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With the rise and rise of Cloud Computing in past few years, IT Industries are full of opportunities, albeit with few specific skill sets. Cloud is extremely critical to businesses and a hotshot graduate with simply a degree in IT and no experience may not be something which every company (Or perhaps the company we are aiming) is looking for. Some of the Certifications listed below in Cloud may bolster not only your CV but also your confidence of having knowledge about something that your competitors probably won’t. We enlist 12 such certifications specific to cloud computing, the order being random (not as per ranking or value in industry):
1. Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge
Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (more commonly known as CCSK) is also referred to as “the mother of all Cloud Computing Certifications”. CCSK was in-fact the First of its kind to offer Certification in Cloud Security. It offers knowledge in topics such as architecture, governance, compliance, operations, encryption, virtualization and much more. You can find out more information about this certification from the Cloud Security Alliance’s official website.
2. Cloud Certified Professional – CloudSchool.com
Cloud School offers vendor-neutral training and certification through various cloud computing courses. Cloud School provides training programs through both; instructor led workshops as well as books. The workshops are scheduled and often added on short notice, as for books there are self-study kits available. Cloud School offer the following certifications: Certified Cloud Professional, Certified Cloud Technology Professional, Certified Cloud Architect, Certified Cloud Governance Specialist, Certified Cloud Security Specialist, Certified Cloud Storage Specialist, Certified Cloud Virtualization Specialist and Certified Cloud Capacity Specialist. For more information in their workshop schedules, books and the certification itself, you may go to their official website.
CloudU was developed as a collaborative effort between Rackspace and some industry analysts. CloudU offers vendor-neutral content for any business, to not limit itself to any specific vendor or platform. At CloudU, they aim to help you gain knowledge in any form such as original whitepapers, live and on-demand webinars, events, blogs, videos and e-books. There are 10 lessons available followed by a final online examination, post which you can earn your CloudU certification. You will find more information about CloudU at their official website.
4. Salesforce.com Certified Professional
Amid all the vendor neutral cloud certifications, here’s one which is solely dedicated to salesforce and by salesforce. It offers certification depending on your line of work within the IT industry. Salesforce Administrators have an option of standard and Advanced certification, Salesforce Implementation experts have Sales or Service cloud certification, Salesforce Developers have regular and Advanced, and Technical Architects have multi-tiered certification options. You can find more information about Salesforce.com Certified Professional at their official website.
Salesforce also posted a video, a webinar rather, which focuses on queries about the type of questions you can expect in the exam, what to do after getting certified and how to retain the certification. Watch the video above to get the answers to such questions.
5. Cloud Essentials Certification
Cloud Essentials Certification by CompTIA covers the topic of cloud computing from not just Technical but Business perspective as well. It was developed by various IT entrepreneurs along with the help of Cloud Credential Council “a membership body dedicated to vendor-neutral training in cloud computing and comprised of companies including IBM, Cisco, EMC, HP and ING”. Although not mandatory but CompTIA highly recommends having atleast 6 months of experience in IT services before signing up for the program. Find more information about Cloud Essentials Certification on their official website.
6. CompTIA Cloud+ Certification
Another Certification offered by ComTIA, is the Cloud+ Certification. It can also be described as advanced level of certification. Although you do not require the Cloud Essentials Certification to sign up for this program, it is, however, highly recommended that you have a work experience of atleast 2-3 years in “IT networking, storage, or data center administration, and familiarity with any major hypervisor technologies for server virtualization”. You will find more information about this certification on CompTIA’s official website.
7. IBM Certified Solution Architect v1 and v3
IBM offers cloud computing certifications as IBM Certified Solution Architect – Cloud Computing Infrastructure V1 and IBM Certified Solution Advisor – Cloud Computing Architecture V3. IBM describes V1 certification holder as “A person who can demonstrate the design, plan, architecture and management principles of an IBM cloud computing infrastructure”. A V3 certification holder is expected to have the ability to clearly explain cloud computing concepts, explain cloud computing architecture and design principles and some more. To know more about IBM cloud computing certifications, kindly follow the IBM’s official website.
