Top 10 Cloud Computing Certifications and Courses in 2021
For those looking to take the next step in their cloud career, signing up for a good cloud computing course can help jump up the ladder.
With the rapid increase in the demand for cloud computing, businesses have been struggling to find professionals with the right cloud computing skills. It’s a great time for beginners to seize this opportunity and pursue recognized cloud courses for long-term career benefits. This article lists the top 10 cloud computing certifications and courses on offer in 2021.
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More and more organizations around the world are making cloud infrastructure integral to their operations. The global cloud computing market’s expected growth from $371.4 billion in 2020 to $832 billion by 2025 is a testimony to this fact. However, finding individuals with the requisite skill sets to deal with the complexities of running day-to-day cloud operations is turning out to be a challenge for many organizations across the world. There is a demand-supply gap as far as skilled cloud computing professionals are concerned. According to a survey by 451 Research, 90% of organizations are facing a shortage of cloud-related skilled professionals.
It’s, therefore, a great time for beginners to seize this opportunity and pursue recognized cloud courses for long-term career benefits. If you wish to move away from traditional IT to a more niche domain, cloud is the way to go. With cloud computing being increasingly adopted, there is high demand for experts in this field.
Sourav Chaterjee, Regional Technologies Line Manager, Amdocs, says, “When hiring cloud experts, we look for individuals who have hands-on experience on multiple cloud platforms. Certifications are definitely making our task easier and effective in terms of shortlisting and hiring candidates. They are exactly what today’s dynamic market demands. A cloud-certified workforce has enabled us to become trusted managed services partners for our customers. We have generally seen that certified professionals have a better technical know-how and tend to perform well.”
Before diving into the profession, make sure you do your research. Gather information about the certifications you’ll require, the different types of roles in the domain, as well as the kind of skills you’ll need for each role. Once you’ve made up your mind, here’s how you can craft your cloud career:
- Master the basic concepts: An organization is more likely to hire candidates who know their basics. So, make sure you build a strong foundation in all the key concepts – right from the different types of cloud to the architecture of a cloud to the various challenges users may face. Equip yourself with the fundamentals of the top public cloud service providers — AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, RedHat, and IBM Cloud.
- Keep yourself informed: In our fast-paced digitized world, technologies are updated rapidly. Therefore, what may have been relevant or popular six months back, may be outdated today. It is crucial to keep yourself updated about emerging technologies. Not only will this kind of awareness help you establish expertise in your field, but it will also help you stand out in the crowd.
- Get yourself cloud-certified: Certifications are a great way to show your expertise in an area. Industry-recognized certifications give you a competitive edge over other applicants and increase your chances of being shortlisted.
Also Read: What Is Software as a Service (SaaS)? Definition, Examples, Types, and Trends
As the cloud becomes integral to businesses, the demand for experts in the domain of cloud technology is only expected to rise. However, standing out from a pool of applicants can be rather difficult. Having the right certifications is, therefore, crucial to establish a career in the cloud industry. The right certification can give you an upper hand in landing a great job.
Let’s take a look at the top cloud certifications you can choose from in 2021, but first, let’s glance at the key modules these courses should offer.
Key Must-Have Syllabus Modules of Cloud Courses
The key objective of any cloud certification or course is to validate a candidate’s ability to deal with the complex nuances of deploying and running a cloud solution. Here are some core skill modules that a cloud certification course should offer.
Key Syllabus Modules of Cloud Courses
1. Deploying and implementing a cloud solution
In the early stages of any company’s cloud journey, deploying a cloud solution is one of the core skills expected from a cloud professional. It includes identifying the type of cloud computing architecture (infrastructure as a service [IaaS], software as a service [SaaS], or platform as a service [PaaS]) on which the cloud solution needs to be implemented.
For instance, for cloud-native applications, PaaS is a suitable option, whereas, for as-is migration of an existing application, IaaS is a better bet. However, moving an application to the cloud is not simple. It is important to identify which applications can be moved to the cloud and the ones that cannot. Cloud architects are expected to define technical requirements and convert them into a final architecture and design.
