What are the Skills required to become a Cloud Engineer?

Cloud engineering is the practice of designing and implementing cloud-based systems, along with managing them. It is an innovative branch of technology that leverages cloud computing to construct flexible, scalable, and inexpensive solutions. The significance of cloud engineering lies in its ability to address the evolving needs of businesses in an exponentially evolving technological landscape. 

Cloud computing offers numerous benefits, like on-demand resource provisioning, scalability, and enhanced security. Cloud engineers help organisations harness these advantages by architecting and maintaining cloud-based solutions. These services are delivered by tailoring to their specific requirements. 

To magnify your skills in the field of cloud computing, participate in the PG Certificate Programme in Cloud Computing organised by IIT Palakkad. This 12-month-long programme will prepare you to combat complex computing situations in minutes. To Register Connect Jaro Education’s program advisors and prepare to see a career enhancement.

Who is a Cloud Engineer?

An IT professional who is in charge of technological operations related to cloud computing is a cloud engineer. Such professionals comprehensively plan, design, support, manage and maintain technological aspects associated with a computing system. 

Cloud engineers possess expertise in various cloud platforms, like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. With that, they have an in-depth understanding of cloud computing concepts. A cloud engineer primarily creates scalable, secure, and highly available architectures that leverage cloud services. They work with cross-functional teams to identify business requirements, assess cloud needs, and deploy efficient solutions. 

Cloud engineers are also essential in optimising resource utilisation and ensuring data integrity. They also enable organisations to leverage the benefits of cloud computing for their digital transformation initiatives.

Growing Demands for Cloud Engineers

As organisations increasingly adopt cloud technologies, the demand for skilled cloud engineers is skyrocketing. Companies from varied sectors, from startups to large enterprises, seek professionals who effectively manage cloud environments. In the last few years, 90% of businesses worldwide have opted for cloud services, thus increasing the demand for cloud engineers. 

The need for cloud engineers arises from the complexity of cloud computing. This requires specialised knowledge and expertise. Organisations rely on these professionals to design and deploy robust and secure cloud architectures. They require cloud engineers to integrate various cloud services, automate processes, and ensure high availability and performance.

Skills Every Cloud Engineer Should Possess

To be a successful cloud engineer, a person needs to acquire intricate skills and knowledge. To understand the set of skills to hone as a cloud engineer, keep reading.

Technical Skills of an Ideal Cloud Engineer

• Understanding the Prime Cloud Service Providers

  Cloud engineers should have a 360-degree knowledge of the leading cloud service providers, like AWS, Azure, and GCP. This involves understanding their respective features, strengths, and limitations. This enables them to choose the most appropriate platform for specific organisational requirements.

• Comprehensive Knowledge of Core Services

  To be successful as a cloud engineer, one should possess in-depth knowledge of the core services and offerings provided by cloud platforms. This includes services like computing instances, storage solutions, databases, networking, and serverless computing. They should know about the capabilities and best practices associated with each service.

• Hands-on Experience with Cloud Management Consoles

  Practical experience using cloud management consoles is a must-have for a cloud engineer. They should be adept at performing tasks like provisioning resources, configuring security settings, and managing networks. Moreover, they should be skilled in monitoring system performance using the respective cloud provider’s management consoles.

Understanding of DevOps and Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

DevOps and CI/CD are pivotal for cloud engineering. Here are the basic skills cloud engineers should possess in this specific domain.

1. Principles and Practices Concerning DevOps

   A profound understanding of DevOps principles is something every cloud engineer should possess. These involve collaboration, communication, and integration between development and operations teams. They should be familiar with methodologies like Agile, Lean, and DevOps culture to facilitate seamless collaboration.

2.  Experience with CI/CD Tools and Pipelines

   Cloud engineers should have hands-on experience with setting up and managing CI/CD pipelines. They should be proficient in using popular CI/CD tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, or CircleCI. These tools automate the build, test, and deployment processes, allowing for rapid and reliable software delivery.

3. Skills in Deployment Strategies and Automated Testing

   A cloud engineer should possess knowledge of automated testing practices, like unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests. They should be able to design and implement test automation frameworks to ensure software quality.

Containerisation and Orchestration Skills

Both containerisation and orchestration are crucial components of cloud engineering. Here are the technical skills cloud engineers require in this domain. 

1. Proficiency in Containerisation Technologies

   A strong command of containerisation technologies is what companies test when recruiting a cloud engineer. They should be proficient in creating and managing Docker containers. With that, understanding container images and utilising container registries is also a vital necessity.

