Amazon.com, Inc., founded in 1994, has long been a leader in the global public-cloud computing and e-commerce market. Moreover, it is one of the American Big Five, which also includes such IT giants as Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft.
In 2002, Amazon launched Amazon Web Services, Inc. or simply AWS as a subsidiary providing companies, individuals, and governments with on-demand APIs and cloud computing platforms.
Amazon is currently headquartered in Seattle, but that doesn't stop it from having about 3 million sellers worldwide and branches in Australia, Canada, Poland, Germany, China, India, and other countries. So with its massive scale and technological innovation, Amazon is the largest marketplace, a platform for cloud computing and live streaming, and a provider of artificial intelligence assistants.
As you can imagine, all of the above is just the tip of the iceberg. This company also focuses on the development of consumer electronics including, Fire tablets, Kindle e-readers, Echo devices, and Fire TVs.
Certification Program
Nowadays, having a formal certification is a mark of distinction for professionals, which confirms that they have the most in-demand and relevant skills regarding cloud computing. Therefore, AWS offers a broad program where interested candidates can choose some technical areas that lead to specific specialties and roles.
In more detail, this vendor offers 4 accreditation paths based on roles such as Cloud Practitioner, Developer, Architect, and Operations. Moreover, keep in mind that the AWS certification program is tiered, meaning applicants must consider their work experience and level of technical expertise. In other words, the following levels of qualification await you:
Foundational. Although entry-level accreditation requires a minimum of 6 months of hands-on experience and basic knowledge of the AWS cloud and the cloud industry in general. As a result, the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certificate awaits you at this stage.
Associate. If your cumulative experience is more than a year, and you have the confidence to implement solutions and solve problems through the AWS cloud, you can choose a more technical path to follow - Architect, Operations, and Developer. Either way, you will need to take the appropriate qualifying exam, each leading to a specific certification - AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate, AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate, or AWS Certified Developer – Associate.
Professional. With more than two years of experience in using, troubleshooting, and building effective solutions with the help of the AWS cloud technology, you may qualify for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional or AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional designation, depending on your technical focus.
Among other things, AWS has developed a number of Specialty designations that cover narrower skills in the following areas of Database, Machine Learning, Security, Data Analytics, and Advanced Networking.
Training
Whichever qualification path you choose, you will need to prepare for and successfully pass the appropriate test to get the certification you want. But you should understand that AWS is interested in your excellent result, so each certification will offer a variety of preparation tools, from sample questions and a practice exam to comprehensive paid and free courses.