Supercharge Your Career — How to advance your career with IBM Cloud Certification.
Cloud talent is as important as the cloud itself. So, developing these skills will help you to advance your career. Let’s look at how IBM Cloud Certification can take your career to the next level.
Cloud computing will only expand, and the need for skilled employees right along with it. Now, there is a huge demand for Cloud Architects, Cloud Developers and DevOps Engineers. This a great opportunity for a career shift. Certifications increase your credibility, it'll help you to stand out from your competitors. Employers use these credentials to validate your skills. IBM Center for Cloud Training provides hands-on training for role and product based jobs. With a well curated learning path, this will help us to improve our skills and take our career to the next level. Elevate your career with IBM Cloud training and certification. Let’s learn more about this.
Cloud adoption is increasing, as more companies are transforming their infrastructure into the cloud. Cloud makes organizations more efficient and yields increased scalability, lower costs, and better security. With cloud computing companies can become more agile and competitive. Demand for cloud skills continues to grow. Cloud talent is just as important as the cloud itself. A variety of industries benefit from cloud adoption, including healthcare, marketing and advertising, retail, finance, and education. Digital transformation is essential and important for enterprises to remain competitive as digital leaders, the adoption of cloud computing plays a central role in that transformation.
Cloud providers have a massive amount of resources available. So, businesses can scale their cloud infrastructure as required and they only need to pay for what they are using. This provides a huge advantage to fault tolerance, as they don’t want to have the idle infrastructure to backup data. Also, cloud providers have data centers all around the world, so when a business expands it can use the data centers around its user to satisfy regulatory and performance. The cloud not only opens the doors to a wide range of opportunities. It also delivers value for money, enabling companies to operate more effectively and efficiently. Most of these companies also use a multi-cloud approach. This means that a vast majority of the enterprise workloads are already on the cloud. Cloud computing can revolutionize how businesses operate, giving us access to affordable technologies and services and help businesses to grow.
Cloud adoption provides a lot of benefits, but there are also risks if not deployed properly. Here comes the need for people skilled in cloud computing such as cloud architects and cloud developers.
Cloud Architects
Cloud architects define and design complex cloud-based applications for organizations to shift their existing workloads to the cloud. Cloud provides limitless resources, so a cloud architect should use them properly to mitigate risks. They need to create designs for cloud architectures. Make migration plans for on-premise infrastructure to the cloud. Implement Cost-effective strategies. Discussing business problems and identifying opportunities that cloud technologies can solve. Cloud architects design and develop scalable solutions that fit the business needs. Thereby helping the companies to leverage the potential offered by the cloud.
Responsibilities of Cloud Architect include:
- Design cloud solutions that fit the technical requirements of a project.
- Bridge gap between business problems and solutions in the cloud.
- Establishing best practices for cloud usage within an organization.
- Plans to mitigate risks.
- Estimate cloud infrastructure cost.
- Need to collaborate with cloud developers in order to implement the right technologies.
It takes a good amount of experience to become a better cloud architect. But, we need to have an understanding of the concepts that we are going to work with. It requires technical, business, and people skills. You need to have good knowledge about operating systems like Linux and UNIX. They need to have a good understanding of software design patterns. Good understanding of how networking works. Also, knowledge of programming languages will help a lot. A high-level understanding of security in cloud computing is really important. Also, you need to efficiently communicate with various managers to find opportunities to incorporate the cloud. Need to think strategically and develop plans and coordinate execution.
IBM Center for Cloud Training provides a well-curated learning curriculum for making you a better cloud architect. Most of the other certification does not provide training, but IBM has really good content for this. The hands-on components in this course will help you to test out your skills and things you have learned. They have put a lot of effort to create professional content for this role-focused training.
Introductory Course: They give an introductory course explaining the cloud architect role and the expertise you need to have to become a better one.
Compute Options: This contains 6 training assets and they cover all the basics of IBM Cloud services and compute options. You'll learn about Bare Metal Servers and their infrastructure and configuration. Explore virtual servers and their key features and tenancy and configuration. You'll learn how to use Kubernetes and containers. Explore the purpose and efficiencies of worker node groups, and also learn more about IBM Virtual Private Cloud.
