Your Guide to

Navigating a Cloud
Computing Career
In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
In this e-guide:
With enterprises making a push move off legacy infrastructures and leveraging more flexible,
cost effective, and streamlined systems, cloud environments have no doubt become a major
tool to achieve these initiatives. This has led to a growing demand for cloud skillsets from
application development to cloud security management. With cloud trending up, it presents IT
pros with great opportunities to transition into different positions or further advance in their
current roles.
To help those considering this career move, this e-guide will dive into some of the most in-
demand cloud jobs, central components to modern cloud computing, along with specifics on
cloud application development and automation. Continue into this e-guide if you’re looking
switch-up and advance in your career by learning and honing your cloud skills.
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Page 1 of 21
In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
7 cloud computing job roles to
advance your career
Sara Grier, Assistant Site Editor
https://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/feature/7-cloud-computing-job-roles-to-advance-
your-career
Cloud computing is hot -- and growing -- prompting many professionals to look into it for a
career change. A technological background, in general, opens doors for people looking to
break into the industry. A technological background with an emphasis on cloud computing can
kick those doors down.
Companies migrating to the cloud or spinning up new workloads there are looking to hire
skilled and knowledgeable employees. Enterprises that have built infrastructures and
databases for years now have to face the ominous transfer to the cloud. Because of this,
cloud computing job roles are more popular and diverse than ever.
Review these common cloud positions, and see what the roles entail and the specific
experience that will help you to land them.
Cloud administrator: To become a cloud administrator, a candidate generally must have
three to five years of practical experience in the cloud. A cloud admin should have a strong
understanding of system management, troubleshooting and virtualization. They should know
Linux, along with some configuration management tools, monitoring tools and scripting
languages. Beyond their cloud knowledge, administrators should have strong leadership and
people skills.
Page 2 of 21

In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
Cloud architect: A cloud architect focuses on the big picture of infrastructure design and
configuration rather than individual server configurations. To succeed, the candidate should
bring eight to 10 years of experience and be able to build a roadmap for the organization's
existing and future cloud assets.
New technologies can affect the company's cloud infrastructure. A cloud architect must have
the foresight to see how those changes and emerging technologies will affect their systems. It
helps for a cloud architect to have a few certifications under their belt, whether completed
through independent training or appropriate companies.

 A beginners guide to cloud

native application
development

 Here’s what it takes to

become a cloud native
automation engineer

Page 3 of 21
In this e-guide

 7 cloud computing job roles

to advance your career

 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing

 A beginners guide to cloud

native application
development

 Here’s what it takes to

become a cloud native
automation engineer

Cloud engineer: A cloud engineer is in charge of any and all technical responsibilities
associated with cloud computing. Companies that want to hire a cloud engineer look for
someone with three to five years of cloud services experience.

The engineer should be versed in areas such as open source technology, scripting
languages, multi-cloud environments, system engineering and software development. This
Page 4 of 21

In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
cloud computing job role is responsible for the design, planning and management of the cloud
infrastructure. Familiarity with APIs, orchestration and automation, DevOps and databases
are all pluses for cloud engineers on top of their computer science or engineering degrees.
Cloud security manager: Security is a concern for both private and public clouds. Providers
and users alike take comprehensive security measures to ensure that data is stored safely.
Because of this, cloud security roles are vital for IT teams within companies. Cloud security
managers should have completed formal training and acquired vendor-neutral certifications to
stand out in the job field.
To be competitive, a cloud security manager candidate should have a strong understanding of
compliance issues and IT governance related to the cloud. A security manager designs,
implements and maintains security strategies. They should know the major modern software
development approaches, because the role is often incorporated into software development.
Security managers can excel in the position if they constantly monitor the IT landscape to
asses and prevent new threats to the corporate cloud estate.
Cloud application developer: An effective cloud application developer has to be a proficient
in most -- if not all -- major scripting languages, with typically at least five years of experience.
However, specific job roles dictate the expected software tools knowledge. For example, if the
job is geared toward web development, demonstrate skills with HTML5 and jQuery. Since
software development requires integration tasks, application developers need to know the
back-end system integrations with the major cloud platforms.
Cloud app developer applicants should research the common cloud providers and platforms.
Someone in this role will build, test and deploy applications in a company's cloud environment
-- often using DevOps practices, as well as CI/CD tools. If candidates are experienced,
versatile and work well with others, they are a great fit for a cloud application developer
position.
Page 5 of 21

