Reasons to Take up A Cloud Computing Certification

5 Reasons to Take up A Cloud Computing Certification

Over the past few years, the cloud computing industry has generated a lot of interest and investment. Cloud computing has become an integral part of the IT infrastructure for many companies worldwide. Industry analysts report that the cloud computing industry has grown swiftly over recent years.

According to Wikibon, the Amazon Web Services (AWS) revenue will climb to $43 billion by 2022 with Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud close behind. As cloud computing becomes critical to IT and business in general, the demand for cloud skills will increase. Aspiring cloud professionals must prove that they have the skills and knowledge to be able to compete favorably in the market, and a cloud certification is the best way to do that.

What Is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is the use of cloud resources and services to outsource the storage, processing, and software used in an environment. When organizations use cloud computing, users are able to access files or applications from Internet-connected devices. These assets are hosted by cloud providers and stored on a globally accessible network of data centers instead of in-house hardware. 

Cloud computing is used to decrease in-house responsibilities for hardware management, gain access to scalable resources, and allow secure, remote access for distributed teams. When using cloud computing, organizations subscribe to a provider and can pay for resources as used, or on a discounted contract rate. 

With cloud resources, cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud are responsible for provisioning, managing, and maintaining infrastructure. This enables organizations to focus on optimizing workloads and performing revenue-generating tasks.

Cloud computing certifications can help clearly define who is qualified to support an organization’s cloud needs. These certifications can also ensure that IT teams are trained to work with the cloud in a standardized way. Beyond these benefits, the following reasons should be considered. 

Growing demand for cloud computing professionals

Nearly 90% of companies are using or planning to use cloud services and computing in some capacity, according to 451 research. This includes cloud infrastructures, individual services, and distributed storage.

While some companies have already migrated completely, others are still developing or implementing their cloud migration strategies. Having team members in-house that can help guide these migrations and manage cloud environments afterward is a significant need and one that is growing.

Career growth

Like many other advanced trainings, cloud computing certifications can boost your demand and your salary. These certifications show a level of expertise that enable you to prove your worth to a company and encourage companies to accurately value your efforts.

As evidence of this, in 2020, the average salary for employees with virtualization and cloud computing certifications is $136,659, up from $127,494 in 2019. Additionally, the Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect alone has been reported to grant an average salary of $175,761.

Flexibility

Cloud computing certifications can grant you additional flexibility when it comes to looking for your next role. These certifications are valuable for cloud architects, solution architects, and developers alike. 

Additionally, since certifications aren’t industry-specific, you are able to access positions in a broad range of environments and organizations. These can include healthcare, entertainment, finance, or government. 

Meeting employer qualifications

Many organizations are seeking employees with certifications because it enables them to benchmark an employee’s skill against known standards. Company teams may not understand what skills are needed for their environments. However, they can trust industry leaders, such as Microsoft and Google to define necessary skill sets for them.

By relying on certifications, organizations are able to hire employees with standardized skills. This allows companies to better understand who they are hiring and for what purpose. These certifications also enable you to sell yourself as a competent employee and to point to discrete evidence of your abilities.

Top Cloud Certifications to Pursue

There are many certifications out there, some more respected than others. All of these certifications take time and significant effort so you want to be sure that you are choosing the best one for you. Below are a few of the most trusted certifications to consider. 

AWS Certified Solutions Architect certifications

This certification is designed for IT professionals who are building and deploying resources in AWS. An AWS Certified Solutions Architect can construct solutions using AWS infrastructure and services and maintain those assets throughout an environment’s lifecycle. 

To gain this certification, you must build hands-on experience with solution development and deployment. This includes experience with both resource management and the services organizations use to manage and deliver resources and products. There is also an upgrade for this certification; the Professional-Grade Solutions Architect certification.

Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification

Similar to the AWS certification, Azure also offers a certificate program for those working with Azure resources and solutions. This certification is called the Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification.

