Things to Consider While Building a Career in Cloud Computing

Investing in cloud computing has become a top priority for all organizations, as it delivers various IT resources through the internet at a reduced cost. It offers several benefits like the flexibility of increasing or decreasing the infrastructure, enhanced scalability, multiple services, information security, enhanced DevOps, etc.

Cloud Computing is currently a $219 billion strong industry and is expected to grow swiftly in the upcoming future [Source: GlobeNewswire]. Companies use cloud computing for various cases, like gaming companies that use the cloud to deliver online gaming to millions of players worldwide and financial service companies that use the cloud for real-time fraud detection and prevention.

Similarly, many companies use the cloud for data backup, electronic mails, virtual desktops, disaster recovery, software development & testing, big data analytics, and web applications. It helps organizations deliver high-end services, easy communication, and satisfaction to their customers and employees.

As cloud computing is an emerging sector full of opportunities, an increasing number of students are looking to pursue a career in this field, especially job roles like an AWS Cloud Architect. Individuals who have good skills and certification in cloud computing can earn an average salary of ₹20 lakh in India [Source: Payscale] as there is a high demand for such professionals.

If you also plan to build a career in this field, there are some things that you should consider well in advance. Continue reading to find info related to some of such important things.

Understanding the Cloud Computing Industry

Cloud computing is prevalent among small and big businesses and offers much more than simply helping to store data. Instead of owning and maintaining physical data centers and services, it allows organizations to access technological services like computing power, storage, and database from a cloud service provider, at a reduced IT overhead cost.

• The cloud computing industry is expected to grow up to $791.48 billion by 2028.
• The industry offers various types of services like IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), Serverless Computing, and SaaS (Software as a Service).
• These services are used in various sectors like Banking, Finance, Insurance, Telecommunication, Government, Retail, Healthcare, Gaming, etc.
• Some of the key players in this market are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, Google Cloud, Apple, Rackspace Technology, VMware, SAP SE, etc.

Job Opportunities in Cloud Computing

The demand for cloud solutions is growing exponentially, which also leads to a higher demand for talent. The following stats report by NASSCOM shows that this industry has huge opportunities.

• There was around a 40% increase in job openings in the cloud from 2019 to 2020, with about 3,80,000 job openings in 2020.
• Currently, India has around 6,08,000 cloud professionals and the demand is expected to grow up to around 2 million by 2025 [Source: Business Standard].
• The demand for cloud skills overweights the current supply of cloud professionals.

Career Paths and Salary in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a huge IT service providing industry. The service providers have various job positions to design, develop, manage and secure the cloud. There are 3 main career paths in cloud computing.

Cloud Developer

• Cloud developers are mainly software engineers who specialize in cloud computing. They are also hired as a cloud engineer, cloud software developers, cloud security analyst, etc.
• Their responsibility is to develop programs and software for the global and virtual cloud network. Since these networks are virtual, there are high chances of cyberattacks, so they have to develop a secure, hack-proof system.
• The average salary of cloud developers in India is expected to be around ₹7.94 lakh per annum.

Cloud Operations

• Cloud technology operations deal with monitoring, logging, and managing cloud services like email, content management, account services, online marketplace, systemwide reporting, security, etc.
• The job options available in operations are Cloud Operations Engineer, Cloud Administrator, etc.
• These professionals in the areas of cloud operations do not just work to deliver the cloud services, but they also manage the infrastructure. They develop, enforce and update policies, establish security protocols & policies, and assess the need for technology updates, among many other works.
• The average salary in the area of cloud operations is around ₹6 lakh per annum.

Cloud Architect

• Cloud architecture is a complete set of components that consists of a front-end, a back-end, a network, and a cloud-based delivery model.
• A cloud architect converts the technical requirements of a project into an architectural design.
• The average salary of a cloud architect in India is around ₹18 lakh per annum.

Skills Required in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is an industry that hires candidates based on their skills and experience. Some of the skills that an individual should have before starting a career in cloud computing are:

• Programming Skills: An individual should have basic knowledge of Java, JavaScript, and Python. They should be proficient in PHP and .NET as well.
• Database Skills: Candidates should excel in database querying languages like MySQL, Hadoop, etc. and some other database platforms.
• Networking Skills: There are multiple cloud services interacting with one another; therefore, networking skills are critical in cloud computing.
• Cloud Platforms: They should understand how the major cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, and Microsoft Azure work.
• Information Security: Keeping the organization’s cloud security is essential, and all cloud platforms put extra effort into security. Therefore expertise in cybersecurity can be beneficial.

Certifications in Cloud Computing

Since IT professionals with cloud skills are in high demand, cloud certification can make their chances of getting hired stronger. Certification will make the resume more valuable and also helps in getting a salary hike. Some of the most valuable certification courses in cloud computing are listed below in this table.

As we can see from all of this discussion, there is a huge demand for cloud computing professionals in the current market . With top companies like IBM, Amazon, Google, Alibaba, Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP hiring cloud experts, this sector can be a game-changer for your career, especially when you have a certificate. So do explore the cloud world and make a beautiful career here.