What are careers in cloud computing?

Cloud architect, cloud system engineer, and data engineer are careers in cloud computing.

• Cloud Architect

A cloud architect is responsible for converting the technical requirements of a project into the architecture and design that will guide the final product. They are also responsible for bridging the gaps between complex business problems and solutions in the cloud.

A cloud architect should have a strong background in cloud computing or a similar technical area and feel comfortable with various operating systems including:

• Linux

• Unix

• Solaris

• Ubuntu

• Windows

A good understanding of networking, including TCP/IP, IP addresses, and HTTP is also highly important. Cloud architecture is broad and most architects find themselves having to wear many hats, so it is important to have good technical knowledge in a variety of areas.

Cloud architects will routinely work with other engineers and tech team members like DevOps and software developers to create adoption strategies and design cloud solutions. They may also work with the company's legal team to assist in negotiating contracts or ensuring that service-level agreement requirements are met.

• Cloud System Engineer

Along the same lines, a cloud system engineer is an IT professional that builds and maintains cloud infrastructure. Their role can vary from day to day, but typical tasks for a cloud system engineer include:

• Helping organizations migrate their computer systems to the cloud

• Configuring cloud infrastructure components like networking and security services

• Creating the applications and databases that perform on the cloud

• Monitoring cloud management and data storage services

It is helpful to have a good working knowledge of cloud platforms before working as a cloud system engineer. It is generally recommended that you learn one platform well rather than having minimal knowledge of several platforms. The four largest cloud infrastructure platforms to date are:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)

• Microsoft Azure

• Google Cloud

• IBM Cloud

It is also important to know about data storage and security. How access, store, and protect data are important aspects of a cloud system engineer's role.

• Data Engineer

A data engineer builds systems for collecting, validating, and preparing high-quality data. They work in a variety of settings to build systems that collect, manage, and convert raw data into usable information for data scientists and business analysts to interpret.

• Acquiring datasets that align with business needs

• Developing algorithms to transform data into useful, actionable information

• Building, testing, and maintaining database pipeline architectures

• Collaborating with management to understand company objectives

• Creating new data validation methods and data analysis tools

• Ensuring compliance with data governance and security policies