Why Cloud Computing is becoming an essential business piece to the Future of Work and how to prepare for your cloud career with an AWS Cloud course.
Mention “cloud computing” and many will defer to storage providers such as OneDrive, iCloud, Google Drive and Dropbox. However, cloud services - where data is stored, maintained and accessed through an internet connection, has been around since Yahoo Mail’s peak popularity.
That’s the nature and proposition of cloud computing - that it remains invisible to its users, provides useful services from a centralised point, and is maintained by experts. In 2013, the stability and popularity of its tech had expanded from Software as a Service (SaaS) to Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), helping the global public cloud services market to balloon to over SGD$120 billion, the fastest growing market of that year.
Today, cloud computing features are a core driving force behind some of the world’s biggest successful business brands. Amazon is one such example, and has become a leader in the field, with others eager to tap into their expertise. Therefore, Amazon Web Services (AWS) was born, providing on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to the public. The sustained boom has seen a need for more trained professionals in this area, and soon enough, AWS courses with Amazon Cloud Services certification, including AWS Cloud Services and Technicals and Cloud architecting and DevOps, were made available through AWS training partners.
Why is Cloud Computing an essential piece to the Future of Work?
If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that location does not matter, and remote services can surmount physical restrictions. It’s a small wonder then - cloud products and ideas have taken off at an accelerated speed, with digitalisation evolving businesses into a new creature.
This meeting of an unprecedented global challenge and the Fourth Industrial Revolution is what has propelled cloud computing into a dominant need in the market. From a SaaS-focused start, the offering has now expanded to include Desktop as a Service (DaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) to support hybrid work scenarios. Gartner forecasts that global end user expenditure on cloud services is expected to reach nearly $500 billion in 2022.
Another contributor to the rapid adoption is the rise of machine learning and AI. These technologies are emerging as essential drivers to productivity and consumer marketing, and organisations around the world are finding ways to implement them in existing models. These always-on workings are best hosted on the cloud for its round-the-clock capabilities, guarded by some of the industry’s leading experts. Forbes even suggested that this is one of the top trends coming forth this year.
And as the world’s biggest cloud company, Amazon is also leading the efforts in sustainability by running their massive programmes with renewable energy even though they are one of the world's biggest buyers. By witnessing such positive and effective transformations from market leaders, it sets an incredible example for businesses hungry to grow, seeing cloud computing as a conscientious key enabler.
With monumental developments such as Quantum Computing and Edge Computing on the horizon, promising speed and reach unseen before, the potential of cloud computing is just beginning to show.
So why go for an AWS course?
If it’s not obvious by now, cloud professionals are very much in demand due to the surge in adoption. The Open Source Jobs Report 2021 found that 61% of professionals surveyed reported that their organisations' use of cloud had increased that year, and that cloud skills are the hottest skills sets in the area of technology. From startups to new companies, many are taking on a cloud-native approach while long-standing firms are seizing on cloud as the key enabler to complete their digital transformation. And to succeed, these companies need a strong pool of talent with the relevant cloud skills to launch and scale their businesses.
Cloud computing provides an incredible opportunity because it is a relatively new development in organisations, and it does not discriminate among industries. This gives one a very level playing field upon which to join, and with the lopsided demand for skilled employees, it also means that one can more easily gain entry into the company or industry of their choice. And needless to say, there’s a lot of room for career growth.
From the website of A Cloud Guru, it is reported that “80% of people say a higher salary was a direct result of a cloud computing certification” and that “52% say cloud certifications expanded their career opportunities”. And in another article, they revealed that AWS course professionals were the highest-paid on average compared to its competitors.
Where to begin your AWS learning journey?
AWS courses can be bewildering to approach. There are some that approaches from an overview and dives deeper into the technical, while others focus on specific skills like Cloud Architecting for more high-level design.
The good thing about AWS courses is that one can always move within the system to find a niche that they like. One can adopt a more development-centric path and become a DevOps engineer or specialise in Data Analytics, or begin as a Solutions Architect and end up in Data Analytics as well.
This highly-customisable and adaptive learning allows one to expand into where opportunities lie. Whether it’s as a SysOps Administrator or a Cloud Sales and Purchasing Manager, the future into a cloud computing career lies in that first Amazon cloud Services certification.
Claim your part of the cloud computing future with an Amazon Web Services Cloud certification. Choose from AWS courses such as Advanced Certificate in AWS Cloud Services and Technicals and Advanced Certificate in AWS Cloud Architecting and DevOps from SMU Academy.