2. Knowing pricing and support options
Pricing is critical to any IT adoption. Companies need to know in advance the prices of the cloud resources they are signing up for. Once the application is deployed on the cloud, they can then look to minimize costs. A cloud professional is expected to have first-hand knowledge of the pricing and cost of ownership of all cloud resources and know how to optimize them over time. Each service has its pricing structure, and many benefits are based on usage and bandwidth. It is also essential to understand the different levels of support that can be purchased with each service.
Also Read: What Is Platform as a Service (PaaS)? Definition, Examples, Components, and Best Practices
3. Determining storage and database needs
Storage and databases are two key services offered under cloud computing. A cloud database is built and accessed through a cloud platform. Cloud platforms offer the option to create a purpose-built database. A database expert is expected to know about the various options that the cloud platform provides and decide which database is most suitable for a particular business need. The database should also meet performance, durability, and scalability requirements. Experts are also required to configure applications as per the database to optimize performance and cost.
4. Implementing network management
The shift to remote work has made network management a critical cloud computing skill, while the proliferation of IoT devices and bring your own device (BYOD) has made the task even more challenging. Managing a network is a complex task and requires experts to know which equipment at the endpoint and midpoint is right to ensure high-speed communication. Networking experts will have to design the network to handle spikes in load and have alternate routes available if the link fails. They will need to take a call on what task needs to be assigned to which network. For instance, a remote worker would require access to VPN to sign in, while IoT devices should ideally operate on a different network for security reasons.
5. Configuring access and security
Migrating to the cloud opens up an organization to all sorts of data security risks. Visibility and control are key to securing the cloud. A security expert will have to ensure that all data is categorized as per its relevance. This would help identify critical data to avoid penalties by regulators and loss of intellectual property. They also need to define who within a company has access to what kind of data, and for that, they will have to set up identify and access management. Auditing configurations regularly is also essential to avoid any misconfigurations and identify exploitable weaknesses before threat actors can exploit them.
Also Read: What Is Anything/Everything as a Service (XaaS)? Definition and Key Trends
6. Monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimizing
Cloud solutions and services require regular monitoring, optimization, and troubleshooting. This can be challenging, and, as such, it is important to be familiar with how application, device, and network components work with other system components. A cloud engineer working on this aspect should know how to implement application insights into ASP.NET web apps and implement web tests and alerts. The primary responsibility of a cloud professional is to ensure that all the applications on the cloud are functioning efficiently.
7. Ensuring business continuity
Cloud specialists are also expected to have a plan in place for contingencies. They need to define the procedures that an organization should follow in case of man-made or natural disasters such as cyberattacks, fires, floods, earthquakes, or terrorist attacks. The objective is to avoid business disruption and ensure that core functions can be resumed soon if there is a disruption. Some critical steps in ensuring business continuity include identifying essential functions and dependencies and determining a feasible downtime for critical functions. Defining a backup plan and the frequency of taking backups is extremely crucial to business continuity.
Also Read: What Is Cloud Computing? Definition, Benefits, Types, and Trends
Top 10 Cloud Computing Courses and Certifications in 2021
Cloud professionals, especially cloud architects, are in great demand and among the IT industry’s highest-paid professionals. As per industry estimates, cloud architects are earning a median salary of $137,957. However, finding these jobs with higher pay scales can become a lot easier with a cloud certification in hand. According to testing company Pearson, 35% of cloud professionals reported an increase in salary after earning a certification. When it comes to getting a cloud certification, there is no shortage of choices.
There are several beginner-level certifications for those beginning their career and want to test their knowledge and understanding of different cloud platforms. Then there are professional-grade certifications with a specific focus on particular skills for those already working as cloud professionals but focusing on a particular role such as a cloud architect or cloud developer. Many top certifications in this field are provided by leading cloud vendors in the market, such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Cloud computing certifications can be classified into three categories— beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
Let’s look at all three categories in detail and explore the top cloud courses and certifications under each category.
