Inquiries about Cloud/Virtualization certifications & their relevance in the market

Decided to go the way of Cloud and Virtualization with a long term goal of Cloud Engineer / Cloud Security Engineer.

In terms of market relevance/presence, job security, highly sought after, public/government sector job security, etc.

Which certifications cover those bases?

So far from what I've gathered the heavy hitters are:

MCSE: Private Cloud (does this dabble in Azure? Hyper V?)

AWS (biggest cloud provider in the USA, world? Presence in other jobs aside from Amazon?)

VMware CMA line (does this cover both cloud and virtualization? How heavy is VMware's presence in the corporate world?)

CCSK and CCSP (Cloud security)

The above mentioned I already have intentions of acquiring

But is it enough for job security? Enough to get my foot in the door if I have prior Network Engineer experience and Sys Admin experience to couple with the above mentioned certifications? (Minus CCSP)

Does the above mentioned cover enough to the point where, let's say IBM calls me up for a Cloud/virtualization position - will I be familiar enough with the material to transfer over my knowledge to IBM's proprietary services?

Let me know!

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Comments

iBrokeIT

What exactly is the question here?

You ramble off a bunch of certs then ask about job security... just because you have certs it is not a guarantee that you'll always have a job, doesn't matter the specialization.

Are you asking if there is job security in the virtualization/cloud specialization? Probably for the short term to near term.

Chasing certs to be a mile wide and inch deep across multiple virtualization/cloud platforms isn't going to get you as far as if you specialized in one and learned to script/automate many of your tasks.

Chinook

I have the AWS architect cert and I'm currently working on my first Azure certification. If you're asking if the platform has a future I would say it is the future. Initially Cloud was the realm of the "web" with most of the focus on web based companies. Is there a need for security there? The answer is in the news almost every day with near daily hacks. YES..

In Operational IT (companies) the Cloud has some presence but it will definitely grow. Azure is introducing things like roles as a service. So if you want an Active Directory you don't actually need a server to host it, you just purchase the service. The result is that pretty much everyone outside of the Enterprise will migrate to the Cloud. And need the security that comes with it.

Certifications aside, the key to job security is pretty basic. Do what you do and do it will. Stay on top of trends and where the market is going and roll with it. I can foresee a huge need for Cloud architects and security types. Honestly, overall I think the whole security market will grow exponentially in the next 10 years. In time server administrators will be expected to understand defensive security. Hardening a network & best practice will just be part of the job. MSP's will hire security guru's to harden networks & hopefully the general public & business get it. But there will always be pen-testing because it's best practice to have a 3rd party attack you.

If you want to pursue a career in Cloud security, I'd go out and get the AWS & Azure certs & maybe dabble in OpenStack. Once you know how things work you can add security to that portfolio. Be aware that very often good security starts with a properly designed network.

networker050184

Certification wise for public cloud AWS is still the way to go. Can't really speak to the security certification side of it though. OpenStack is definitely getting a growing user space for private cloud which I recently became certified in myself.

thewiz8807

I appreciate the feedback people.

I was looking into Hyper-V and Azure and it's a little confusing.

Is Hyper-V and Azure included in Windows Server 2k12 or will be in Windows Server 2k16?

Do Hyper-V and Azure have their own certifications?

If my initial post was confusing with the different vendors thrown around then I'll try to clarify:

I'm interested in learning and becoming a skilled individual with Cloud Computing & Virtualization as well as the security aspect of them.

I would like to know which vendors in the game (present and foreseeable future) have the biggest market presence as I'm concerned with certification ROI and job security.

Chinook

Hyper V is the virtualization platform on Microsoft Windows products. The role is included in Server 2008 - 16 & on Windows 8.1 & 10 (it might be on 7). It's free of charge, licensing varies.

Azure is a service provided by Microsoft which is a Cloud service. You buy the service and they tend to host it. Now, that's a general statement as each product varies on your level of control. You can sign up to look around free of charge if you wish.

iBrokeIT

Do you want to work with a public cloud product or a private cloud product?

Hyper-V is Microsoft's private cloud (virtualization) product
Azure is Microsoft's public cloud product
AWS is Amazon's public cloud product
vSphere ESXi is VMware's private cloud (virtualization) product
vCloud Air is VMware's public cloud product

IMO the real competition going forward is going to be Azure vs AWS which would mean your choice is going to be between a Windows vs Linux infrastructure just like it has been for years and years previously. Yes, yes you can run one on the other but that is not their strengths. I think that the VMware products are probably at their peak and will start to either get edged out and become niche like Citrix is right now or get spun off of Dell and acquired by either Amazon or MS

According to a few articles release in the last few days, Microsoft Azure is expected to overtake Amazon's AWS as the largest public cloud infrastructure by 2019: Azure rising: Microsoft will be largest Infrastructure as a Service vendor by 2019, says new Morgan Stanley survey - GeekWire

I suggest that you don't developed your cert list in a bubble then expect to find a job that fits your list, IMO that's backwards if you are concerned about RIO and marketability. Go out and find 10-20 job descriptions of positions you would like to hold and tally up the number of times you see a cert listed then start working your way down the list.

I regularly watch the job boards even when I'm not looking for a job so that I can keep up with what the market is demanding and so for example, I saw this one posted the other day: https://jobs.pattersoncompanies.com/job/-/-/881/2372281?apstr=?mode=job&iis=Job+Board&iisn=Indeed

thewiz8807

VMware's DCV line looks to be the most popular one. Lots of employers asking for that. When I look for their CMA line I don't see much, and VMware's vCloud doesn't seem like it'll be making much noise in the next coming years. Maybe it'd be best if I learn up on their DCV side of things.

iBrokeIT

thewiz8807 wrote: »

VMware's DCV line looks to be the most popular one.

Indeed, a VCP6-DCV paired with a MCSE:SI and your CCNA's would make you a very marketable individual.

Please note that if you want to go directly into the VCP6-DCV line, you will need to take a qualifying VMware class. The class offered throughed Stanly CC seems to be popular here due to the cost - $200? and there are multiple threads in the VMware subforum about it. Otherwise the classes offered through VMware, New Horizons and others are around $3000.

Another good resource for VCP6-DCV is the VMUG (VMware User Group) Advantage program - https://www.vmug.com/advantage

It offers discounts on your exam vouchers and the EVALExperience grants 1 year licenses for most of their products - https://www.vmug.com/evalexperience

Cheers!

gkca

I'd say this thread at reddit makes me think twice whether it makes sense to renew my vcp: https://www.reddit.com/r/vmware/comments/4se64n/anyone_else_with_10_years_of_enterprise_vmware/

iBrokeIT

gkca wrote: »

I'd say this thread at reddit makes me think twice whether it makes sense to renew my vcp: https://www.reddit.com/r/vmware/comments/4se64n/anyone_else_with_10_years_of_enterprise_vmware/

All's I see is an anecdotal account of an individual in a metro area that is suffering from a sector (oil) downturn.

Also, VCAPs don't expire if you want to go that route