8. Private Cloud Certification – Microsoft
Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) now also offers a certification in Private Cloud. It mainly covers Microsoft’s Hyper-V, System Center and applications such as Sharepoint and Exchange. However, in order to qualify for it, Microsoft requires you to be certified in some programs such as Installing, Configuring and Administering Windows Server 2012, Monitoring and Configuring System Center 2012. You will find more information on it on Microsoft official website.
9. Red Hat Certificate of Expertise in Infrastructure-as-a-Service — Red Hat
Red Hat Certificate of Expertise in Infrastructure-as-a-Service helps learn skills needed to create, configure, and manage private clouds using Red Hat Enterprise Linux® OpenStack® Platform. Although there is no specific eligibility mentioned, the exams are performance based. Instead of answering questions, the exam required to perform tasks on live systems. So Red Hat insists on training via real-world and hands-on experiences as exam preparation. Find more information about this certification on Red Hat’s official website.
In the video above, Randy Russell, Director of Certification for Red Hat, explains how beneficial and different are Red Hat certifications from others.
10. Google Certified Deployment Specialist
The Google Apps Certified Deployment Specialist certification covers the skills and knowledge required to deploy, configure, and migrate to Google Apps for Business and Education. Google recommends having at least 3-6 years experience in IT industry and that candidate complete at least 3 Google Apps for Business deployments since the exam is not completely theoretical. Find out more about this certification from their official website.
11. VMware Certified Professional
VMware offers 6 programs for certification in cloud computing for various levels. They have VMware Certified Associate – Cloud, VMware Certified Professional – Cloud, VMware Certified Advanced Professional – Cloud Infrastructure Design, VMware Certified Advanced Professional – Cloud Infrastructure Administration, VMware Certified Advanced Professional – Cloud Governance (Coming Soon) and VMware Certified Design Expert – Cloud. A VMware Certified Professional is possesses skills to install and configure VMware ESXi, vSphere networking and storage, etc. Different programs require different eligibility. Depending on your interest or level, find out more about Mware certification from their official website.
The above video features Linus Bourque, a VMware Certified Instructor providing a brief overview of the programs offered by VMware.
12. Cloud Credential Council (CCC)
The Cloud Credential Council (CCC) is a global member-driven organization which offers independent and vendor neutral trainings and certifications. The certifications include Cloud Business Associate, Cloud Technology Associate, Professional Cloud Administrator, Professional Cloud Developer, Professional Cloud Security Manager, Professional Cloud Service Manager and Professional Cloud Solutions Architect. You may find the training schedule, location, course and register from their Calendar page. You will also find more useful information about the training partners, trainers, courseware provide on their website. Also watch the video below where Marcel Heilijgers, Executive Director of the Cloud Credential Council explains about Cloud Credential Council’s training programs and certifications, at the 12th International Cloud Expo in New York in 2013.
Most of the IT companies will definitely see even 1 of the certifications listed as an added bonus for them and increases the likelihood of candidate getting hired. The exams are neither easy not cheap in terms of cost. It would be highly recommended to be from an IT background and sufficient work experience in an IT environment for opting to appear or even prepare for the exam perhaps. The cloud computing industry booming and demand for such professionals too is ample, there couldn’t be a better time to start learning.
Feature Photo Credit – Northern Ireland Executive’s/Flickr
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Hi Darshik,
Nice article. However, I dont see you mentioning Cloud Credential Council (CCC) certifications in the list. As far my knowledge goes, its an internationally accredited organization. Was there a specific reason? I am asking because I am actively looking forward to get some vendor neutral certification in Cloud Computing.
Regards.
Hi,
Thank you for visiting the page and more importantly, pointing it out. We will get it added to the list asap.