Cloud Computing is a continuously growing sector in the tech industry, and as more organisations shift from traditional on premises infrastructure to cloud based solutions, the demand for Skilled professionals who can design, build, implement and manage these cloud environments has skyrocketed. One of the most pivotal roles in this field is that of a cloud engineer. If you’ve ever wondered what a cloud engineer actually does, how lucrative the career is, or what steps you need to take to enter this profession, this post will provide a comprehensive overview.
What is a cloud engineer?
A cloud engineer is a specialised IT professional focused on building and maintaining cloud infrastructure and services for companies. These engineers are tasked with designing scalable cloud environments that meet the operational and business needs of their organisations. This role encompassesses a wide range of responsibilities, including configuring cloud storage solutions, managing virtual networks, deploying applications in the cloud, and ensuring the cloud environment is secure and cost efficient.
Cloud engineers can also extend to troubleshooting performance issues, automating repetitive tasks through working closely with software developers and system administrators to create seamless cloud solutions. Essentially they serve as the architects and caretakers of a company’s cloud presence, ensuring it runs smoothly and reliably.
How to become a cloud engineer
Entering the field of cloud engineering generally involves a combination of formal education, practical experience, and professional certifications. While many cloud engineers hold degrees in computer science, information technology, or related fields, hands-on experience with cloud platforms is equally important.
Certifications like CompTIA Cloud+ offer a practical pathway to validate your knowledge and skills in cloud technologies. These certifications demonstrate to employers that you have a solid understanding of cloud architecture, security, and troubleshooting. Portland Training offers tailored courses for CompTIA Cloud+ that caters to different learning styles, including both self paced and instructor led formats. This flexibility allows learners to prepare effectively for the certifications exams while balancing other commitments.
What does a cloud engineer do?
On a daily basis, Cloud Engineers work on implementing cloud-based solutions that address their organisations specific needs. This involves collaborating with stakeholders, from IT teams and developers to business managers, to gather requirements and translate them into technical specifications.
Typical tasks include
- Designing resilient and scalable cloud infrastructure architectures,
- Automating deployment processes with tools such as Terraform, Ansible, or AWS CloudFormation.
- Configuring and managing cloud networks & Virtual machines
- Monitoring System performance to optimise resource usage and reduce costs.
Security is a key priority; cloud engineers implement access controls, encryption, and network segmentation to protect sensitive company data and customer information, while regularly performing audits and vulnerability assessments to keep the environment secure. They also respond to incident alerts and troubleshoot any issues related to their clouds.
A Cloud Engineer’s daily operations are dynamic, requiring a mix of technical expertise and strategic thinking. A typical day might include reviewing alerts or performance metrics to identify potential problems, then proceeding to write or update automation scripts or deploy new features. Capacity planning is another crucial responsibility, anticipating future growth and scaling resources to keep applications responsive and available, even during heavy workloads or seasonal demands. Cloud engineers must constantly update their skills to keep up with the evolving landscape of cloud services and technologies.
Cloud Engineer Salary
Cloud engineers are highly sought after professionals, and their salaries reflect this demand. In the UK, entry level cloud engineers can expect salaries starting around £40,000 to £50,000 per year, while those with several years of experience and advanced certifications can earn upwards of £80,000 to £100,000 annually. Senior or specialised roles, especially in large enterprises or consultancy firms, can command salaries beyond £120,000
Salary varies depending on location, the size of the company, and the complexity of the cloud environments managed. With the continuous expansion of cloud services, compensation trends are expected to remain competitive.
Cloud Engineer skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a cloud engineer, a broad set of skills are required, combining both technical expertise and soft skills, important qualifications include:
- Programming and Scripting: Familiarity with languages like Python, Bash, or Powershell to automate cloud tasks
- Operating systems: Understanding of Linux and Windows server environments.
- Cloud Platforms: proficiency in one or more major cloud providers such as amazon web services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
- Networking: Knowledge of cloud networking concepts such as Virtual Private Clouds (VPC), subnets and load balancers.
- Security: Awareness of cloud security best practices including identity and access management, encryption, and compliance frameworks
- Automation tools: Experience with infrastructure as code (Iac) tools like Terraform and configuration management tools like ansible or puppet
- Soft skills: problem solving, communication, and collaboration skills to work effectively across teams
Certifications like CompTIA Cloud+ provide foundational validation for many of these skills, a great place for someone to start if they want to get into the IT industry as a cloud engineer.
The future of cloud engineers and cloud computing
As cloud adoption continues to accelerate across industries, from finance and healthcare to retail and entertainment, the need for skilled cloud engineers is expected to grow steadily. Emerging technologies such as edge computing, serverless architectures and AI integration will expand the responsibilities and opportunities for cloud engineers.
In addition, organisations are increasingly focused on hybrid and multi-cloud strategies, which involve managing services across multiple cloud providers and on-premises systems. This complexity demands Cloud engineers who can construct flexible, secure and interoperable environments.
Pursuing a career as a cloud engineer today positions you at the forefront of the digital transformation, with opportunities for long term growth and advancement.
How Cloud Engineers impact businesses today
Cloud Engineers play a vital role in enabling businesses to become more agile, cost-effective, and innovative. By leveraging cloud infrastructure, companies can launch new products faster, respond to customer demands more effectively, and operate with greater resilience against outages or cyber threats.
The work of Cloud Engineers ensures that IT resources scale in line with business needs without unnecessary expenditure. This optimisation of cloud usage not only saves money but also reduces the environmental impact of large data centres by improving efficiency.
Get CompTIA Cloud+ Certified with Portland Training
If you’re wanting to get into this exciting and lucrative field, Portland Training offers comprehensive CompTIA Cloud+ certification courses designed to prepare you for a successful career. Whether you prefer the flexibility of self-paced study or the interaction of instructor-led training, Portland Training has options tailored to your needs.
Earning your CompTIA Cloud+ certification demonstrates your proficiency in cloud technologies to potential employers, making you a strong candidate for cloud engineering roles in a rapidly expanding industry.
Fill in the form below if you’d be interested in applying for our CompTIA Cloud+ course!
