing Zone Modules
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand the function and purpose of a landing zone.
Actions to complete:
Write a complete definition of a landing zone.
Document the differences between QuickStart and Standard landing zones.
Explain why financial workloads require a pre-secured, pre-configured landing zone.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Study OpenShift FS Edition Landing Zone.
Actions to complete:
Write the detailed components of the Standard edition, including:
Network segmentation
Logging configuration
Encryption configuration
IAM configuration
Private endpoints
Compliance preset configurationsDocument which features are omitted in the QuickStart version.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand Terraform landing zone modules.
Actions to complete:
Write a detailed description of the official Terraform modules.
List the types of resources they automatically deploy:
VPCs, subnets, ACLs, security groups
Flow Logs, Activity Tracker
Key Protect/HPCS
Optional edge VPCExplain why infrastructure-as-code is essential for regulated workloads.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Consolidation and spaced repetition.
Actions to complete:
Summarize landing zone concepts into a long-form paragraph.
Perform spaced repetition review for fifteen minutes.
Create three hypothetical landing zone deployment scenarios and outline recommended configurations.
Day 10 – Technical Solution Design (Network and Security Architecture)
Daily Goal:
Develop a detailed understanding of multi-zone design, network segmentation, ingress and egress control patterns, IAM, zero trust, and context-based restrictions.
Content to Learn Today:
Multi-zone VPC Design
Network Segmentation
Ingress and Egress Patterns
Zero Trust and IAM
Context-Based Restrictions
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Multi-zone and network architecture fundamentals.
Actions to complete:
Explain in detail why financial workloads require multi-zone architecture.
Write descriptions of typical subnet types: public, private, management.
Describe the purpose of each routing and isolation mechanism: ACLs, security groups, endpoint gateways.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Study ingress and egress patterns.
Actions to complete:
Explain the difference between controlled ingress in an edge layer and internal-only services.
Document standard outbound control patterns and when they are required.
Describe how egress restrictions prevent data exfiltration.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Zero trust and IAM mastery.
Actions to complete:
Describe zero trust principles and how IBM Cloud implements them.
Write detailed explanations of IAM concepts:
Users
Access groups
Service IDs
PoliciesDescribe context-based restrictions and write three detailed usage examples.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Consolidation and spaced repetition.
Actions to complete:
Produce a text-based network diagram describing a multi-zone VPC with security boundaries.
Perform spaced repetition review for content from Days 8–10.
Capture any unclear points for Day 11 review.
Day 11 – Technical Solution Design (Data Security, Key Management, and Resiliency)
Daily Goal:
Master encryption architectures, key management choices, and resiliency design principles including RTO, RPO, multi-region resilience, and backup strategies.
Content to Learn Today:
Data Security and Key Management
Key Protect
Hyper Protect Crypto Services
Encryption at Rest and In Transit
Resiliency and Performance Design
RTO and RPO
Disaster Recovery Architectures
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Deep understanding of encryption and key management.
Actions to complete:
Write a full comparison of Key Protect and HPCS.
Explain which regulatory requirements force HPCS adoption.
Write descriptions for encryption at rest and in transit across IBM Cloud services.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Study resiliency concepts.
Actions to complete:
Define availability, RTO, and RPO in your own words.
Describe multi-zone versus multi-region architectures and when each is required.
Explain active-active versus active-standby designs.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Connect resiliency with financial requirements.
Actions to complete:
For five customer scenarios, write which resiliency pattern is appropriate.
Explain how regulatory expectations guide resilience design.
Describe the role of backups, replication, and DR testing.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Consolidation and spaced repetition.
Actions to complete:
Summarize all resiliency concepts into a technical narrative.
Perform spaced repetition review for Days 8–11.
Identify where you need deeper practice on Day 12.
Day 12 – Implementation Considerations (Migration and Automation)
Daily Goal:
Build understanding of migration models, infrastructure as code, automation, GitOps, and change management for regulated workloads.
Content to Learn Today:
Migration Strategies
Rehost
Replatform
Refactor
Phased Migration
Terraform Landing Zones
GitOps and CI/CD
Change Management Enforcement
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand migration strategies.
Actions to complete:
Write detailed descriptions of the three migration strategies.
For each, list strengths, limitations, and regulated workload implications.
Explain what a phased migration approach means in real financial organizations.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand IaC and automation.
Actions to complete:
Summarize how Terraform is used to deploy compliant environments.
Explain why reproducibility, auditability, and drift detection matter.
Describe how pipelines enforce policy and secure deployments.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Apply migration and automation concepts.
Actions to complete:
Write three full migration plans for hypothetical workloads.
Describe a complete CI/CD pipeline suitable for regulated workloads.
Write a paragraph describing the importance of logs and evidence during automation.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Consolidation and spaced repetition.
Actions to complete:
Perform spaced repetition review for Days 8–12.
