Cloud services are one of the most popular buzzwords, not only in the IT industry but in business in general. However, the cloud is not just a place to store virtual resources; it is an entire ecosystem through which dozens of business processes can be executed. The most popular cloud service provider is Amazon with AWS – Amazon Web Services. What is AWS and what is it used for?
Cloud computing is a highly sought-after service that allows thousands of organizations to access vast computing power, databases, applications, and many other IT resources virtually.
The benefits of using cloud computing are truly significant, ranging from cost savings due to not having to maintain physical IT infrastructure, to time savings and the optimization of business processes. Every enterprise looking for the best cloud service provider is essentially choosing between global leaders. And while popular solutions like Microsoft Azure or IBM Cloud are well-known, in practice, half of the market belongs to Amazon and its Amazon Web Services. What exactly is AWS? It is a massive set of cloud services tailored to the needs of everyone—from small businesses to large corporations managing thousands of business processes. AWS provides customers with immense computing power, hosting,
computer clusters, analytical and development tools, data security tools, and unlimited database storage.
Who uses AWS and why?
Amazon Web Services is a massive platform that outperforms all other known cloud solutions on the market in terms of functionality. Partly due to its versatility and wide range of applications, nearly half of all companies involved in cloud usage rely on AWS. Some of the most popular AWS services include:
- Amazon VPC – A private cloud that allows you to create your own private network within AWS;
- Amazon EC2 – An offering of virtual cloud servers that guarantee access to the desired computing power;
- Amazon RDS – A management system for databases located in the cloud. Depending on your needs, you can use SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL engines, and many others.
These are just a few of the services offered by Amazon. Any enterprise looking for cloud solutions will successfully find the ideal services that can be precisely tailored to the needs of the processes carried out within the organization.
How to become an AWS specialist and what competencies are required?
The popularity of cloud solutions is driving interest among professionals who want to build their career path in the area of cloud computing. How do you become an Amazon cloud specialist, and what competencies are useful to compete with other candidates in the IT job market? More and more companies are using cloud services, which creates a huge field for growth for companies involved in supporting organizational cloud adoption, programming services perfectly tailored to needs, and designing optimal cloud service architecture.
There is no shortage of job offers for positions like AWS solutions architect or AWS specialist, and one of the most important elements verified during an interview will be the certifications you have obtained in the past. After all, cloud services are built on certifications, and there is no shortage of them. Currently, every cloud service has its own certification path, but the one specializing a candidate in the Amazon cloud area seems the most structured. And it is the one worth following. In addition to the certifications themselves, it is also worth having other practical skills that can be useful in daily work with the cloud. This includes, among other things, knowledge of programming languages like Java, Python, and Ruby, as well as knowledge of relational and non-relational databases.
How much do AWS specialists earn?
Migrating company resources to the cloud is a complex, risky, and long-term process that cannot take place without the assistance of specialized experts. Therefore, companies providing these types of services spare no effort to attract the best specialists in the industry. Unfortunately, there is still a shortage of them, and one piece of evidence for this is the rising salary ranges used to entice IT specialists aspiring to the role of AWS experts. How much do AWS specialists currently earn? DCG experts point to the Cloud Engineer position as one of the best-paid in the Polish IT market.
Currently, a specialist in a mid-level position employed under an employment contract can count on earnings of up to 29,000 gross per month. Of course, at the very beginning of your AWS journey, the salary offer will be lower, but the level of 10,000 PLN gross should be maintained even for beginner AWS specialists.
Is specialization in AWS future-proof?
Does starting an adventure with the cloud, and in particular with the reigning Amazon Web Services, make sense in the coming years? Definitely yes. In Poland, cloud services are not yet as popular as in the West or the United States, and even in those markets, it is clear how desirable a service cloud computing is. The m
arket is not yet saturated, and cloud service providers themselves continue to offer new, revolutionary services that are slowly changing the face of the cloud. In the past, the cloud was only associated with mass disk space where a company could store all its virtual resources. Today, that is just a fraction of the potential of cloud services, and over the next few years, these services will become the most important elements of the strategy of every significant enterprise on the market.
