Is your IT future in the Cloud?

Cloud concept hanging computers

If you hop over to CompTIA's press releases page, and make a quick count of what's showing, then you'll find no fewer than two of the first six items listed there based on so-called "cloud studies." (That, at least, is what I'm seeing on Nov. 21, as I write this post.) The same is true for many certification sponsors, including not just CompTIA, but also Cisco, Microsoft, VMware and many more. Run a quick search here at GoCertify in the "Cloud and Virtualization" category, and no fewer than 63 credentials pop up. (Another such list, from Polish cert-maven Miroslav Burnejko, last updated in January 2013, listed 52 credentials from 13 different sponsors).

 

My point is that the cloud continues blowin' and goin' and appears to offer an important career pathway to IT professionals to help them be sure that they can remain relevant and employable for the foreseeable future. Digging a bit deeper into the Certification Advisor, here's how things shake out:

 

Foundation Level Certs

 

1 — Alfresco Certified Administrator (ACA)
2 — AppSense Certified Professional (ACP)
3 — Cloudera Certified Specialist in Apache HBase (CCSHB)
4 — CompTIA Cloud Essentials
5 — EMC Cloud Infrastructure and Services (EMCCIS) Associate
6 — F5 Certified Administrator
7 — NetApp Certified Implementation Engineer (NCIE)
8 — Symantec Certified Specialist (SCS)
9 — VMware Certified Associate - Desktop (VCA4-DT)
10 — VMware Certified Professional - Desktop (VCP5-DT)

 

Intermediate Level Certs

 

1 — Alfresco Certified Engineer (ACE)
2 — AWS Certified Developer — Associate
3 — AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate
4 — AWS Certified SysOps Administrator — Associate
5 — CCC Cloud Technology Associate
6 — Check Point Certified Security Expert (CCSE)
7 — Cisco Data Center Unified Computing Design Specialist
8 — Cisco Data Center Unified Computing Support Specialist
9 — Cloudera Certified Administrator for Apache Hadoop (CCAH)
10 — Cloudera Certified Developer for Apache Hadoop (CCDH)
11 — CompTIA Cloud+
12 — EMC Cloud Architect (EMCCA) Specialist
13 — EMC Data Center Architect (EMCDCA) Specialist
14 — Extreme Networks Specialist-Automation Certification (ENS-A)
15 — Extreme Networks Specialist-Data Center Certification (ENS-DC)
16 — F5 Certified Technology Specialist
17 — HP Accredited Solutions Expert (ASE)
18 — IBM Certified Solution Advisor
19 — Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
20 — Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) - Database Cloud Administrator
21 — Parallels Certified Virtualization Professional (PCVP)
22 — Puppet Developer Certification
23 — Puppet Professional Certification
24 — Red Hat Certified Virtualization Administrator (RHCVA)
25 — Symantec Certified Professional (SCP) - Cloud Security
26 — VMware Certified Advanced Professional - Cloud Governance (VCAP-CG)
27 — VMware Certified Advanced Professional - Cloud Infrastructure Design (VCAP-CID)
28 — VMware Certified Advanced Professional - Data Center Administrator (VCAP-DCA)
29 — VMware Certified Advanced Professional - Data Center Design (VCAP-DCD)
30 — VMware Certified Advanced Professional - Desktop Administration (VCAP-DTA)
31 — VMware Certified Advanced Professional - Desktop Design (VCAP-DTD)

 

Advanced Level Certs

 

1 — AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Professional
2 — Citrix Certified Enterprise Engineer (CCEE)
3 — EMC Cloud Architect (EMCCA) Expert
4 — F5 Application Delivery Engineer
5 — F5 Solution Expert
6 — HP Master Accredited Solutions Expert (MASE)
7 — IBM Certified Advanced Deployment Professional
8 — Oracle Certified Master (OCM) - Database Cloud Administrator
9 — Parallels Certified Virtualization Engineer (PCVE)
10 — VMware Certified Design Expert - Cloud (VCDX-Cloud)
11 — VMware Certified Design Expert - Data Center Virtualization (VCDX-DCV)
12 — VMware Certified Design Expert - Desktop (VCDX-DT)

 

To get a good sense about which of these certs register on the most radars nowadays, you might want to read an article I wrote last May for Tom's IT Pro. Entitled Best Cloud IT Certifications for 2014 it singles out five certifications in particular as worthy of note. These include the CompTIA Cloud Computing Essentials, MCSE: Private Cloud, VMware VCP-Cloud, AWS Certified Solutions Architect � Professional, and the Certified Cloud Technology Professional (CCTP). I also cover eight cloud security credentials in a late 2013 SearchCloudSecurity article entitled SearchSecurity's Cloud Computing Security Certification Guide that's worth a look-see for those coming to the cloud more from an information security perspective.

 

One thing's for sure: there's a lot to consider, and even more to study and learn, for those who think they'd like to add cloud competency to their collection of IT skills and knowledge. These days, that looks like a very smart — and safe — bet!

 

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About the Author

Ed Tittel is a 30-plus-year computer industry veteran who's worked as a software developer, technical marketer, consultant, author, and researcher. Author of many books and articles, Ed also writes on certification topics for Tech Target, ComputerWorld and Win10.Guru. Check out his website at www.edtittel.com, where he also blogs daily on Windows 10 and 11 topics.