Cloud engineering is combining cloud computing with other engineering disciplines. Thus, cloud engineering approaches the standardization, commercialization and governance concerns of cloud computing applications systematically.

Practically, it utilizes the engineering methods and tools in designing, developing, operating and maintaining cloud computing solutions and systems.

It is the process of coming up with the required systems essential in utilizing the economics and power of cloud resources to solve organization’s problems. Java, Python and Ruby programming languages are used in cloud engineering.

SaaS, IaaS and PaaS

Generally, cloud engineering, which is a field engineering mainly focuses on cloud services like SaaS, IaaS and PaaS.

The multidisciplinary method of cloud engineering is surrounded by diverse engineering fields like platform engineering, risk engineering, software engineering and systems engineering amongst others.

Cloud services deliver commodity-like capabilities and inherent challenges in its business model thus making cloud engineering to be crowned as the core discipline.

In the mid-2000s, the idea of cloud engineering was rarely a topic of discussions, talks and presentation in different occasions. The term cloud engineering started getting recognition in 2007, and 2009 was when cloud engineering concept was officially introduced.

Up to now, various aspects and topics of cloud engineering have been widely covered in almost all events related to cloud computing. Some specific areas in cloud computing like cloud business continuity services and development support for cloud services have been extensively researched by cloud engineers.

Elements of cloud engineering

Cloud engineering has the following elements: Foundation, which comprises of the basics, concepts, categorizations and guiding principles. Implementation, which has the “building blocks” and practical guides for cloud insight.

Lifecycle, which focuses on the end-to-end repetition of developing and delivering the cloud. Management, which is the design-time and run-time management of the cloud from different outlooks.

Cloud architects or engineers are the professionals who work in the cloud engineering field. A cloud engineer position has numerous roles. These include cloud software engineer, cloud network engineer, cloud systems engineer and cloud security engineer.

Each field doesn’t focus on the entire technology as a whole; it focuses on a specific type of cloud computing. Cloud engineers are hired by companies looking to further their cloud understanding as a technology or deploy cloud services.

The cloud engineering professionals are required to possess the following key skills:

Learn the language of business

Modern businesses rely on IT and its related service in their daily operations. Therefore, it is important for cloud engineers to understand the language of business.

This means that they must improve their communication skills, involve themselves more in business meetings and understand how and where technology can be used to solve business problems.

If you only understand technology as a cloud engineer, your job choices will be limited. However, if you understand your organization’s visions and goals and integrate cloud into them, you can make a positive impact on your organization.

Understand the logical and the physical

Cloud engineers should understand how different platforms and technologies are run. Although there are experts within these areas, a good engineer must have a broad knowledge of as many as possible base technological theories.

Cloud computing is not one product. It’s rather an integration of main technologies which work together to ensure the end-user gets the necessary data and resources.

So, cloud engineers should possess specific expertise, but also retain the knowledge of how cloud engineering interconnects with the entire world.

Always think outside the box

New industries and sub-industries have been created – thanks to cloud computing. There are new service models, which endeavor to make the data to be the center of everything. So, it is important to be creative in solving problems when working with cloud computing.

One thing a cloud engineer must understand is that they should not throw resources ever to challenge. The cloud environment can be optimized via virtualization, high-density computing amongst other technologies. The key to this is having knowledge and understanding where these solutions fit.