Storage and Resiliency Options: You'll learn how to manage block storage, Network File Storage, and Cloud Object Storage. You'll learn more about its features and options. Explore more about networking for architecting hybrid cloud solutions. You'll learn how to map a business need to each service. Manage security visibility and practice these concepts through an architecture diagram design exercise. Also, disaster recovery is covered in this, so you'll be able to build resilient models.
Application Solution Platforms: You'll explore how to use AI and data using Watson AI services and explore its use cases. Internet of Things(IoT) and Blockchain are also introduced in this course. Design a highly available Blockchain solution and also use IoT for business advantage.
Service Management and Reporting: This contains 4 training assets. You'll learn how to use IBM cloud monitoring solutions. You'll be able to monitor and manage your cloud platform and the applications. You'll explore modern integration’s reference architecture. Learn how to choose the right type of database for your needs. Reviews analytic services on IBM Cloud. Provides an introduction to DevOps for cloud solutions.
IBM Cloud Paks: Cloud Paks can run anywhere. They are AI-powered software that can help organizations build, modernize, and manage applications securely across any cloud. You'll explore the capabilities of Cloud Paks and determine when to use Cloud Paks versus IBM Cloud Services.
Hands-On Labs: You'll get hands-on experience on how to use the things you have learned in this course. So, you can leverage your skills for becoming a professional cloud architect.
So, kickstart your cloud architect journey with IBM Cloud training. They have put a lot of effort into creating professional content that would help you to understand the concepts and develop skills to become a better cloud architect.
Get Started Today.
Not all superheroes wear capes. — Cloud architects save lives. How?
School of Medicine in New York was doing research on DNA sequencing of breast cancer patients. Their objective was to find links between DNA and diseases. And they ended up with more than 100 terabytes of data. Which needed to be stored and cataloged. That's way too much data to be handled using traditional solutions. So, all that information will be unusable if we are not able to acquire the resources need to process it. And the solutions need to be cost-efficient and fast. They were able to find a way out with the help of cloud architects, they created a cloud-based solution that is cost-efficient, secure, and easier to collaborate with. The researcher was able to focus on using the data instead of worrying about the resources. So, they were able to save millions of life by advancing their resources with the cloud. Cloud architects were the helping hand for this process, without them they couldn't have achieved this.
Cloud Developer
Cloud developers develop applications that run in complex cloud environments. They are similar to software developers but the applications they create need to run in the cloud. As more companies are adopting the cloud, their applications will also be developed in such a way that they can be deployed in the cloud. The programs developed by cloud developers run on a virtual system. Cloud developers are essentially software engineers who are specialized in cloud computing. Anyone who is better at any programming language can become a cloud developer. So, if you are a software developer then you are one step ahead of being a cloud developer. You should be familiar with software development concepts and databases. Cloud developers need to have a solid understanding of cloud systems — so that they'll be able to develop secure and efficient applications. You'll need to break monolith applications into microservices so they can be scaled easily. And each of these services communicates with each other.
Cloud developers are responsible for:
- Developing highly scalable cloud-native applications.
- Monitor application performance and improve it.
- Deploying applications on the cloud.
- Build and test applications.
- Integrate services provided by IBM Cloud.
Developer capabilities in IBM Cloud will leverage you to produce, deliver, run and manage the app. All within one platform. With IBM Cloud you have all the necessary capabilities to start building your app. In order to become a good cloud developer, you need to learn all the fundamentals of cloud development and deployment. After that, you need to build different apps using microservices provided by IBM Cloud. You'll need to develop secure applications and also need to use Identity access management (IAM), these things will help you to develop your application in the most secure way. Security is really an important thing when it comes to applications in the cloud. So, there are a lot of things you need to cover in order to develop applications in the cloud.