Summarize the entire implementation section into one page.
Prepare questions for Day 13’s work.
Day 13 – Implementation Considerations (Controls, Evidence, and Operations)
Daily Goal:
Learn how controls are implemented in practice, how responsibility is assigned, and how operational readiness supports compliance.
Content to Learn Today:
Control Implementation
Control Ownership
Evidence Collection
Operational Readiness
Logging, Monitoring, SIEM Integration
Runbooks and Playbooks
Working with Validated Partners
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand control implementation.
Actions to complete:
Select ten controls and explain:
Ownership
Implementation method
Evidence requiredExplain why evidence matters for audits and regulators.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Study operational readiness.
Actions to complete:
Describe Activity Tracker, Flow Logs, and service logs.
Explain how SOC and SIEM systems must integrate with IBM Cloud.
Write definitions of runbooks, playbooks, incident response, and DR tests.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand validated partners.
Actions to complete:
Explain what a validated partner is.
Describe how to securely integrate a validated ISV or SaaS service.
Describe how shared responsibility works when multiple parties are involved.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Consolidation and spaced repetition.
Actions to complete:
Perform spaced repetition review for the entire week.
Write a combined summary of implementation considerations.
List any remaining weak areas for Day 14 practice.
Day 14 – Week 2 Consolidation and Scenario Application
Daily Goal:
Integrate all Week 2 content, verify understanding, and apply concepts to real architecture scenarios.
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Review all Week 2 summaries.
Actions to complete:
- Re-read notes and consolidate them into a structured outline.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Scenario reconstruction.
Actions to complete:
Write three complete design proposals for regulated workloads.
Document architecture, landing zone configuration, key management, and network design.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Implementation scenario analysis.
Actions to complete:
Write three operational readiness or control evidence scenarios.
Explain solutions using the terms and principles learned this week.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Spaced repetition and Week 3 preparation.
Actions to complete:
Perform spaced repetition review of all key concepts.
Write a one-page readiness assessment for Step 3 of the exam topics.
Week 3 Study Plan
Focus Knowledge Points:
Compliance, SLOs, and SLAs
Full consolidation of all six knowledge areas
Scenario application and exam simulation
Primary Learning Methods:
Pomodoro technique (25 minutes study, 5 minutes rest)
Spaced repetition review (Day 2, Day 4, Day 7, Day 14)
Week 3 Objective:
Master the final knowledge point (Compliance, SLOs, and SLAs), integrate all previous knowledge points, apply them to realistic exam-level scenarios, and prepare for an actual exam attempt.
Day 15 – Compliance, SLOs, and SLAs (Part 1)
Daily Goal:
Understand the compliance foundations of IBM Cloud for Financial Services, including the role of the framework, governance processes, and cloud compliance tooling.
Content to Learn Today:
Compliance in IBM Cloud for Financial Services
Framework as Standard
Continuous Governance
Cloud Compliance Tooling
Configuration Drift Detection
Control Testing
Evidence Collection
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Study compliance foundations.
Actions to complete:
Write a detailed explanation of what compliance means for financial workloads in the cloud.
Explain how the IBM Cloud Framework for Financial Services provides a unified control language.
Describe how global regulations influence the design of the framework.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand continuous governance.
Actions to complete:
Explain how the framework is updated.
Describe the role of the industry council and regulatory experts.
Write an example showing how new regulations might require framework changes.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Study cloud compliance tooling.
Actions to complete:
Describe how IBM Cloud tooling detects configuration drift.
Explain how automated or semi-automated control testing works.
Write a complete explanation of how compliance evidence is collected and organized.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Consolidation and spaced repetition.
Actions to complete:
Produce a one-page summary titled “How IBM Cloud Delivers Continuous Compliance.”
Perform spaced repetition review for Week 2 content and today’s content.
Identify questions for Day 16.
Day 16 – Compliance, SLOs, and SLAs (Part 2)
Daily Goal:
Understand SLI, SLO, and SLA distinctions, how they apply to financial workloads, and how architectural choices support defined objectives.
Content to Learn Today:
Service Level Indicators
Service Level Objectives
Service Level Agreements
Availability, Latency, Throughput
Durability Requirements
Mapping SLO/SLA to Architecture
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand SLI, SLO, SLA fundamentals.
Actions to complete:
Write formal definitions for SLI, SLO, and SLA.
Provide multiple examples of SLIs for cloud systems.
Explain how SLOs are set for financial workloads.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Connect SLO/SLA to architecture.
Actions to complete:
Describe how multi-zone architecture supports availability SLOs.
Explain how multi-region designs support disaster recovery commitments.
Write descriptions of performance SLOs related to latency and throughput.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand durability and resilience.
Actions to complete:
Write definitions of durability and redundancy.
Explain how encryption, backups, and replication contribute to durability targets.
