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What Does It Mean to Become a Cloud Professional In 2023?

By AIICT Team | February 6, 2023

Cloud computing has revolutionised how organisations store and process data, making it more efficient, cost-effective, and scalable than ever before. Thanks to it, businesses can adapt to recent trends such as remote working and the increased use of mobile devices in the workplace. In 2023, cloud computing will continue to play a critical role in organisations of all sizes, with Gartner reporting that worldwide public cloud spending is expected to reach U$600 Billion this year.

At the forefront of this transformation are Cloud engineers -- responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining the infrastructure and systems that run on cloud computing
platforms. In this article, we will discuss the responsibilities of a cloud engineer, the latest trends in the cloud, and how AIICT can help you become a cloud engineer with its latest course offering: the ICT40120 Certificate IV in Information Technology (Elective Focus Cloud Computing).

What does a cloud engineer do?

Cloud engineers design, implement and maintain the infrastructure and applications that run on the cloud. They work closely with other teams to ensure that the infrastructure and applications are reliable, scalable, and secure.

To excel in this field, a cloud engineer must understand the ever-increasing number of cloud
computing platforms and technologies. They should also be familiar with programming languages (such as Python, Java and C#) and know how to use tools such as Git and Docker.
As the cloud becomes more critical, businesses are well-compensating cloud engineers for their skills. In 2023, the average base salary for a cloud engineer in Australia will be $133,713 per year.

What are the different job opportunities for a cloud engineer?

What Does It Mean to Become a Cloud Engineer In 2023?

Being a cloud engineer encompasses a variety of roles and responsibilities. It involves a combination of different areas of expertise and tasks related to cloud systems' design, maintenance, operation, and optimisation. Cloud engineers can take upon one -- or all -- of these three roles: solutions architect, SysOps engineer, and cloud developer.

Cloud Solutions Architect

A cloud solutions architect designs and manage a cloud computing system's infrastructure,
platforms, and applications. They are responsible for creating and implementing a strategy for the organisation's cloud computing needs, including selecting appropriate technologies and platforms, and designing and implementing the system’s overall architecture.

SysOps Engineer

While cloud solutions architects focus on designing an organisation’s cloud infrastructure, a SysOps Engineer (Systems Operations Engineer) is a professional responsible for deploying, managing and maintaining systems, applications, and services in a cloud computing environment. They work closely with developers, network engineers and security professionals to ensure that systems are deployed and configured in a secure, efficient and reliable manner. SysOps Engineers also play a crucial role in scaling the systems to meet the organisation’s demand, using tools like Auto-scaling, Load Balancers and CloudFormation.

Cloud Developer

Cloud computing presents different capabilities and challenges compared to conventional software development. Those who want to be cloud developers must know how applications use cloud storage, networking and security. They also need to be familiar with DevOps practices, such as continuous integration and delivery, to streamline the development process and ensure that the applications are deployed efficiently and reliably.

What skills should one gain for a career in cloud engineering?

Becoming a cloud engineer can be a good career choice because of the high demand, high salaries, career advancement opportunities and the opportunity to work in various industries. Those who wish to work in this industry, they’ll need the following cloud knowledge:

1. Platform Knowledge: Understand the various cloud platforms and providers in the market.
2. Programming Skills: Create programs in various programming languages (such as Java and Python).
3. Data migration: Know how safely and efficiently migrate data onto the cloud.
4. Cyber security: Protect the cloud and its applications from would-be cyber attackers.
5. Networking skills: Integrate the cloud with a company’s existing network infrastructure
6. Database management: Know how to manage cloud-based databases.
7. AI and Automation: Implement tools based on artificial intelligence to improve efficiency
and productivity.

Trends that cloud engineers should keep an eye on in 2023.

Cloud computing continues to evolve at a rapid pace as it continues to adapt to the changing digital landscape. Those who want to become successful cloud engineers in 2023 should keep an eye on the following trends:

1. Multi-cloud and Hybrid Cloud: With an abundance of providers, cloud engineers will need to be able to manage and integrate multiple cloud platforms and services. This will require a
deep understanding of the various cloud providers and their services and experience with
tools and technologies that enable cross-cloud management and automation.

2. Cyber Security: Cloud engineers will need to stay up to date on the latest security threats
and best practices and be able to implement and manage advanced security features such as
identity and access management (IAM), encryption and network segmentation.

3. Containerisation and Kubernetes: This is a way to package and run software in any
environment. Think of it like a box that holds all the necessary parts of an application, such
as the code, libraries, and configurations that can run on any computer or server that
supports this technology. Kubernetes is becoming the de facto standard for container
orchestration, and cloud engineers will need to be familiar with it to be more efficient in
their application deployment.

4. Server less Computing: Server less computing is a way to run and manage applications and services without having to provision or manage servers. A good analogy for this is a utility service like electricity or water -- paying only for what is used without worrying about
building or maintaining the infrastructure that provides the service. This is becoming more
popular as it allows for more efficient and cost-effective scaling of applications. Cloud
engineers must be familiar with the latest serverless platforms such as AWS Lambda, Azure
Functions, and Google Cloud Functions.

5. Automation and Machine Learning: As the cloud becomes more mission-critical, cloud
engineers are expected to do more tasks daily. Automation and machine learning could be a
great help in managing cloud-based systems. This year, cloud engineers will need to be
familiar with machine learning and automation tools (such as Ansible, Terraform and
Jenkins) to optimise the performance and cost of their systems.

6. Edge computing: This allows for low-latency data processing, reducing the dependency on
cloud-based resources. Instead of sending all the data to a data centre or cloud, edge
computing allows for processing the data on devices at the network’s edge, such as sensors,
cameras, or gateways. Cloud engineers will need to design and deploy edge-based
applications, making them more efficient and responsive for the end user.

7. Cloud cost optimisation: Cloud engineers will be tasked with optimising the cost of cloud based systems by taking advantage of reserved instances, auto-scaling, and other cost saving features as businesses become more budget-conscious.

Be a Cloud Professional this 2023 with AIICT

As mentioned earlier, AIICT currently offers the ICT40120 Certificate IV in Information Technology (Elective Focus Cloud Computing). This course will immerse students in the latest cloud-based technologies and providers and hone their technical and business skills in designing, building, deploying and supporting a secure cloud environment using industry-standard best practices, policies, and procedures.

Those enrolled in the course are eligible to join the AIICT Industry Partner Program, which connects students to companies recruiting for roles in cloud computing and other IT fields.
Start a career in cloud computing this 2023 by enquiring with us on the course.

AIICT offers a wide range of courses:

ICT50220 Diploma of Information Technology (Cyber Security)
ICT50220 Diploma of Information Technology (Back End Web Development)
ICT50220 Diploma of Information Technology (Advanced Networking)
ICT40120 Certificate IV in Information Technology (Elective Focus Cloud Computing)
ICT40120 Certificate IV in Information Technology (Networking)
ICT40120 Certificate IV in Information Technology (Web Development)
ICT40120 Certificate IV in Information Technology (Systems Administration Support)
ICT40120 Certificate IV in Information Technology (Elective Focus Front-End Web Design)
ICT30120 Certificate III in Information Technology
ICT30120 Certificate III in Information Technology (Elective Focus Basic Cyber Security)