This well-curated, interactive curriculum provides the skills and knowledge required to expand your career and deepen your skills as an IBM Cloud Developer. It is designed to validate your skills and capability to perform role-related tasks and activities at a specified level of competence. The achievement of an IBM certification demonstrates to your colleagues and client your expertise in the related IBM technologies and solutions. It has around 40–50 hours of course content, including interactive practice exercises and hands-on labs in a virtual lab environment. After completing this course, you should be able to perform cloud development and operations (DevOps) functions using IBM Cloud services and APIs, which include Artificial Intelligence, cloud databases, and cloud security.
Gain skills and knowledge that are required to understand the concept of cloud-native applications. Learn about methodologies that ensure the development of high-performing, reliable cloud-native applications. Learn more about containers and Kubernetes. Containers are efficient and portable, but they must be managed and monitored in a business environment. Learn how to deploy an application using IBM Cloud Kubernetes and RedHat OpenShift. Explore the uses of various types of integration services and use cases for using those services. Learn how APIs can help a company monetize, and find examples of how they are used in the industry. Learn the tasks that are associated with creating, importing, and managing APIs in IBM Cloud.
When creating a cloud solution, it must be secure. This course provides you with the knowledge to identify the security components needed for secure cloud deployment, development, and operations. Explore key security aspects of cloud-native applications and describe key components of data security in a cloud solution. Learn more about IBM Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM). Explore the purpose and features of the DevOps Insights tool and identify the purpose of a policy. Teaches you how to manage security visibility in a Kubernetes world, provision LogDNA services, and how to use that. You will also learn the concepts of security advisor and configuring notifications.
You'll be able to explore the IBM Cloud database ecosystem. IBM Cloud Object Storage, its usage, and accessing it using APIs and libraries. Learn about the IBM Cloud databases environment and explain implementing a big data platform on IBM Cloud. Review the basics of working with databases for Elasticsearch, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and Redis. You'll learn how to connect an application and use the features of IBM Db2 on Cloud and messages.
You'll also explore DevOps capabilities. DevOps is essential for any business to be agile and capable of responding to rapid changes. You’ll explore the concepts of DevOps and the role of continuous integration. You will also learn the agile approach to development through goals and standards and explain the components of developing applications with IBM Cloud. IBM Cloud Continuous Delivery provides capabilities to build, test, and deliver applications by using DevOps practices and industry-leading tools.
IBM Cloud provides a lot of services that will help while developing an application. In this course, you'll explore the capabilities of Watson Services. Learn about Watson Assistant, Visual Recognition, Personality Insights, Text-to-Speech, Speech to Text, Language Translator, and Natural Language Understanding. You'll be introduced to IBM Cloud Blockchain and its use cases. Learn about IBM Watson IoT and build engaging mobile apps using Mobile Foundation. You'll gain expertise on how to maintain cloud applications. Learn how to auto-scale resources in application infrastructure and how to monitor and log cloud applications in the IBM Cloud. Learn how to troubleshoot and debug while developing applications. Learn more about these in a lab environment. You'll also get more hands-on experience at the end of the course. So you can practice the things you have learned in this course. Which will improve your expertise in cloud development.
Benefits of Certification
Certifications increase your credibility, it give you an edge over your competitors. Employers use credentials to validate your skills. Your skills and expertise are always the priority, but certifications increase your credibility before hiring managers. Certifications help you to show your abilities and achievement. So, it's clear that certification gives you an edge over your competitors. And by attending this course you can develop skills in areas that you might be lacking. These certification exams are configured to test your skills and certify you as a cloud architect or developer. Well-curated content provided by IBM will help you to learn more about each of the various topics. Multi-cloud skills are even better. So, you will be a desirable candidate for your employer as you can work with different cloud providers as most of these companies will be using a multi-cloud approach. If you don't have prior experience then certification will be a lifesaver. As this will help you to get a job. But you need to develop the required skills for your role. Also, if you are currently a developer or someone in the IT field then this certification can help you to level up or switch your career.
