CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ Certification
CompTIA Cloud Essentials certification is a technical, vendor-neutral credential designed to ensure the knowledge and skills of technical support staff, business analysts, managing service provider personnel, business process owners, sales/marketing staff, and new data center staff to govern cloud product in a cloud-computing environment. This certification validates that the candidate has an understanding of basic terms and definitions of cloud computing along with the different processes involved in the successful adoption of cloud computing and its implications for organizations’ use.
CompTIA Cloud Essentials is an entry-level, vendor-neutral cloud certification that evaluates administrators on the following knowledge:
- Characteristics of cloud services from a business perspective.
- Business value of cloud computing.
- Technical perspective and cloud types.
- Steps to successful cloud adoption.
- Effect and changes of the cloud on IT service management.
- Risks and consequences of cloud computing.
These exam objectives were originally developed by ITpreneurs in cooperation with the Cloud Credential Council, a membership body dedicated to vendor-neutral training in cloud computing and comprising companies including IBM, Cisco, EMC, HP and ING. Though not a requirement, CompTIA recommends that exam candidates have at least six months of IT experience.
Here are the skills measured in the certification exam:
- Learning the benefits of adopting cloud technology
- Understanding of basic terms and definitions of cloud computing
- Understanding cloud computing for business and its technical viewpoint
- Learning about compliance, risk, and regulatory aspects of cloud computing
- Learning about the financial and strategic impact of cloud computing on an organization
- Understanding the impact and consequences of cloud computing on IT service management
- Understanding the fundamentals of the various techniques, methods, challenges, and types of clouds
Who Should Be Interested in Cloud Essentials+?
People who pursue Cloud Essentials+ certification are not going to be technical Cloud professionals . Rather, this credential may be of interest to the following individuals:
- Sales/marketing, business, or operations personnel in cloud service/managed service providers, or
- Business analysts, success managers, and process owners in cloud services customers, and
- Technical support people — help desk techs, sysadmins, and net admins — who want to position themselves to work directly with the cloud.
In the first two categories, it’s clear that cloud technology takes second place to the business aspects of the particular cloud service. For these individuals, Cloud Essentials+ is right on the money in terms of how the services are used, how they are best deployed, and how the cloud customer benefits from the service.
In the third category, we may find individuals who may not be ready for a deeper technical cloud cert. For example, they may be in a support role such as a help desk technician and are looking to position themselves for a new role closer to the business.