As the cloud becomes more critical to organizations and IT departments, the question which has been disturbing recruitment managers is whether the people they hire possess the right skills and experience to deliver the required services.
It is important for IT personnel who have specialized in cloud computing to have cloud certifications. These certifications play an important role in proving your skills, give you an upper hand in case you are seeking for a job and help you get promotions.
Through measuring your skills and knowledge against the industry specifications set by the employers, cloud certifications can assist the employers to choose the right candidate for the job. Here are some of the best cloud certifications in 2017.
CompTIA Cloud+
The CompTIA Cloud Essentials certification was introduced in November 2011. This was the first certification which focused wholly on cloud certification and was offered by the Computing Technology Industry Association. The Cloud Credential Council (CCC) and ITpreneurs were involved in the development of the certification.
CompTIA offered Cloud Essentials as their only cloud computing certification until they introduced Cloud+ certification in October 2013. The Cloud+ certification has grown to overtake the initial Cloud Essentials certification in the last few years.
IT professionals with more than two years of experience are well suited for this certification. CompTIA Cloud+ certification validates both the virtualization and cloud computing skills.
It is important for any professional seeking this certification to have a better understanding of terminologies and methods used in cloud computing, IT security, best practices in both virtualization and cloud computing and the ability to develop, maintain and deliver a cloud infrastructure.
MSCE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure
On March 31, 2017, Microsoft will replace MSCE: Private Cloud certification with MSCE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure certification. This certification will be used to validate a candidate’s skills in networking virtualization, the ability to manage data centers, systems and identity management and related cloud technologies.
Before a candidate acquires the MSCE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure certification, they should have one of the following Microsoft Certified Solution Associate (MCSA) certifications: MCSA: Cloud Platform, MCSA: Linux Azure, MCSA Windows Server 2012 and MCSA: Windows Server 2016 certifications.
Candidates must ensure they pass an MCSE specialty examination before they are awarded the MSCE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure certification.
Some of the topics included in the specialty examination include developing, implementing and architecting Azure-related solutions; designing and implementing cloud data platform solutions; monitoring and operating a private cloud and securing Windows Server 2016 amongst others.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched its certification program in May 2013. The program has two distinct certifications: the two-level professional-level and the three associate-level certifications.
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification was introduced in order to assist in the networking of IT professionals who have over two years of experience in designing and deploying cloud services on AWS.
A professional with this certification assists clients in assessing, planning and designing cloud solutions that meet their requirements. Also, they make recommendations for the architecture required in providing and implementing AWS applications. The professionals are also required to provide guidance during the life of the projects.
A candidate applying for this certification program should be familiar with topics such as network design, cloud migration, data storage, hybrid architecture, cloud security, deployment management and costing.
Dell EMCCA: EMC Cloud Architect
Dell Inc. completed the acquisition of EMC in September 2016. This merger was considered as the largest technology merger in history by The Wall Street Journal. The acquisition cost $60 billion.
The EMC Cloud Architect program has three certifications: Associate, Specialist, and Expert. There are some training courses which are either recommended or required for these three certifications.
You can also check out an extended list of 12 cloud certifications if you are looking further than the above 4.