How to Become a Cloud Architect: Top 10 Skills to Master

According to Gartner, organizations increasingly focus on optimizing cloud infrastructures because of inefficient cloud architectures and ad hoc deployments in public cloud platforms. Moreover, the emergence of new applications also requires organizations to implement different types of cloud architecture. For example, data-intensive applications will require an edge computing infrastructure in which the application is placed close to the server. The growth of these trends is likely to create a huge demand for cloud architects, making it a promising career path. This blog provides a detailed guide on how to become cloud architect. 

What are the Essential Skills and Qualifications Required to Become a Cloud Architect?

The following are the 10 essential skills for how to become cloud architect:

1. Programming

Since a cloud architect develops cloud-based tools and solutions and designs the cloud environment, they must know Java, C++, and Python programming languages. 

2. Cloud Computing

Cloud computing technology refers to providing on-demand cloud services, such as servers, databases, and software, over the Internet. Therefore, cloud architects must learn cloud computing components, types of cloud models, and different cloud services. 

3. DevOps

DevOps is a software engineering practice involving IT development and operations teams collaborating for smooth testing, deploying, and scaling of cloud solutions. Therefore, DevOps is an important skill for cloud architecture. 

4. Networking

Cloud networking skills are necessary for cloud architects to manage, optimize, and deploy network connectivity across different cloud environments. Hence, you should know about virtual routers and firewalls, Virtual Private Network (VPN) and Domain Name System (DNS), load balancers, and other networking components.

5. Cybersecurity

To ensure cloud security, cloud architects should be familiar with the best cybersecurity practices and applications.

6. Computer Operating Systems

These systems are used to manage, operate, and execute applications virtually in a cloud environment. Hence, cloud architects should know about different operating systems, such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Azure.

7. Automation

Knowledge of automation is necessary to create an Application Programming Interface (API) to reduce complexities in multi-cloud environments.

8. Data Storage

Data storage is the foundation of cloud computing. Cloud architects must thus know data storage fundamentals and different types of databases, such as relational and nonrelational databases.

9. Service Selection

Another key skill for cloud architects is the know-how of different cloud services—public, private, multi, and hybrid—and how to implement them based on the organization’s requirements. 

10.  Containers

Containers are software packages that allow all elements in an environment to run virtually. Knowing how to deploy containers is an essential skill to learn.

Now let’s look at the qualifications needed to become cloud architect 

• A Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Engineering, or IT
• One or two years of experience in cloud computing

ALSO READ: A Complete Guide to the Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing

How Can Aspiring Cloud Architects Gain Practical Experience in Cloud Computing?

If you’re wondering how to become cloud architect, then practical experience is crucial. Here’s how you can get it:

1. Online Courses

Pursuing online skill-based cloud computing courses from leading universities is an excellent way to gain practical learning. Many courses offer case studies and projects that provide hands-on experience.

2. Internships

Tech professionals can also intern at leading cloud architecture companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle, and IBM or tech startups to gain cloud architecture skills.

3. Cloud Computing Projects

Another way to gain skills and focus on becoming a cloud architect is to work on cloud computing projects such as hosting a static website on AWS and cloud-based data mining applications.

What are the Best Practices for Building a Strong Cloud Architect Resume?

Now that you know how to become cloud architect, you need to build a stellar resume before you start a cloud architect job search. Here are some of the best cloud architect resume practices to follow:

1. Highlight Experience in Cloud Technologies

Add relevant experience in cloud technologies such as AWS and Google Cloud. If you are planning a career transition, you can do an online certification or course on cloud computing to gain practical experience and add value to your resume. 

2. Show Knowledge of Cloud Security Principles

Describe projects where you implemented cloud security principles such as firewall encryption.

3. Mention Experience in Cloud Infrastructure

Highlight the expertise in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform and CloudFormation.

4. Showcase Cloud Computing Skills 

Add relevant cloud computing courses, projects or experiences that demonstrate cloud computing skills.

ALSO READ: 5 Most Popular Cloud Computing Skills to Learn and Acquire in 2024

How do Cloud Architects Contribute to the Overall Success of an Organization?

Now that we have discussed how to become cloud architect, let’s understand their role and how they contribute to organizational growth. Cloud architecture is the layout that connects all hardware and software components required for cloud computing. It thus supports an efficient cloud environment for an organization, allowing it to seek on-demand cloud services. 

The key role of cloud architects is to build efficient and scalable cloud architecture, helping organizations manage, share, and leverage their data. Therefore, cloud architects help organizations work remotely, improve cost efficiency, and increase data security.

What are the Current Trends and Advancements in the Field of Cloud Architecture?

Here are a few popular cloud trends that will help you navigate how to become cloud architect:

1. Interoperability and Portability

The greater data workload has increased the demand for interoperable and portable cloud environments. Such environments, in turn, facilitate effective communication, seamless collaboration, and easy data transfer among different cloud applications based on different providers, such as Amazon AWS or Microsoft Azure.

2. Cloud Security

Cloud security is one of the prominent challenges for organizations. Therefore, companies are now heavily investing in cloud security applications and infrastructure. They primarily focus on zero-trust-as-a-service, a technology that ensures all entries, whether internal or external, undergo the verification process to access the cloud network.

3. Mesh Architecture

Another new trend is using technologies such as containers and Kubernetes to develop cloud-native applications that are built, managed, and deployed in cloud computing environments. These appliances require a mesh architecture, an infrastructural layer that allows fast communication between applications by using network proxies.

ALSO READ: What is PaaS in Cloud Computing? How Does it Help Cut Costs?

If you are thinking of how to become cloud architect, doing a job search, or want a career transition in this field, Emeritus’ online courses can help you gain practical computing skills. Moreover, the courses also offer insights into the latest industry trends to help you gain expertise. Explore Emeritus’ online IT courses to advance your career!

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