87% of hiring managers value hands-on experience and certifications over a university degree
Cloud skills are high in demand and pay well. It's hard to demonstrate your skills. So, certification makes it easier for you to show your expertise. Cloud Developers make over $120,000 a year on average. The average salary of a Cloud Architect is around $130,000. By 2030, the cloud service market is projected to reach over $600 million. Companies will continue to hire people with the right skillset for improving their business with the cloud.
The top skills you learn in cloud computing also enhances the scope of your work. You can pursue job opportunities in other computing fields like data analysis, machine learning, etc, thus making you multi-disciplinary and advance your career to senior level.
Why Developers Choose IBM Cloud?
- All in one place, IBM offers a lot of tools.
IBM Cloud is a one-stop-shop, everything you need to build modern applications is available in IBM Cloud. There are more than 350 services offered by IBM Cloud. For example, AI services like Watson studio, Internet of Things, DevOps, Analytics, Blockchain, and a lot more. - IBM's approach to open-source technology.
IBM gives more importance to open source and is one of the companies which contribute more to this space. Many of the services offered in the IBM Cloud are available as open-source. IBM provides managed versions and this allows developers to be more productive and not have to worry about the infrastructure. There will not be any vendor lock-in. - IBM Cloud is the cloud for enterprises.
For compute operations and services various isolation levels are available. The managed Kubernetes service supports bare-metal, which is a unique feature provided by IBM. Databases like IBM Cloudant are available in single-tenant environments. Security is one of the top priority and it's built into the platform. Enterprises can leverage the potential of easy-to-use AI services like Watson to build exceptionally intelligent applications. Also, there are a lot of data centers available globally.
IBM Center for Cloud Training
IBM’s Center for Cloud Training is an exciting blend of the role and product-based training. ICCT took a different approach to traditional product training. They collaborated with recruiters and market research firms to figure out the hot job in cloud computing. They, build this robust curriculum around these jobs. They have worked with subject matter experts, and they figured out the task that required them to complete a piece of work. And the skills required to do these tasks. They created a framework to test the learner's mastery of the skills through quizzes and practices. They built the entire learning path around the job role. So, the skills required for this are covered thoroughly in this course.
Role-based training offered by ICCT are:
IBM Cloud Solution Advisor is a free course. It covers all the fundamentals of cloud computing. You can learn about cloud, Kubernetes, and a lot more. So, you have a strong foundation in cloud computing. Already, 250,000 people have enrolled in this course. One of the best features this learning experience provides is that you can take the class at your ease. On weekend or whenever you get time, so you can also manage your job with this training. Also, the hands-on lab component of this program helps you to leverage your skills and apply the things that you have learned. They also offer a specialty in
IBM Cloud Satellite and IBM Cloud for Financial Services.
How to get started?
- Visit the IBM Center Cloud Training. You can see the testimonials and learn more about the training.
- On the home page choose Role-based training. As you are trying to build skills to improve your career, role-based training will be apt.
- Here you can self-select the role you like, Here we have three levels for each role. Associate: is for beginners, who have 6 months' experience. Professional who has 1–3 years of experience. When you select one role it'll guide you to its page.
- Here you can see more about the learning path and explore the curriculum you are going to cover in this course. You have options to learn what you need to know. If you already know about these areas then you can go straight to the certification. You can also take a pretest to understand which all areas you lack. And then you can learn those things specifically from the curriculum.
- If you purchase a subscription to the IBM Center for Cloud Training, it'll give you a year's worth of training on all the roles and all the levels. If you are a developer then you can also learn more about SRE and get certified in that.
Conclusion
So the takeaway is that investing in your skills and expertise will reward you in the long run. The achievements you can gain through this certification will definitely help you in advancing your career. If you are looking for a career shit then this certification course is a go for you. The hands-on lab provides by IBM Center for Cloud training is really a great feature, which will make you capable of using your expertise when it comes to working. The whole curriculum is built around the skills required to become better at your preferred role. As these cloud skills are a hot topic at the moment, your chances of securing a job are higher with certifications. Employer uses these certifications to assess your skills and expertise. So, Get started on your cloud journey with IBM Cloud.
