The cloud is here and will stay. The way we manage computing resources has changed dramatically. Although some people believe that the job of system administrator will disappear, it’s more sensible to consider the many ways that the job is changing. One way to see it is that cloud engineers have replaced system administrators.
What skills does an associate cloud engineer need?
You can either be a veteran systems administrator looking to advance in your career or a novice looking to get a job in IT. There are some key skills you should acquire in order to prepare to become an associate cloud engineer. These seven skills are essential for associate cloud engineers. Some of these skills may be familiar to you. We also offer on-demand IT training that you can take at your own pace if you need to refresh your skills. Get started with your first week free by checking out our IT career path training.
Continue reading to learn more about the top skills associate cloud engineers should master.
1. Linux
All associate cloud engineers must be familiar with Linux. Linux knowledge is an area where the most skilled, old-fashioned and geeky system administrators have an advantage. Here’s why.
Linux is the foundation of the cloud. Linux is also used to run internal data centers. While Microsoft products can be used for certain applications, the web and all other web applications run on Linux.
This is where the old-timers are at their best. They have been using Linux for decades. They grew up using Linux.
The cloud is possible because of Linux. Cloud engineers might not be able to work directly with the Linux OS depending on the cloud products they use, but those products still use Linux.
Cloud engineers need to be able to use Linux. First, you must understand how to use Linux. You’re done.
2. Networking
Cloud engineers don’t need to manage different pieces or IP segments. Most of the networking heavy lifting has been done.
However, cloud engineers still need to have strong networking skills. What if you have to deploy multiple EC2 instances using a CDN that has port 8080 open? First, you must understand the meaning of each word. Next, you will need to understand how each of these things affects each other. The final step is to configure each cloud product.
Networking is the backbone IT-related so even if you don’t know much about it, you probably have some networking skills if you want to try out cloud tech.
3. Virtualization
Virtualization is everything in the cloud. We take that back. You can buy dedicated equipment, but that means you will have to sell all 20 of your kidneys. You will instead be using virtualized resources.
Cloud providers must get the most out of their hardware. This has been a practice of organizations for more than ten years in their internal data centers. TCO is the cost of a PC that isn’t functioning properly. You paid for them. They will be used. Amazon, Microsoft, Google, et al. They will do the exact same.
You will also need to manage the nested virtual environments created by resources in the cloud. You will need to be able to manage a virtualized OS if you create an EC2 instance on AWS.
4. Identity Management
Cloud providers offer one of the most valuable features, which is identity management. We have always had some form of identity management in our data centres. The services offered by cloud providers are an order-of-magnitude better.
These services are often called IAM profiles or roles by cloud providers. IAM profiles and roles are blueprints for users. They are similar to Microsoft’s Active Directory software but offer more features.
Just like Act, you can create groups for each IAM role.
7 Essential Skills for Associate Cloud Engineers