In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
Cloud network engineer: A cloud network engineer wears many hats. The role is primarily
responsible for the implementation, configuration, maintenance and support of the entire
cloud network -- but the obligations don't stop there. Cloud network engineers can also be in
charge of the administration, monitoring, documentation, security and integration of the
company's network, as well as other related cloud services.
A good network engineer has acquired relevant certifications in networking, security and other
industry standards for the job role. Candidates should have practical experience in asset
deployment and management. This role requires a strong understanding of data center
administration -- preferably more than five years of experience.
Cloud automation engineer: One of the most critical and influential roles that affects a
business's success with its cloud strategy is a cloud automation engineer. An automation
engineer takes experience from software development or IT operations positions and applies
a focus on cloud automation, orchestration and integration. More often than not, this role
requires a widespread understanding of hardware and software, as well as data center and
cloud infrastructure. A cloud automation engineer implements, optimizes and supports an
infrastructure.
To get hired in this growing cloud computing job role, a candidate should have five to 10 years
of experience in infrastructure operations and application development, in addition to two or
more years of practical experience with CI/CD development models. There are no industry
certifications required for this position across the board; expectations vary from employer to
employer. A good cloud automation engineer has hands-on experience with cloud platforms
and technologies. This is usually a senior position, so it is crucial for the engineer's knowledge
and experience to be reflected in her work.
Page 6 of 21
 ▼
In this e-guide
Next Article
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career

 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing

 A beginners guide to cloud

native application
development

 Here’s what it takes to

become a cloud native
automation engineer

Page 7 of 21
In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
7 key characteristics of cloud
computing
Trevor Jones, Site Editor
https://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/feature/7-key-characteristics-of-cloud-computing
Cloud entails an ever-expanding list of tools and techniques, but the key characteristics of
cloud computing have always remained the same.
AWS was the first to popularize cloud computing as an alternative to on-premises
infrastructure when it began selling compute and storage instances in 2006. Google and
Microsoft followed soon after. Today, cloud computing extends from IaaS to SaaS and
everything in between, including AI, containers, serverless, databases, IoT, dedicated
networking, analytics, business apps and much more.
Each subset has its own benefits and challenges, but there are several core features that
underpin all of them. Explore these 7 key characteristics of cloud computing that help explain
why it's the go-to destination for building and deploying modern applications.
1. On-demand computing
AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and other public cloud platforms make resources
available to users at the click of a button or API call. These vendors have massive amounts of
compute and storage assets at the ready, inside data centers all over the world. This
represents a radical departure for IT teams accustomed to an on-premises procurement
process that can take months to complete.
Page 8 of 21

In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
2. Self-service provisioning
This characteristic of cloud computing goes hand in hand with on-demand computing. Instead
of waiting for new servers to be delivered to a private data center, developers can select the
resources and tools they need – typically through a cloud provider's self-service portal -- and
build right away. An admin sets policies to limit what IT and development teams can run, but
within those guardrails, they have the freedom to build, test and deploy apps as they see fit.
3. Resource pooling
Public cloud providers rely on multi-tenant architectures to accommodate more users at the
same time. Customers' workloads are abstracted from the hardware and underlying software,
which serve multiple users on the same host. Cloud providers increasingly rely on custom
hardware and abstraction layers to improve security and speed users' access to resources.
4. Scalability
Resource pooling enables scalability for cloud providers and users because compute, storage
and networking assets can be added or removed as needed. This helps enterprise IT teams
optimize their cloud-hosted workloads and avoid end-user bottlenecks. Clouds can scale
vertically or horizontally, and providers offer automation software to handle dynamic scaling
for users.
Traditional, on-premises architectures can't scale as easily. Typically, enterprises have to plan
for peak capacity and have those extra resources sit idle during lulls in activity, which can rack
up costs.
5. Pay-per-use pricing
Page 9 of 21

In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
This cloud computing characteristic shifts IT spending from Capex to Opex, as providers offer
per-second billing. Though this can generally be seen as a positive, IT teams need to be
careful since their resource needs likely aren't static. VMs should be right-sized, turned off
while not in use, or scaled down as conditions dictate. Otherwise, organizations waste money
and can end up with sticker shock when they receive their monthly bill.
This pricing model was once the only way to pay for cloud, but vendors have since added
various pricing plans that often provide cheaper costs in exchange for longer-term
commitments.
6. Resiliency
Cloud providers use a number of techniques to guard against downtime, such as minimizing
regional dependencies to avoid single points of failure. Users can also extend their workloads
across availability zones, which have redundant networks connecting multiple data centers in
relatively close proximity. Some higher-level services automatically distribute workloads
across availability zones.
Of course, these systems aren't foolproof. Outages occur and enterprises must have
contingency plans in place. For some, that means extending workloads across isolated
regions or even different platforms, though that can come with a hefty price tag and increased
complexity.
7. Security
To date, there have been no known breaches of the underlying resources of the major cloud
platforms. And while many enterprises balked at migrating workloads because of security
fears, those concerns have largely subsided, partly due to the benefits of the above
characteristics of cloud computing. Cloud vendors employ some of the best security experts in
Page 10 of 21