Produce two example durability requirements and how IBM Cloud services meet them.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Consolidation and spaced repetition.
Actions to complete:
Write a two-paragraph summary linking SLO/SLA to architectural decisions.
Perform spaced repetition review of Day 15 and Day 16.
Record unclear areas for Day 17.
Day 17 – Compliance and Reporting
Daily Goal:
Master audit processes, evidence expectations, reporting requirements, and regulatory communication.
Content to Learn Today:
Audit Readiness
Log Retention
Access Logs and Change Logs
Evidence of Control Implementation
Regulatory Reporting and Attestations
Resilience Testing
Continuous Monitoring Expectations
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Master audit readiness requirements.
Actions to complete:
Write an explanation of why audit readiness is essential for financial institutions.
Describe log retention requirements and examples of mandatory log types.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Understand evidence expectations.
Actions to complete:
Explain how evidence must be collected for each control.
Write descriptions of acceptable forms of evidence such as configuration snapshots, logs, monitoring reports, and test results.
Describe how evidence relates to shared responsibility.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Study regulatory reporting.
Actions to complete:
Write a paragraph explaining what supervisors want to see during regulatory audits.
Describe how resilience testing results are reported to regulators.
Document how continuous monitoring aligns with regulatory expectations.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Consolidation and spaced repetition.
Actions to complete:
Produce a one-page document titled “Regulatory Evidence and Reporting for IBM Cloud Deployments.”
Perform spaced repetition review for Days 15–17.
Prepare topics for Day 18.
Day 18 – Full Review of All Six Knowledge Points
Daily Goal:
Reconstruct knowledge from scratch and identify any remaining gaps.
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Reconstruct foundational concepts.
Actions to complete:
- Rebuild explanations for the first three knowledge points from memory:
An Introduction to IBM Cloud for Financial Services
Components, Risk, and Compliance
Customer Workload Environment
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Reconstruct architectural and implementation principles.
Actions to complete:
- Rebuild explanations for:
Technical Solution Design
Implementation Considerations
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Reconstruct compliance and SLO/SLA concepts.
Actions to complete:
- Rebuild explanations for:
Compliance in IBM Cloud for Financial Services
SLI/SLO/SLA
Compliance reporting and evidence
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Identify gaps and refine.
Actions to complete:
Mark all concepts that were difficult to recall.
Review relevant notes and create short explanations to close gaps.
Perform spaced repetition for Week 3 content.
Day 19 – Scenario-Based Application
Daily Goal:
Apply the entire body of knowledge to realistic, exam-style case scenarios to develop reasoning and decision-making.
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Architectural scenario exercises.
Actions to complete:
Write three regulated workload architecture designs.
Include network design, landing zone, encryption, and resiliency.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Compliance and controls scenario exercises.
Actions to complete:
Write scenarios focused on control implementation and evidence.
Explain control ownership and supporting IBM Cloud services.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Workload classification and migration scenarios.
Actions to complete:
Write three migration strategies for different workloads.
Include integration models and operational requirements.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: SLO/SLA scenario application.
Actions to complete:
Write two SLO/SLA design exercises.
Connect requirements to architecture, resiliency, and monitoring.
Day 20 – Full-Length Mock Assessment
Daily Goal:
Simulate real exam conditions through a full-length test and perform an in-depth result analysis.
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Mock exam simulation (Part 1).
Actions to complete:
- Complete the first portion of your mock questions (to be generated after confirmation using your required workflow).
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Mock exam simulation (Part 2).
Actions to complete:
- Complete the second set of exam questions.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Review answers and explanations.
Actions to complete:
Write detailed explanations for each incorrect or uncertain item.
Identify which knowledge points require deeper review.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Spaced repetition and strategy refinement.
Actions to complete:
Perform spaced repetition review for all six major knowledge points.
Adjust strategy for the final day based on identified weaknesses.
Day 21 – Final Consolidation and Exam Readiness
Daily Goal:
Complete final consolidation, reinforce memory, fix remaining gaps, and confirm readiness to take the exam.
Pomodoro 1 (25 minutes)
Task: Final review of all major concepts.
Actions to complete:
Re-review all summaries and diagrams from earlier weeks.
Ensure all concepts can be described without notes.
Pomodoro 2 (25 minutes)
Task: Final scenario reasoning.
Actions to complete:
- Write two complete, cross-domain reasoning scenarios covering architecture, controls, migration, and SLO design.
Pomodoro 3 (25 minutes)
Task: Knowledge synthesis.
Actions to complete:
Produce a final master summary across all six knowledge points.
Ensure it includes definitions, decision criteria, architectural principles, and compliance considerations.
Pomodoro 4 (25 minutes)
Task: Readiness confirmation.
Actions to complete:
Write a short statement evaluating your readiness.
Identify any last-minute topics to quickly revisit.
Perform a final spaced repetition review for fifteen minutes.