Cloud computing, a widely accepted technology, has shown growth faster than predicted in the past several years. The primary reason being the various benefits it offers to customers. Scalability, which allows performing any computation with very complex and large data sets, is the key benefit of cloud computing. The ability to scale up or scale down based on the customer requirements is one of the primary benefits of cloud computing, among many. 

Agility, which allows the system to respond quickly to customer requirements, particularly in the times of pandemic and afterward, as we are moving towards new normal. Enterprises have seen the importance of scalability and agility as it allows them to adapt to changing business needs quickly. Other qualities include reach, accessibility, and security, which helps cloud computing to be available from small to large enterprises at an affordable rate, anywhere and anytime. 

With all the above benefits, many companies are making a shift towards cloud computing, and the overall investment is increasing in the sector. This is creating strong demand for skilled individuals. It is high time for individuals to leverage this opportunity and dive into the cloud computing domain. 

Various Cloud computing service providers are available in the market. Some well-known platforms are Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Rackspace, VMware, Oracle cloud, etc. Since most vendors provide certifications in cloud computing domains, you will find scores of certification options in the cloud computing domain. Apart from vendor-specific, some vendor-neutral certification options are available too. Before opting for cloud computing certification, candidates are advised to understand the type of service and overall market share of vendors.

What is Cloud Computing?

In simple words, Cloud computing is infrastructure provided as a service on demand, particularly for storage and computation purposes. Entire data along with applications are placed at the server and remotely accessed when required. As a server has high capacity, performance and storage can be scaled up or down when needed as per demand fluctuations. Since companies can pay based on utilization and avoid developing in-house systems, this results in significant cost savings and high performance. Further, companies need not conduct regular maintenance activities and save a lot of time.  

Top 5 Cloud Computing Certifications

This article lists some of the best cloud computing certifications along with brief details on them.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate 

It is a very popular and lucrative certification in the cloud computing domain. This certification is perfect for individuals with one or more years of hands-on experience designing cloud systems on AWS. This certification assesses the individual’s ability to create & deploy robust, secure, and scalable applications using AWS techniques. Work out better solutions as per customer requirements using architectural design principles. Offer implementation guidance as per best practices to the companies during the entire project life cycle. Some key points to note are 

• The examination is available in modes such as test centers or online proctored. The exam’s total duration is approximately 130 min, and exams contain multiple-choice questions and multiple answers type questions with no negative markings. 
• Exams also include items without a score to gather additional information on candidates. These items do not affect the overall score.
• The exam is broadly split into four domains, each with a weighting factor. Design Resilient Architectures domain is weighted as 30%, highest among all domains.
• Since the exam is based on a compensatory scoring model, Individuals do not require passing each section; instead, the overall score is the criteria. Individuals receive the result in a tabular format, which shows performance in all sections.
• Individuals need to score a minimum passing score of 720. The score is usually in the overall range of 100-1000. 
• The scaled scoring model of exams ensures that the difficulty level for examining different question papers is equated.

Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect

The credentials, launched in 2017, primarily certifies an individual’s skills and understanding required to work on the google cloud platform. It validates the individual’s ability to design, develop, and manage secure, robust, reliable, and dynamic solutions in the cloud to meet the business objectives. To achieve the credential, you need to appear for the Google Certified Professional – Cloud Architect exam. Exams assess individuals’ skills on various topics such as designing, planning, managing, provisioning, and implementing cloud architecture, designing cloud apps keeping compliance in mind, and analyzing & optimizing business processes. The exam has a total duration of 2 hours with multiple choice and multiple answer type questions and can be taken remotely or at test centers.  The exam is in English and does not have any prerequisites. However, it is recommended to have three and more years of experience in the google cloud platform.

Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals

Individuals appearing for certifications should be skilled in foundational knowledge on cloud services on Azure. This certification is aimed at individuals beginning their work with cloud-based solutions or new to Azure. Credentials assess your understanding of core cloud concepts, azure services, workloads, including security, trust, privacy, and compliance. Individuals appearing should have an understanding of networking, storage, application support, and development. 

Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate

This certification is ideal for individuals working in the cloud computing domain using Azure. To achieve the credentials, individuals need to cover skills to implement, manage, and monitor the identity and governance. Individuals should manage the storage, computation, and virtual networks in cloud environments. Individuals seeking this certification are expected to have a minimum of six months of Azure administrator hands-on experience and in-depth knowledge of core Azure services, workloads, security, and governance. Experience with PowerShell, Azure CLI, portal, and resource manager templates are required.

AWS Certified Developer – Associate

Credentials are best suited for individuals proficient in application development and maintenance on the cloud using AWS. Individuals with an in-depth understanding of AWS services, architecture, use, best practices, debugging ability, and application life cycle are preferred. Individuals should have at least one year of experience in the cloud using AWS. Along with the above, some additional skills assessed are listed below.

• Strong understanding of a minimum of one programming language, more than one language is preferred.
• Proficiency in using basic AWS service APIs, CLI, and SDKs to create applications.
• Strong understanding of using CI/CD pipeline for application deployment on AWS.

To stand out in the competition and improve career prospects, individuals need to achieve such certifications. They are a way to gain an edge over others in any competition. Most recruiters prefer individuals with strong credentials like AWS certifications or Microsoft Azure certifications. Further, certification instills higher confidence in individuals by a rigorous or thorough assessment process. So, which certification are you planning to seek?