Navigating Cloud Careers: Cloud Operations

There are a number of cloud careers that fall under the remit of cloud operations. Broadly speaking, these roles are responsible for building and managing cloud infrastructure, including virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), servers, and software as a service (SaaS) applications. Cloud engineers working in cloud operations should be able to build cloud infrastructure in accordance with the specific requirements of a client or employer. This infrastructure should be maintained to ensure efficiency and cost effectiveness, and analyzed to see where improvements can be made. Cloud engineers in this area are also responsible for cloud migration, which involves moving data from one location—such as a company’s onsite premises—to the cloud, or moving data between different clouds.[1]

To be successful in cloud operations, a cloud engineer cannot have only the correct training and appropriate technological understanding. They must also be able to liaise with clients, understand the specific requirements and constraints of different companies and organizations, and work well with both IT and non-IT professionals to ensure the seamless integration of cloud services into the rest of an organization.[2]

The following are some of the main roles that fall within cloud operations:

Cloud Systems Administrator

Cloud systems administrators focus on the software and hardware used for cloud services. They are responsible for maintaining the cloud and related infrastructure as well as troubleshooting problems that arise.[3] The average salary for a cloud systems administrator in the UK is £57,842 per year.[4]

Cloud Network Engineers

Cloud network engineers design, implement, and maintain the networks that connect clients and service providers, such as local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), intranets, and extranets. [5] The average salary for cloud network engineers in the UK is £55,000 per year.[6]

Cloud Infrastructure Engineers

Cloud infrastructure engineers work closely with software developers and hardware engineers to build effective cloud systems and networks. They are required to understand the pros and cons of different options and assess which are the most appropriate to meet specific demands. The average salary for cloud network engineers in the UK is £57,500 per year.[7]

Cloud Support Engineers

Cloud support engineers are there to solve problems when things go wrong. They must have a thorough understanding of what can go wrong, why things go wrong, and how to fix things when they do go wrong.[8] The average salary for cloud support engineers in the UK is £39,222 per year.[9]

Cloud Operations Engineers

Cloud operations engineers design, create, and implement cloud-based software. They aim to improve the everyday operations of an organization—such as customer services or financial reporting—by producing software that is efficient, useful, and easy to use.[10] The average salary for cloud operations engineers in the UK is £47,119 per year.[11]

When applying for any of these roles, a candidate must demonstrate that they have an intimate knowledge of and experience with at least one cloud platform, such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWB). Although skills between cloud platforms are largely transferable, employers prefer to see that a candidate has an extensive understanding of one platform rather than a more surface-level understanding of many. An understanding of operating systems—like Windows, programming, networking, and data storage and security are also important.[12]

Qualifications, such as the Google Associate Cloud Engineer certification, are also extremely important, as they prove that an individual has the knowledge and training required for a particular role. In fact, according to Pluralsight’s State of Cloud Learning report, 87 percent of hiring managers said that they value cloud certificates and hands-on experience over tertiary qualifications like degrees. The same report also found that 52 percent of those with certificates believe that the qualifications expanded their career opportunities.[13] So, there’s no need to spend three years and thousands of pounds studying computer science at university when relevant experience and specific qualifications are more valuable.

Being a cloud support engineer or a cloud systems administrator is rewarding work with great pay, but it can also lead to many other opportunities. Long term, someone in one of the positions outlined in this article can expect to become a cloud architect or DevOps engineer later in their career. Working in cloud operations provides tremendous experience that can be used to advance far and build a long, successful, and lucrative cloud career.