Cloud Engineer: What Do They Do & How To Become One?

As businesses increasingly shift their operations online and cloud computing technology continues to advance, cloud engineering has emerged as a highly desirable profession. According to Glassdoor, the average annual salary for a cloud engineer in the United States is USD 151,960, making it a lucrative career option.

If you're interested in pursuing a career in the cloud computing engineering sector and wondering how to get started, this article will guide you through the general process step by step.

Who is a Cloud Engineer?

A cloud engineer is an IT expert in charge of the technical aspects of working in a cloud environment. A cloud engineer is a professional who is in charge of designing, constructing, and maintaining a company's cloud computing infrastructure and services. Their responsibilities include the following:

• Providing security and adhering to industry standards
• Technical troubleshooting and resolution
• Managing and optimizing cloud resource costs
• Cloud solution planning, design, and implementation
• Choosing and implementing cloud services and tools
• Cloud infrastructure monitoring and management

However, the term "cloud engineer" may refer to a group of experts in charge of a specific aspect of the cloud environment.

For example, a Solution Architect, Cloud Developer, and SysOps Engineer have separate roles and responsibilities, but they are all cloud engineers. Their special recognition as that of a Solution Architect, for instance, is linked to their certification of AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform. The primary responsibility for management, planning, architecture, and monitoring is shared by all, regardless of certifications.

What does a Cloud Engineer Do?

A cloud engineer creates, designs, and deploys cloud-based software and processes. They also design and operate cloud infrastructure. For example, if a company wants to build a cloud-based bookstore, it will typically need the services of a cloud engineer.

• Working with cybersecurity and IT personnel to evaluate current cloud architecture
• Data migration from existing systems to cloud-based applications
• Keeping up with the latest cloud application developments
• Offering cloud-based support services
• Troubleshooting and debugging cloud computing issues
• Cloud-based system upgrades to improve operations and prevent cybersecurity threats
• Cloud-based function automation
• Integrating cloud-based solutions to meet client requests and enable network user communication

Cloud Developer

A Cloud Developer is in charge of identifying best cloud practices and solutions that could be useful for cloud application support. Cloud developers commit to writing code for serverless applications. They also ensure the automation of certain development processes and are knowledgeable about the application life cycle and the use of APIs.

Cloud Developers, as the name implies, are in charge of the development of cloud applications. They necessitate programming abilities. Developing, deploying, and debugging cloud-based applications are also part of their efforts.

They must be familiar with the most important characteristics of cloud service providers. Their skill set will include experience writing, patching, and debugging cloud applications. They must also understand how containers are used in development processes.

What does a Cloud Engineer do as a SysOps Engineer?

• System operation engineers are System Administrators who take on responsibilities after the application has been designed and developed. They keep the development process going by managing and regulating the applications. They also require system administration knowledge in order to operate the system. It is critical that they can work with virtual platforms.
• They require auditing and monitoring abilities.
• Third, they are in charge of translating architectural specifications. They must be well-versed in the implementation and control of data flow to and from the service provider. They must be able to operate fault-tolerant systems.
• SysOps Engineers are in charge of identifying bottlenecks in an application's performance.

In addition to overseeing recovery management to address any potential failure or downtime, these sysops engineers also implement cloud access controls to ensure data integrity. Additionally, they are responsible for managing network-related workloads including DNS and firewalls.

So, What does it take to become a Cloud Engineer?

As businesses continue to migrate their operations to the cloud and cloud computing technology advances at a rapid pace, the demand for skilled cloud engineers is on the rise. If you're interested in pursuing a career in cloud engineering, you may be wondering what it takes to become a cloud engineer. In this section, we'll explore the key skills, education, and experience required to succeed in this rapidly growing field.

Technical Competencies

• Storage knowledge: A thorough understanding of various types of storage, such as personal cloud, hybrid cloud, and private cloud.
• Understanding virtual networks and network management.
• DevOps: Familiarity with the popular cloud engineering framework will only increase your chances of getting hired, particularly by Amazon Web Services (AWS).
• Web Services and Application Programming Interfaces (API): Knowledge of Open Standards such as SOAP, WSDL, and others is required for tagging, moving, and describing data for these standards.
• Database knowledge: Hands-on experience with cloud database management, MySQL, and Hadoop.
• Linux: A basic understanding of the Linux operating system is beneficial because many businesses use it for cloud development.
• Programming abilities: Understanding of a few programming languages such as.NET, Python, Golang, and others.

Soft Skills

• Leadership: Cloud engineers must be good leaders to ensure that their teams have the necessary guidance, support, and tools to achieve their objectives.
• Continued learning zeal: Cloud engineers should continue to learn and update their knowledge.
• Problem-solving: Excellent troubleshooting skills are essential as cloud engineers often need to troubleshoot.
• Communication: Cloud engineers must communicate effectively as they collaborate with other teams and clients to provide a solution.
• Project management: Cloud engineers must be able to manage projects in order to deliver high-quality projects on time and within budget.

Cloud engineer career path

You may be able to find an entry-level cloud engineering position if you have a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. This isn't the only option for you.

Many cloud professionals begin their careers in IT positions that include cloud concepts. Jobs such as systems engineer, network engineer, DevOps engineer, and database administrator fall into this category. From there you can work as a cloud engineer or system administrator. Cloud engineers can advance to more specialized positions such as cloud architects.