Beginner-level cloud computing certifications
Beginner-level courses and certifications primarily focus on testing basic knowledge and understanding of cloud platforms. They can be the stepping stones for individuals from cloud-adjacent job profiles who plan to add a new skill to their portfolio.
Popular top beginner-level certifications include AWS Cloud Practitioner, Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals, and Google Cloud Digital Leader. The entry fee is usually around $100, and the prerequisites can vary. For instance, AWS cloud practitioners require candidates to have six months of AWS experience in technical, managerial, or financial roles.
In comparison, Azure Fundamental and Google Cloud Digital Leader do not have any specific prerequisites. Candidates are only required to have a foundational grasp of IT services and critical cloud concepts. They need to be familiar with basic networking, storage, computing, and application support and development.
Comparison of Beginner Cloud Certifications
1. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
Entry fee: $100
A step toward achieving an Associate-level or Specialty certification, AWS cloud practitioner is the entry-level cloud certification for users with some familiarity with AWS.
Requirements: It requires candidates to have at least six months of AWS experience in technical, managerial, sales, purchasing, or financial roles. Candidates are also required to have a basic understanding of IT services and the AWS Cloud platform.
Also Read: What Is Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)? Definition, Components, Providers, and Trends
2. Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals
Entry Fee: $99
This certification covers the basics of Azure and can help beginners in cloud-based solutions and services. It tests their skill level in key cloud concepts, services and workloads in Azure; security, compliance, privacy, pricing and support for Azure. This is a foundational certification but in vogue and can help professionals from cloud-adjacent careers.
Requirements: Candidates should have a basic knowledge of cloud services offered by Microsoft. They should also have some understanding of networking, storage, compute, and application development.
3. Google Cloud Digital Leader
Entry fee: $99
This is a job-role agnostic certification for individuals who do not have hands-on experience with Google Cloud. The certification will assess general cloud knowledge with a particular focus on GCP and its products and services. Google also offers a training package tailored to align with the Cloud Digital Leader exam.
Requirements: There are no prerequisites or recommended skills for this certification.
Also Read: What Is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)? Definition, Examples, Types, and Best Practices
Intermediate-level cloud computing courses
Individuals who want to fine-tune their knowledge of cloud computing platforms can opt for courses instead of certifications. Unlike cloud certifications that focus only on testing their expertise over any particular cloud platform, cloud courses help by preparing them for one or multiple certifications. These courses include live classes, case studies, and video tutorials. They can also cost a lot more in comparison to certifications.
1. Simplilearn Cloud Architect Masters Program
Entry Fee: $1,499
Duration: 5 to 6 months
This program can help individuals build core skill sets to design and deploy scalable, highly available, and fault-resistant AWS applications: Azure and GCP. Accredited by AWS and Azure, the program offers more than 60 live online classroom sessions led by seasoned instructors, along with over 100 hours of self-paced videos. It also covers more than 16 real-world case studies from various industries to make candidates familiar with the technical challenges of running cloud operations.
Once a candidate has completed the course, they can also apply for certification in AWS SysOps Associate, AWS Developer Associate, Azure Administrator Associate, and Azure Developer Associate. Those who subscribe to the program get 365 days of access to live classes and lifetime access to course material.
2. Architecting on AWS by Global Knowledge
Entry Fee: $2,095
Duration: 3 days
This is a three-day Amazon-certified course for individuals who want to learn the essential skills to design an IT solution on AWS. It offers hands-on training videos covering current AWS best practices and AWS architecture principles. The program’s core focus areas are to train candidates on how they can improve architectures with AWS solutions and what they should do to increase performance and minimize costs in an AWS-based infrastructure.
Note that this course is not for beginners. It is meant for cloud professionals who already have some grasp over AWS essentials or have a working knowledge of distributed systems, networking concepts, and multi-tier architectures.
