Cloud computing is the storage and computation infrastructure provided as service on demand. In simple words, all data and applications are kept at the server and can be accessed using the remote system. As both computation and storage are scalable services and can be increased or decreased based on demand fluctuation, cloud computing results in enhanced performance and cost-saving. It is due to the simple fact that companies need to pay based on utilization and need not develop in-house IT infrastructure. Moreover, it reduces regular maintenance activity which is a major concern for downtime and enhances data security.
No doubt with all these benefits, more companies are moving towards cloud computing and investment is growing continuously both in monetary terms as well as skilled human resources.
To leverage the opportunity, you need to stand out and improve your resumes, and certification is one of the best ways to do so. It gives you an edge over other candidates seeking the opportunity. Hiring managers usually prefer candidates with credentials like the AWS certifications and Microsoft Azure certifications. It helps you further to assess yourself and boost your confidence.
Scores of certification programs on cloud computing are available in the market. The reason being the presence of various cloud computing service providers. Some prominent platforms include Amazon Web Services commonly known as AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, Oracle Cloud, Rackspace, VMWare, etc. Most of them also provide certifications and candidates need to consider the type of service for certification and market share before getting certified.
Top 5 Cloud Computing Certifications
In the present article, I would try to list down the best cloud computing certifications and brief details on it. AWS is leading the market share with Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud platform catching up fast.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
One of the extremely popular and sought after cloud computing certifications by IT professionals. According to Global Knowledge 2019 IT Skills and Salary Report, this certification has the highest popularity within the cloud computing domain.
AWS Solutions Architect certification associate is ideal for candidates designing cloud infrastructures and with one or more years of experience. The ability which is assessed for certification involves deployment of the robust and secure application using AWS techniques, providing effective solutions for customer requirements using architectural design principles, and implementation of best practices across the organization. The average annual salary expectation is ₹1,777,348 (payscale). Candidates interested in certification can read more about exams in the link.
Some key points to note are
- You can appear for the exam in the test center or online. The duration of the exam is 130 min and consists of multiple-choice with multiple answers type questions. The exam fee is 150 USD,
- The exam is divided into four domains with different weighting factors with the highest of 30% for Design Resilient Architectures.
- Candidate needs not to pass each section and the overall score is only criteria, however, the result is in tabular format and shows performance in each section.
- The examination results are in the range 100-1000 score, Candidate needs to score a minimum of 720 to pass the examination.
- Your score is scaled based on the difficulty level for the examination.
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator-Associate
Certification is primarily intended to assess candidates working in system operation roles in various capacities. Such as an administrator or an operation manager or a candidate in a supporting role. However, AWS architects or AWS developers can also appear for tests and get certified to expand their competence and stand out in the competition. Minimum 1 year of experience in AWS is recommended for certification. This is to ensure that candidates appearing have a good and thorough understanding of AWS. Candidates should have hands-on experience for deploying, managing, and operating a scalable system on AWS. Someone who has worked on implementation and control of data flow and following best practices.
The exam format is the same as the solutions architect associate test. Comprehensive content is not available for exams, however, it is divided into seven domains with different weighting factors. For further details, one can read the exam guide available in the link.
According to payscale, the Average annual salary expectation fortified with the above certification is ₹864k.
AWS Certified Developer – Associate
With an average annual salary expectation of ₹885k (payscale), this certification is not only high paying but also highly popular and sought after certification in 2019. It is best suited for candidates proficient in the development and deployment of applications on the cloud using AWS. Candidates should also have extensive knowledge of AWS services, architecture, application life cycle along with strong debugging capability.
Candidates with one or more years of experience are preferred with an advanced programming language.
Exam pattern is similar to other associate exams such as architecture and sysops. For complete details, you may refer to the link.
