Trends in technology are ever evolving. Today, more and more companies are moving their applications and infrastructure to the cloud. While there are many companies in the space, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform are top cloud solution providers and employers are on the lookout for consultants that have a strong background in each. For those looking to update their skills, there are many training and certification courses available to hone their cloud knowledge. The following is a sample of 6 AWS Certification courses offered by Amazon:

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

The AWS Cloud Practitioner is based on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) public cloud platform. It's the starting point for many Amazon cloud certifications, including AWS Solutions Architect, Developer, DevOps Engineer, and SysOps Administrator.

AWS Cloud Practitioner validates the ability to:

• Define what the AWS Cloud is and the basic global infrastructure
• Describe basic AWS Cloud architectural principles
• Describe the AWS Cloud value proposition
• Describe key services on the AWS platform and their common use cases
• Describe basic security and compliance aspects of the AWS platform & shared security model
• Define the billing, account management, and pricing models
• Identify sources of documentation or technical assistance
• Describe basic/core characteristics of deploying and operating in the AWS Cloud

Learn more about the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner HERE 

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

The AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate examination is for individuals in a solutions architect role that have one or more years of hands-on experience designing available, cost-efficient, fault-tolerant, and scalable distributed systems on AWS. The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification is a prerequisite.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam validates the ability to:

• Effectively demonstrate knowledge of how to architect and deploy secure and robust applications on AWS technologies
• Define a solution using architectural design principles based on customer requirements
• Provide implementation guidance based on best practices to the organization throughout the life cycle of the project

Learn more about the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate HERE 

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional

An AWS architect is someone who can evaluate an organization’s requirements and make architectural recommendations for implementing and deploying applications on AWS. The Certified Solutions Architect Professional certification requires a high degree of technical skill and experience designing AWS-based applications. It is also recommended that the candidate has at least two years of hands-on experience designing and deploying cloud architecture on AWS and best practice knowledge of multi-application architectural design. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification is a prerequisite to this designation.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional exam validates the ability to:

• Design and deploy dynamically scalable, highly available, fault-tolerant, and reliable applications on AWS
• Select appropriate AWS services to design and deploy an application based on given requirements
• Migrate complex, multi-tier applications on AWS
• Design and deploy enterprise-wide scalable operations on AWS
• Implement cost-control strategies

Learn more about the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate HERE 

AWS Certified Developer – Associate

The AWS Certified Developer – the Associate exam is for candidates who have experience developing and maintaining AWS-based applications. The candidates need to know how to write actual code that uses AWS software to access AWS applications from within business applications. Candidates should have one or more years of hands-on experience developing and maintaining an AWS-based application.

AWS Certified Developer – Associate exam validates the ability to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of core AWS services, uses, and basic AWS architecture best practices
• Demonstrate proficiency in developing, deploying, and debugging cloud-based applications using AWS

Learn more about the AWS Certified Developer – Associate HERE

AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate

The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate examination is intended for systems administrators in a system operations role with at least one year of experience in deployment, management, and operations on AWS. Passing this exam requires both technical expertise and conceptual knowledge of the operational aspects of the AWS platform. Experience as a Linux or Windows administrator is a plus.

AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate exam validates the ability to:

• Deploy, manage, and operate scalable, highly available, and fault-tolerant systems on AWS
• Implement and control the flow of data to and from AWS
• Select the appropriate AWS service based on compute, data, or security requirements
• Identify appropriate use of AWS operational best practices
• Estimate AWS usage costs and identify operational cost control mechanisms
• Migrate on-premises workloads to AWS

Learn more about the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate HERE

AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional

The DevOps Engineer certification is about provisioning, operating, and managing applications on the AWS platform. This exam focuses on continuous delivery (CD) and the automation of processes. Having status as an AWS Certified Developer – Associate or AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate is a prerequisite for this exam. Experience provisioning and managing AWS-based application and an understanding of modern application development like Agile development is recommended.

AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional exam validates the ability to:

• Implement and manage continuous delivery systems and methodologies on AWS
• Implement and automate security controls, governance processes, and compliance validation
• Define and deploy monitoring, metrics, and logging systems on AWS
• Implement systems that are highly available, scalable, and self-healing on the AWS platform
• Design, manage, and maintain tools to automate operational processes

Learn more about the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional HERE 

This blog post was written by Danielle Larson, Talent Acquisition & Engagement Specialist

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