The only permanent thing in the digital world is change. The transformation is constant in the technology industry, so new work tools are emerging from time to time and as this happens, new positions and jobs are being born in this field. Now that working in the cloud has become common, especially as a result of the pandemic between 2020 and 2021, cloud engineers are among the most in-demand professionals today to be able to manage all these aspects.
Cloud engineers are responsible for everything related to cloud services, such as implementing, managing, and supporting applications that are based on the cloud. These professionals should have vast experience in aspects such as connectivity, software, and storage platforms, as well as know as much as possible about servers.
Security is an essential aspect in the digital world, so the cloud engineer must have the necessary skills and abilities in this field to protect the data that is stored in the cloud, avoiding vulnerabilities that may affect the normal development of a company.
Differences between a cloud engineer and a data engineer
Before delving into the skills that a cloud engineer should have, it is important to see the difference between a cloud engineer and a data engineer because although they are very similar profiles. For many, both positions are not sufficiently formalized for a company to choose one over the other.
While other engineers in discussion forums, such as Reddit, have stated that broadly, "a data engineer will build systems to move and transform data, while a cloud engineer will build systems using cloud technology".
The conclusion that many professionals reach is the following: both roles and the definition of both roles will depend on the perception and needs of the company. For example, in some cases, a cloud engineer would be expected to focus more on infrastructure, just the cloud. And that the data engineer was responsible for creating data products on the infrastructure provided by the cloud engineer. But the engineers insist that their responsibilities in both cases go far beyond that.
Skills that a cloud engineer should have
- You should have a good understanding of how Linux works, as it is the operating system that companies mostly use in their cloud development.
- Knowing how to manage databases is very valuable, as well as having knowledge of MySQL.
- Obviously, a cloud engineer must have broad programming skills in general, knowing languages such as Java, Python, Ruby, SQL, PHP, .NET.
- Network administration is a fundamental aspect that cloud engineers must know how to handle.
- Knowing how to work with Kubernetes and Docker is valuable in the case of cloud engineers since they are tools for the containerization of data in the cloud.
- Be able to implement and run software on virtual machines.
How can you become a cloud engineer?
To be a cloud engineer, the Cloud Academy talks about what you must learn and manage to dedicate yourself to this field of the technology industry.
- The first thing you must do to be a cloud engineer is, precisely, have a degree in computer science or any field related to this subject.
- Certifications are very valuable in this field, as they validate your skills to the employer. On the Towards Data Science portal, they recommend having certifications in Microsoft Azure as a Certified Associate Developer; another Amazon Web Services certification also as a certified associate developer, as well as the Google Cloud Platform certification as a professional cloud developer. If you have one of these three certifications, it will be enough to validate your talent.
- Another aspect that companies are always interested in is the experience of this cloud engineer. So it would be great if, along with your studies or certifications in the cloud, you could participate in related projects to gain experience and knowledge.
- Be clear that a cloud engineer can have several responsibilities. For example, there are cloud architects who are in charge of managing the cloud infrastructure. TechTarget also explains that there are cloud software developers, who create and maintain the related software and application functions for cloud technologies. There may also be cloud security engineers, who work on the security of cloud-based platforms.
As you can see, the work of cloud engineers is fascinating, but various skills and tools are also required to execute exceptional, quality work. At Rootstack, we have expert cloud engineers who can help with your business needs. Contact us!
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