It was earlier common to open Microsoft Word or Notepad whenever we wanted to write something on a computer. But, have you been using Google Docs recently? Apart from creating documents, you can share it and others can work on it simultaneously too. If so, you have been using cloud computing. Gartner has predicted that the public cloud services market, which stood at $227.8 billion in 2019, would reach $266.4 billion in 2020 with a growth rate of 17 percent. Migration to the cloud is giving great benefits to the companies as modern applications require infrastructure that traditional data centers are unable to meet. Scalability of subscription-based software is also one of the important reasons companies are able to work at reduced costs.
If you are already into the field of cloud computing, you are paving your way to a promising career. There are many ambitious job roles that one can prepare for in this domain. One such job role is that of a Cloud Architect. Let us know more about what Cloud Architect refers to, skills required and how to become a certified cloud architect.
What is a Cloud Architect?
Before talking about the cloud architect role, let us take a recap on cloud computing. In simple terms, cloud computing refers to the delivery of computing services over the internet (‘the cloud”) to provide flexible resources, speedier innovation, and economies of scale. Those services can include servers, storage, databases, software, networking, security, and intelligence. Companies get the advantage of paying only for the services they use which thereby results in lower operational costs, infrastructure running more efficiently and scaling as per business needs.
Now, cloud architects are the professionals responsible for managing cloud computing architecture in an enterprise. Here, the cloud computing architecture incorporates the front end platforms like clients or mobile devices, back-end platforms like servers and storage, cloud-based delivery, as well as the mode of delivery, i.e public or private using the internet. Cloud architects plan and design cloud environments and provide guidance throughout the life of a cloud-based development project. They get involved with initial requirement analysis, create cloud networks by connecting remotely placed servers, and also set up cloud storage and computing systems from scratch.
Certified Cloud Architect: Skills Required
Cloud architects have loads of important responsibilities to handle. As such, becoming capable of handling crucial tasks requires one to have prior experience as well as a mix of technical and non-technical skills. Those who have previously worked as enterprise architects, integration architects, or know about virtualization or infrastructure architecture can easily look forward to becoming cloud architects.
Here are some of the skills you need if considering a career as a cloud architect:
- Knowledge of how enterprises use information technology for different applications.
- Understand how cloud services operate along with proficiency in any operating system.
- Proficiency in any programming languages like Java or Python so as to develop cloud-based applications.
- Understanding of client systems and applications, networking, data centers, web tools and technologies, as well as databases.
- Expertise in automation and orchestration, governance, integration architecture, IT service management, outsourcing and external hosting.
- Working knowledge of any one of the cloud service providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud.
Apart from the technical skills, soft skills like planning and organizing, communication and collaboration, procurement and vendor management, leadership, analytical skills, and business sense are also crucial to become a successful cloud architect.
Become a Certified Cloud Architect
There are various career paths that one can take to become a cloud architect. It usually requires people to have 8 to 10 years of experience in IT working as technical and managerial roles. There are also some renowned certifications that are dedicated to this role, like:
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect
- IBM Cloud Computing Solutions Architect
- IBM Certified Cloud Solution Architect v2
- Red Hat Certified Architect: Cloud
- Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect
Achieving these certifications can benchmark your skills as a cloud architect. That said, preparing for these certifications isn’t an easy task. Being at a mid-level of experience, it may also be difficult for you to study by yourself. So, many professionals prefer taking online cloud architect courses and get a step-by-step guide to master all the necessary concepts. After completing the course, they usually take professional cloud architect practice exams to reinforce their learning. Taking mock tests is important because you cannot take any risk in your actual cloud architect certification exams. It is usually beneficial to get adjusted to the exam environment so that you don’t make mistakes later. So, start your journey towards becoming a certified cloud architect today.