2. Basic Understanding of Container Orchestration Platforms

   Knowledge of orchestration platforms like Kubernetes is an absolute requirement for being a cloud engineer. They should be familiar with concepts like pods, deployments, services, and ingress. They should have experience in deploying, scaling, and managing applications utilising Kubernetes.

Clear Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Concept

When it comes to the fundamentals of cloud engineering, IaC holds a significant position. Many skills regarding this domain help cloud engineers to compute in this domain. Some of them are described below.

1. Familiarity with IaC Concepts

   To be at par with cloud computing advancements, every cloud engineer needs to be familiar with IaC concepts and tools like AWS CloudFormation and Terraform. The resource definitions and declarative syntax of these frameworks should be at their fingertips. From infrastructure provisioning to version control principle, they should have a clear idea of various IaC aspects.

2. Capability to Write and Manage Infrastructure Code

   Cloud engineers should possess the skills to write infrastructure code using IaC frameworks. They should be proficient in defining infrastructure resources, like virtual machines and networking components, in a code-based format. They should understand code organisation, modularity, and reusability principles. This helps them create scalable and maintainable infrastructure codebases.

3. Skills of Automation and Orchestration

   To organise the deployment and management of infrastructures, it is crucial to have automation and orchestration abilities. The cloud engineers should be capable of using the IaC framework to automate resource provisioning, configure updates, and deploy applications.

Networking and Security Skills

For the utmost reliability and protection of cloud-based systems, networking and security are the top priorities. Below are the skills required in this domain to excel in the field of cloud engineering.

1. Understanding of Virtual Networks, Subnets, and Routing

   A complete understanding of virtual networks and subnets uplifts the resume for a cloud engineer. Proficient skills in designing and configuring virtual networks help with secure communication between multiple cloud resources. They should also acquire knowledge of routing protocols. With these, they should be able to optimise network traffic flow within the cloud environment.

2. Experience with Firewalls, VPNs, and Other Network Security Tools

   Cloud engineers should have hands-on experience in implementing and managing firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs), and other network security tools. They should be able to configure and monitor firewall rules. Plus, the ability to establish secure VPN connections, detect, and mitigate network vulnerabilities are bonus attributes.

Non-technical Skills Ideal for Cloud Engineering

With technical skills, many non-technical skills are also important for having a successful cloud engineering career. The following are a few non-technical skills that can help you stay ahead of the rest.

1. Comprehending Organisational Goals and Business Acumen

   The non-technical skills of cloud engineers should align with their technical decisions. By understanding the business context, they can effectively prioritise projects and make informed recommendations. With these sets of skills, they can deliver cloud solutions that meet the organisation’s needs.

2. Project Management and Leadership Skills

   Cloud engineers often work on complex projects and collaborate with cross-functional teams. Project management skills are essential to plan and execute cloud initiatives efficiently. Cloud engineers should be adept at setting project timelines, coordinating resources, and managing risks. Strong leadership skills enable them to guide teams and facilitate communication to accurate delivery.

3. Continuous Learning for Staying Updated

   Cloud technologies are constantly evolving, and cloud engineers must be committed to continuous learning. They should stay updated with the latest trends and tools in cloud computing. This involves attending conferences, participating in training programs, and engaging with the cloud community.

Soft Skills Suitable for Cloud Engineering

With technical and non-technical skills, every cloud engineer needs to have certain soft skills. The major soft skills facilitating cloud engineering are discussed further. 

1. Problem-Solving and Analytical Thinking

   The operations associated with cloud engineering require critical and analytical thinking. This makes it a compulsion for cloud engineers to analyse problems, identify root causes, and create innovative solutions.

2. Communication and Collaboration Skills

   Cloud engineers work in multidisciplinary teams and interact with various stakeholders. Effective communication skills are vital for conveying technical concepts, explaining complex ideas, and collaborating with team members. They should be able to listen actively, express ideas clearly, and foster effective teamwork to ensure smooth project execution.

Final Thoughts

Becoming a cloud engineer requires diverse skills that encompass both technical and non-technical aspects. Proficiency in cloud platforms, containerisation, DevOps, networking, and security is essential. With that, non-technical skills like problem-solving, communication, adaptability, and time management are vital for success. As the demand for cloud engineering professionals continues to rise, aspiring cloud engineers should focus on acquiring the necessary skills and staying updated. This enables them to thrive in this dynamic field and keep themselves up on the ladder.

To acquire all the necessary cloud engineering skills, participating in the PG Cloud Computing Certification Programme is the best choice. Through this programme, you can learn from the top-tier faculty of IIT Palakkad, along with world-class industry experts. Plus, you can indulge in industry-relevant projects and be a part of the vibrant alumni network of a prestigious institute.