Also Read: What Is Private Cloud Storage? Definition, Types, Examples, and Best Practices
Intermediate-level cloud computing certifications
Intermediate-level courses serve as a stepping stone to advanced certifications. Their entry fee is slightly higher than that of a foundational certification. It requires candidates to have at least six months or even up to 2 years of work experience in cloud development.
Comparison of Intermediate Cloud Certifications
1. Google Associate Cloud Engineer
Entry Fee: $125
Expected Salary: $108,752 per year (source: Ziprecruiter.com)
This is a mid-level certification program for professionals who want to become Google associate cloud engineers. It tests their skills in setting up a cloud environment and planning, configuring, and deploying a cloud solution using Cloud Marketplace. It also tests a candidate’s ability to configure access and security.
Requirements: This certification doesn’t have any specific prerequisites, but candidates are recommended to have at least six months of experience running Google Cloud products and solutions. They should also be familiar with concepts such as virtual machines and containers.
Also Read: What Is Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)? Definition, Key Components, Best Practices, and Providers
2. Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate
Entry Fee: $165
Expected Salary: $138,264 per year (source: Ziprecruiter.com)
This certification is meant for professionals who are proficient in designing, building, testing, and managing cloud applications and services on Azure. They should also have been involved in all stages of cloud development, including definition, design, development, deployment, maintenance, monitoring, and performance.
Requirements: Candidates for this certification are required to have one to two years of professional development experience. Any experience with Microsoft Azure will be a bonus. In addition, candidates are also expected to have the ability to program in at least one language supported by Azure. They should also be well-versed in Azure SDKs, Azure PowerShell, APIs, debugging, data storage and connections, app authentication, and authorization, along with the deployment of containers.
3. AWS Associate
Entry Fee: $150 for each
Expected Salary: $121,206 per year (ziprecruiter.com)
Under the AWS Associate program, Amazon offers three different certifications:
- Solutions Architect certificate is meant for those who have worked as a solutions architect for a year and have first-hand knowledge of designing cost-efficient, robust, and scalable distributed systems on AWS.
- SysOps Administrator certificate is for those who have worked in systems operations and have a minimum of one year of experience in deploying, managing, and running operations on AWS.
- Certified Developer certificate is meant for individuals with one or more years of first-hand knowledge of developing and managing applications on AWS.
Also Read: Top 10 Hybrid Cloud Security Solution Companies in 2021
Advanced cloud computing certifications
Advanced certifications can cost up to three times more than beginner or intermediate ones. Unlike the other two categories, advanced certifications are for individuals who are already working as cloud professionals but plan to enhance their skill set in specific domains within the cloud. For this, cloud providers have specific cloud certifications that focus on specialties such as DevOps, security, and machine learning.
Comparison of Advanced Cloud Certifications
1. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
Entry Fee: $300
Expected Salary: $148,456 per year (source: globalknowledge.com)
This certification is meant for professionals who have experience as solutions architects and have managed and operated systems on AWS for a period of two or more years. It will validate their proficiency in migrating complex, multi-tier applications and designing and implementing scalable operations on AWS.
Requirements: Candidates should be trained in AWS CLI, AWS APIs, AWS CloudFormation templates, and AWS Management Console. They should also be familiar with scripting languages and Windows and Linux environments.
Also Read: Top 10 Private Cloud Hosting Solution Providers in 2021
2. AWS Certified Security
Entry Fee: $300
Expected Salary: $143,677 per year (source: ziprecruiter.com)
There is considerable demand for cloud security professionals across the world. This certification can go a long way in establishing one’s credentials in this specific domain. Candidates planning to apply for this certification should be familiar with how AWS security services work. Getting the certification will be easier for those who understand and implement specialized data classifications, AWS data protection mechanisms, or data encryption methods.
Requirements: This certification requires candidates to have a minimum of two years of first-hand knowledge of securing AWS workloads or at least five years of security experience in IT, focusing on designing and deploying security solutions.
3. Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
Entry Fee: $165
Expected Salary: $152,142 per year (source: ziprecruiter.com)
This certification is ideal for cloud architects. It tests their ability to deploy and configure infrastructure, implement workloads and security, and create and deploy applications. Candidates eyeing this certification should have worked in an advisory role and helped stakeholders turn business requirements into secure, scalable, and dependable cloud solutions.
Requirements: The certification requires candidates to be proficient in designing and implementing solutions for computing, network, storage, and security in Azure. Candidates should have intermediate-level skills for administering Azure and must be familiar with Azure development and DevOps processes.
Comparison of Advanced Cloud Certifications
4. Google Professional Cloud Architect
Entry Fee: $200
Expected Salary: $135,980 per year (source: ziprecruiter.com)
This certification is ideal for individuals who can design, develop, and manage robust, secure, scalable, highly available, and dynamic solutions on Google Cloud. It tests whether a candidate can be a successful cloud architect. The test will throw questions from specific case studies to test the ability to solve particular cloud problems.
Requirements: Google recommends candidates applying for this certification to have three+ years of industry experience, including one+ years of experience in designing and managing solutions using GCP.
5. AWS Certified Machine Learning
Entry Fee: $300
Expected Salary: $142,000 per year (source: simplyhired.com)
This certification is perfect for individuals working as data scientists. It validates the ability to identify suitable AWS services and design and implement scalable, cost-optimized, and secure machine learning (ML) solutions.
Requirements: Candidates should have one to two years of experience developing and running machine learning/deep learning workloads on AWS Cloud. They are also required to be proficient in expressing the intuition behind basic ML algorithms.
Also Read: 8 Security Certifications for the Biggest Pay Raises in 2021
Benefits of cloud computing certifications
Aspiring cloud professionals are expected to possess various skills to handle their job responsibilities efficiently, and certifications are a great way to exhibit those skills. Here are the top benefits of adding a cloud computing certification to your resume.
- Improved chances of getting shortlisted: Having the right certification when trying to enter a new domain always helps you get noticed. Certifications show the depth of knowledge you possess about a subject with respect to industry benchmarks. When hiring a cloud expert, organizations tend to look for certifications, training, and experience related to the cloud. It proves that you have the right set of skills and expertise required to do the job efficiently. A certification in cloud computing shows that you can perform complex tasks in cloud-related projects. It implies that you possess the skills to handle cloud deployment and minimize the risks related to cloud.
- Increase in earning potential: A certification in cloud computing promises better career growth owing to the increasing demand for cloud professionals. However, the supply of skilled candidates is limited. Employers are willing to pay much more to applicants with the right skill set. Today, there are around 362,356 cloud computing positions available in the U.S. and 721,719 open positions worldwide. There is, therefore, no doubt that a certification course in the cloud increases an IT professional’s earning potential.
- Job security: The IT industry is infamous for being sensitive to the smallest of shifts in business trends. But as far as predictions go, the cloud is here to stay, and so are the jobs in cloud technology. Most organizations have a tough time filling the positions for cloud professionals due to the lack of experts in the field. Pro tip: Although volatile market conditions don’t easily influence cloud computing jobs, it always helps to have the latest certifications for additional perks and added job security.
- Growth: Cloud has completely transformed the way businesses used to operate. All companies, big or small, rely on cloud platforms to host critical applications and software. The trend is only expected to grow in the future as companies continue to opt for technologies that help them grow their business rapidly. A certification in cloud ensures that you don’t fall behind in the race. Pro tip: Apart from a certification in cloud computing, you may also want to consider getting certified in DevOps. Today, most organizations use DevOps to deliver new features and software applications. A huge number of businesses have already adopted it. As more companies realize the several advantages of DevOps, the demand for experts in the domain will rise. An AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional certification would be a great way to dive into DevOps.
Also Read: Private vs. Public Cloud: 10 Key Comparisons
In conclusion
Since the jobs in the cloud industry evolve much faster than other tech positions, this industry promises excellent career opportunities. As needs change, companies are eager to attract professionals with the right talent and skill sets. So, no matter the direction you choose, cloud certifications are sure to take your career to the next level.
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