Top 6 Cloud Computing Certifications Worth Taking

August 1, 2024:

Course Spotlight: Microsoft Cloud Support Associate Professional Certificate on Coursera

Our assessment: Best for going from beginner to ready for a career

This certification teaches skills from the very basics of knowledge about computing to valuable professional techniques in Microsoft Azure, one of the most popular cloud platforms. This certification includes 12 courses intended to get learners up to speed on IT and cybersecurity, Microsoft 365, cloud management and professional cloud administration. The courses included are:

Introduction to Computers.
Introduction to Secure Networking
Essential Aspects of Software, Hardware and Data Backup.
Cybersecurity and Privacy.
The Microsoft 365 Ecosystem.
Technical Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Techniques.
Cloud Computing Essentials With Azure Management.
Azure Cloud Services.
Azure Identity and Networking Essentials.
Azure Network Configuration.
Azure Monitoring and Analytics Fundamentals.
Azure Backup, Security and Compliance Administration.

Cloud computing certifications can expand your skills and teach you how to navigate major cloud providers like Google Cloud or AWS. Specializations in certain cloud providers can serve as strong foundations for niche careers, while nearly all businesses use some form of cloud service.

Disclaimer: This article is sponsored by Coursera.

Top cloud certifications comparison

Certification	Cost	Duration	Skill level
Microsoft Cloud Support Professional Certificate (Coursera)	$49 per month	4 months at 10 hours per week	Beginner
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (AWS)	$150 (for exam)	Self-paced courses and exam guidance, plus 130-minute exam	Intermediate
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (AWS)	$300	Self-paced courses and exam guidance, plus 180-minute exam	Advanced
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (Microsoft Azure)	$99	Self-paced courses and exam guidance (at least 6 hours, 30 minutes) plus 45-minute exam	Beginner
CompTIA Cloud+ (CompTIA)	$369	Self-paced courses and exam guidance, plus 90-minute exam	Advanced
ISC2 Certified Cloud Security Professional (ISC2)	$1,519	Self-paced or guided training and 3-hour exam	Advanced

Microsoft Cloud Support Professional Certificate: Best for going from beginner to ready for a career

This official certification from Microsoft teaches the fundamentals of managing cloud support. Image: Coursera

This series of courses is taught by Microsoft personnel and results in a career credential proving your expertise. These courses teach how to perform cloud support in Microsoft Azure solutions and services, and how to adapt technology diagnostic skills specifically to IT and cloud problems. You will learn how to handle data backup and mobile device management as related to Microsoft’s cloud solutions and services.

Pricing

This certification is available with a Coursera subscription, which costs $49 per month after a 7-day free trial.

Duration

These courses take about four months to complete at 10 hours per week.

Pros	Cons
Learn about Azure from the people who created it. Show completion of this certification to receive a 50% discount voucher to take the AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification Exam.	Focuses on one vendor. Consider whether taking individual courses instead of the entire certification might meet your needs.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this certification.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate: Best for getting started with AWS cloud

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect certification requires signing up for an in-person or proctored exam. Image: AWS

If you want a career in administering or managing AWS cloud solutions, employers may ask for this or a similar official certification from AWS. AWS is one of the largest cloud providers in the world. Specializing in it could be useful for a career in cloud computing. This certification proves you have some experience using AWS Cloud in situations that could arise during on-premise IT work.

Pricing

The exam, which is required for the certification, costs $150. See AWS for pricing in other currencies.

Duration

The duration depends on the time it takes for an individual to get ready to take the exam. AWS provides a guide on how the questions will be set up on the exam, as well as digital courses on AWS products (AWS Builder Labs, AWS Cloud Quest and AWS Jam are suggested) and prep courses. The exam itself lasts 130 minutes.

Pros	Cons
Learn how to optimize AWS solutions for efficiency and cost. Industry-recognized certification. Completing this certification can get you 50% discount on other AWS certifications.	Locks you in to learning about a single vendor.

Prerequisites

Along with the courses listed above that can be useful for studying for the exam, people pursuing this certification should have “AWS Cloud or strong on-premises IT experience,” according to the material. Coding expertise is not required, although “familiarity with basic programming concepts” would be helpful, AWS wrote. People who do not have IT experience are encouraged to study for and pass the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam if they wish to pursue the AWS Certified Solutions Architect certification.