In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
the world and are generally better equipped to handle threats than most corporate IT teams.
In fact, some of the biggest financial firms in the world say the cloud is a security asset.
However, this doesn't absolve users of their duties. Public cloud providers follow the shared-
responsibility model -- they tend to the security of the platform and the users handle their own
apps that sit on top. Failure to fully grasp those delineations has led to some embarrassing,
high-profile exposures of sensitive corporate data.
▼ Next Article

 Here’s what it takes to

become a cloud native
automation engineer

Page 11 of 21
In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
A beginner's guide to cloud-native
application development
Zachary Flower, Freelance writer
https://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/tip/A-beginners-guide-to-cloud-native-
application-development
Not all organizations define cloud-native applications the same way. At its core, cloud-native
means that developers design, develop and deliver a specific application with the scalability
and ephemeral nature of the cloud in mind.
Microservices and containers are often associated with cloud-native application development
because apps created in the cloud tend to follow modern development practices. In contrast
to the traditional Waterfall software development lifecycle, cloud-native applications are
developed with a more agile methodology. Changes are frequently released into a production
environment through automated delivery pipelines, and infrastructure is managed at the code
level.
Cloud-native foundations
The ephemeral nature of the cloud demands automated development workflows that can be
deployed and redeployed as needed. Cloud-native applications must be designed with
infrastructure ambiguity in mind. This has led developers to rely on tools, like Docker, to
provide a reliable platform to run their applications on without having to worry about the
underlying resources. Influenced by Docker, developers have built applications with the
Page 12 of 21

In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
microservices model, which enables highly focused, yet loosely coupled services that scale
easily with demand.
There are a few factors of the Twelve-Factor App methodology -- a go-to reference for
application developers -- that are foundational to cloud-native application development, which
are detailed below.
Build, release, run
The build, release, run approach separates each stage of the development and deployment of
cloud-native applications. First, an application's code base goes through the build state,
where it's transformed from raw source code into an executable bundle known as the build.
The build is then combined with any necessary configuration values that are required to run in
the targeted environment -- this is known as the release. Finally, the release executable is run
in the targeted performance environment.
This well-defined workflow is often coupled with a deployment and CI tool, like Jenkins or
Capistrano, which can run automated tests, roll back to previous builds and more. If
something goes wrong, a prebuilt release can be rerun in a new environment or on different
infrastructure without having to redeploy the entire application.
Page 13 of 21
In this e-guide

 7 cloud computing job roles

to advance your career

 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing

 A beginners guide to cloud

native application
development

 Here’s what it takes to

become a cloud native
automation engineer Processes

In cloud computing, decoupled, stateless processes are far more scalable and manageable
than stateful ones. While it can seem counterintuitive to develop a stateless process, it
emphasizes the reliance on stateful backing services that enable the stateless processes to
scale up and down -- or reboot altogether -- with minimal risk to the application's quality.

While you can execute cloud-native processes in any number of ways, some targeted
environments -- such as Heroku -- offer their own runtimes that are based on configuration
values provided by the developer. This is commonly done through the use of a

Page 14 of 21

In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
containerization technology, such as Docker. Containers are an excellent way to encapsulate
the single process required to run a given application and encourage the use of stateless
applications.
Concurrency
Cloud-native applications are hard-wired to be horizontally scalable because they isolate
services into individual stateless processes that can handle specific workloads concurrently.
Processes become efficiently scalable when they're stateless and unaware of the other
independent processes.
Concurrency is a great example of why many cloud-native applications lean toward service-
oriented architectures. Monolithic applications can only scale so far vertically. Each
component can scale more effectively to handle the load when a developer breaks a
monolithic app into multiple targeted processes. A host of tools are available to automate the
management and scaling of these processes, including Kubernetes and other proprietary
services from cloud service providers.
Disposability
Several cloud providers offer more volatile infrastructures at a reduced cost. This promotes
cheaper scalability but comes with the risk of the sudden disposal of processes. While this
isn't always the case, cloud-native applications designed for disposability emphasize the
importance of self-healing applications.
Plan for unexpected failures to enable smoother shutdown procedures, and store any stateful
data outside of the isolation of the process. However, it is easier to design a self-repairing
system using orchestration tools, like Kubernetes, and robust queuing back ends, such as
beanstalkd or RabbitMQ.
Page 15 of 21
 ▼
In this e-guide
Next Article
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career