When an IT professional gains this certificate, they have proven their ability to deploy and manage data platforms, deploy and orchestrate containers, and design and operate applications on the Azure platform. Those certified can help organizations optimize infrastructures and services, design strategies for business continuity, and determine workload requirements. 

Google Professional Cloud Architect certification

Google also offers a certification program in the form of the Google Professional Cloud Architect certification. This certification, like the AWS and Azure ones, focuses specifically on Google Cloud solutions. 

When an IT professional gains this certification, they have demonstrated extensive familiarity with the Google Cloud Platform. They have also shown the ability to develop business solutions driven by Google Cloud resources, secure those solutions according to the appropriate benchmarks, and optimize solutions for performance and cost.

CompTIA Cloud+

The CompTIA Cloud+ certification is one to consider if you don’t want to specialize for a specific vendor. This certification is an advanced certification that typically requires a minimum of two to three years of working experience. 

It is designed for IT professionals who are already responsible for developing and deploying computing environments and managing network connectivity. These professionals include system and network engineers, sysadmins, cloud developers, and other staff responsible for managing cloud deployments. 

Here are the top reasons why you should gain certification in cloud computing if you’re looking to join this innovative field:

1. The Demand for Cloud Computing Professionals Will Continue to Grow

Organizations are looking for IT professionals who have gained professional training in cloud computing and can help them implement a cloud environment into their infrastructure as seamlessly as possible. A search on Indeed revealed that there are more than 25,000 unfilled positions in the U.S. that are related to AWS alone. Comprehensive cloud computing training and certification such as the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Training is a great advantage. It covers the key concepts, latest trends, and best practices for working with the AWS infrastructure to become an industry-ready AWS Certified Solutions Architect.

The number of jobs in Microsoft cloud (Azure) has increased over the years, and a study of 120 Microsoft partners indicated that hiring companies had tough time sourcing professionals who were skilled to work on the Microsoft Azure platform. A certification in Azure Infrastructure Solutions will enable you to have the skills necessary for those jobs.

Most companies today use DevOps to deliver new software applications and features. As more companies realize the benefits of DevOps methodologies, the demand for certified professionals in this domain continues to grow. You can get certified by taking a course on DevOps Practitioner Certification.

2. Improves Your Earning Potential

Simplyhired reports that the average salaries for cloud administrators are less than $78,000, while cloud developers earn an average of $118,758 a year. Cloud architects are big earners, with median salaries of $124,406 and some salaries as high as $173,719. A research by Forbes shows that professionals with an AWS Certified Solutions Architect Certification have a potential annual salary of $125,971. Cloud computing training will be a step in the right direction and can help you enhance your earning potential.

3. Secure Jobs

If you gain the latest skills in cloud computing, you can land jobs that aren’t influenced by volatile market conditions. This is because most companies find it difficult to find IT professionals with the cloud computing skills they need.

4. It Proves Your Expertise and Promotes Credibility with Employer and Peers

Certifications are a great way to measure knowledge and skills against industry benchmarks. According to Microsoft and IDC, certification, training, and experience are three of the top four important attributes an organization looks for when hiring for a cloud-related position. A certification in cloud computing implies that you are skilled to help your organization reduce risks and costs to implement your workloads and projects on different cloud platforms. This will provide opportunities for cloud-related projects, and your clients will see you as a credible subject matter expert. It shows that you can work on complex procedures and handle cloud deployment in an enterprise.

If you want to specialize in one area of cloud computing or you want a new job, you can specialize in one or more vendor-specific certifications, such as AWS or VMWare. Cloud certifications are a great way to take your career to greater heights.

5. Better Chances of Getting Shortlisted for an Interview

If you are looking to penetrate the cloud industry, a cloud computing course such as Cloud Engineer Masters Program can help you reach the interview stage.  Having a certification on your resume will help you get noticed by hiring companies and proves to your employers that you have the right cloud computing skills, knowledge, and expertise for the job.