SEE: Cloud and Hybrid Cloud: Differences and Use Cases (TechRepublic Premium)

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional: Best for AWS cloud professionals

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional certification is intended for people who have at least two years of professional experience with AWS Cloud. — The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification is intended for people who have at least two years of professional experience with AWS Cloud. Image: AWS

Earning the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification shows thorough professional experience with AWS products. This certification proves competency in “providing complex solutions to complex problems, optimizing security, cost, and performance, and automating manual processes” with cloud architecture on AWS. The exam evaluates real-world skills for situations such as designing AWS deployment strategies to meet business requirements.

Pricing

The exam costs $300.

Duration

The exam takes 180 minutes. Free practice questions and courses are available with an AWS Skill Builder subscription. Length will vary: The exam prep for this course takes 10 hours, 30 minutes.

Pros	Cons
Beneficial for progressing in your career and negotiating for higher salaries or increased responsibilities.	Relatively niche skillset.

Prerequisites

Professionals pursuing this certification should already be able to evaluate cloud application requirements and make recommendations to their organizations about appropriate deployment on AWS. They should be well-versed in architectural design across multiple applications and projects in complicated organizations.

Microsoft Certified – Azure Fundamentals: Best for Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure is one of the most popular cloud computing services. Image: Microsoft

Azure rivals AWS as the most commonly used cloud computing provider. Receiving this certification will demonstrate professional aptitude with Azure, including endorsement from Microsoft. The certification is the first level of Microsoft’s official trainings for Azure. Passing the exam and receiving the certification requires you to describe and govern Azure compute, networking and storage.

Pricing

The exam costs $99.

Duration

The exam lasts 45 minutes.

Pros	Cons
Demonstrate skills in a commonly used cloud platform. May count toward ACE college credit programs.	Locks you in to learning about a single vendor.

Prerequisites

Professionals wishing to take this course should be technology professionals with experience in infrastructure management, database management and/or software development.

CompTIA Cloud+: Best for seasoned IT workers

Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a well-respected industry advocate for information technology. Image: CompTIA

CompTIA certifications are widely accepted credentials for IT and information security roles. While not strictly necessary to ascend the ranks in those fields, a CompTIA certification shows a seriousness in pursuing excellence in this type of career. The relevant certification will teach you how to maintain, optimize and troubleshoot cloud infrastructure in the real world.

Pricing

The CompTIA Cloud+ exam costs $369.

Duration

The exam lasts 90 minutes.

Pros	Cons
Vendor-neutral. Highly respected in the industry.

Prerequisites

Learners should be experienced IT workers with about five years of experience, including 2–3 years as a systems administrator or cloud engineer.

ISC2 Certified Cloud Security Professional: Best for cloud security

The ISC2 Certified Cloud Security Professional certification marks professional accomplishment in cloud security. Image: ISC2

Like CompTIA, ISC2 is known for being a well-established industry association with a focus on cybersecurity. The cloud security skills tested in this exam and proven with this certification include designing, managing and securing data, applications and infrastructure in the cloud.

Pricing

The exam and training together cost $1,519. The exam cannot be purchased separately.

Duration

The exam lasts 3 hours.

There are two options for training: self-paced or instructor-led. The instructor-led training sessions last between one week and three months, depending on the schedule.

Pros	Cons
Vendor-neutral. Highly respected in the industry.	More expensive than many other certifications. Training and exam cannot be unbundled.

Prerequisites

Learners pursuing the CCSP certification should have five years of experience in IT. Working on a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, information technology or related fields may count as one year of experience for the purposes of the CCSP certification. Three years must be in information security, and one year must be in one of the following domains:

Cloud concepts, architecture and design.
Cloud data security.
Cloud platform and infrastructure security.
Cloud application security.
Cloud security operations.
Legal, risk and compliance.

Methodology

In choosing these certifications, I looked at real job listings for titles like cloud administrator, systems administrator and cloud security administrator. Many job listings that used AWS or Azure as their cloud providers looked for certifications in those services specifically. I chose other certifications based on the professional reputations and wide adoption of the standards from those organizations.

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