 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing

 A beginners guide to cloud

native application
development

 Here’s what it takes to

become a cloud native
automation engineer

Page 16 of 21
In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
Here's what it takes to become a
cloud automation engineer
Stephen Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor
https://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/tip/Heres-what-it-takes-to-become-a-cloud-
automation-engineer
Enterprise cloud deployments rely extensively on automation to drive the underlying
infrastructure. As a result, organizations often have a dedicated cloud automation engineer --
a role that can ultimately make or break a cloud strategy.
Job candidates for this senior IT role need to know their stuff before they sit down for that all-
important interview. Let's dive deeper into the responsibilities of a cloud automation engineer
and what it takes to get the job.
Responsibilities
A cloud automation engineer is primarily a senior software developer or engineer that
specializes in cloud automation, orchestration and integration. In most cases, this is a
crossover role that involves extensive knowledge of software design, process and workflows,
as well as data center and cloud infrastructure.
An individual in this position typically implements, optimizes and supports that infrastructure
and also ensures high availability. For example, she may need to architect an infrastructure to
deploy a software platform and also implement the monitoring and logging features to oversee
and troubleshoot that platform.
Page 17 of 21

In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
Other common responsibilities for a cloud automation engineer include:
 Design new systems to address existing IT challenges.
 Improve cost-effectiveness in cloud.
 Enhance cloud availability.
 Build up the performance of the production cloud infrastructure.
Qualifications
Cloud automation engineer is a broad role that involves an assortment of hardware and
software knowledge. Most elements of the role demand several years of experience, and
because there are so many varied proficiencies and requirements, it's typically a senior-level
position.
The qualifications generally start with a formal education, usually a bachelor's degree in
computer science, IT or an engineering discipline. Some employers may seek candidates with
a master's degree in one of these fields, while others might forego a formal degree
requirement for applicants with extensive experience -- 10 to 15 years.
Sample interview questions
Given that a cloud automation engineer often needs a range of experience in both cloud app
development and infrastructure management, potential interview questions can run the
gamut. Here are a few that job candidates can likely expect:
 Which tasks or processes have you automated at your current job?
 How did you decide that automation was necessary for those tasks, and how did you
implement it?
Page 18 of 21

In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
 Suppose you need to swap out AWS EC2 instances in bulk -- how would you do that
and still maintain application uptime and performance?
 How would you troubleshoot software that has no logs or logging available?
 Why is Java better than C++, and what is one scenario where would you use Java
rather than C++?
Typically, employers will expect candidates with five to 10 years of relevant experience in
application development, with at least two or three years of experience with CI/CD
development paradigms, such as Agile or DevOps. A cloud automation engineer is also
deeply involved with the infrastructure and operations side of the house, so employers will
expect anywhere from three to five years of hands-on experience with infrastructure
components, including OSes, databases, web servers, storage, networks, and
security/authentication.
Industry certification requirements are rare but vary with the specific needs of the employer.
For example, some jobs may require the candidate to have ITIL certifications.
It is important to understand that cloud automation engineers aren't made -- they evolve.
There is no single career path, and qualified individuals can emerge from both the software
development and IT operations world.
Familiarity with specific cloud platforms, tools
A cloud automation engineer is expected to be proficient in a wide range of platforms and
tools. Although the specific tools and most valuable skills vary by employer, there are myriad
different permutations that include public and private cloud, software development and IT
infrastructure.
An important aspect of the role is to have experience with cloud platforms. For example, on-
premises private clouds require knowledge of the underlying stack, such as VMware's
Page 19 of 21

In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
virtualization and OpenStack. Although knowledge of the exact stack is a plus, it's more
important for candidates to demonstrate proficiency with any stack and transfer that
knowledge to the more desirable platform.

 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing

 A beginners guide to cloud

native application
development

 Here’s what it takes to

become a cloud native
automation engineer

Page 20 of 21

In this e-guide
 7 cloud computing job roles
to advance your career
 7 key characteristics of
cloud computing
 A beginners guide to cloud
native application
development
 Here’s what it takes to
become a cloud native
automation engineer
Candidates may also need to know how to deploy and integrate public cloud services --
especially within hybrid cloud environments. For example, employers will likely seek
candidates familiar with AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform or even specific
services, such as Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage.
On the software development side, the candidate may need experience with REST APIs;
database design and development using SQL; GUI programming with tools such as HTML5;
JavaScript libraries, such as jQuery; runtimes, including Node.js; and the AngularJS
framework.
Experience with technologies such as Kubernetes, Terraform, Puppet, Chef and Ansible is
also a big plus.
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Next Article
7 cloud computing job roles to advance your career
7 key characteristics of cloud computing
A beginner's guide to cloud-native application development
Here's what it takes to become a cloud automation engineer
Page 21 of 21