How Difficult is it to Learn Cloud Computing?

Are you curious about learning cloud computing but worried it might be too hard? Of course, the difficulty that comes with learning a new skill is somewhat subjective. The challenges of learning cloud computing depend on factors like whether you know programming languages like Python, if you have prior experience working with operating systems, virtualization, or networking, and your familiarity with the different kinds of cloud environments. No matter your current schedule or comfort level with cloud computing, there are plenty of tools available to help make learning easier than you might think.

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing involves delivering computing services, such as databases, servers, software, intelligence, analytics, and storage, over the internet, or the “cloud.” Instead of storing files on a local storage device or one’s hard drive, cloud-based storage provides a way to save them to a remote database. Any electronic device that can access the internet can then access the data, as well as the software programs needed to run it.

Different types of clouds, as well as cloud computing options, are available, including various services and models. Cloud services can be deployed in three ways: on a private cloud, a public cloud, or a hybrid cloud. Private clouds are used solely by one organization. It is either physically located in the organization’s onsite data center or is hosted by a third-party service provider. Public clouds are owned and run by third-party cloud service providers. This provider delivers computing resources via the internet. In public clouds, the cloud provider owns all the supporting infrastructure like software and hardware and is in charge of managing it. Hybrid clouds are a combination of private and public clouds that share data and applications. Since apps and data move between public and private clouds in a hybrid cloud, this format provides organizations with additional deployment options, security, and flexibility. 

Nearly all cloud computing services fall into four categories: infrastructure as a service, platform as a service, serverless, and software as a service. Since they build on one another, these four services are often called the cloud computing “stack.”

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is the most rudimentary of the four services. Those using IaaS rent their IT infrastructures, such as virtual machines, servers, networks, and storage, from a cloud provider using a pay-as-you-go structure. Platform as a service (PaaS) provides on-demand environments to develop, test, deliver, and manage various software apps. PaaS allows Developers to easily and quickly design mobile or web apps since they do not need to create or manage the servers’ databases, storage capacity, or network. Serverless computing allows users to focus their efforts on creating apps rather than managing the infrastructure and services needed to do so. Instead, the cloud provider takes care of setup and server management. The fourth cloud computing service is software as a service (SaaS). This method delivers software apps on an on-demand basis over the internet and generally involves a subscription. Cloud providers are tasked with hosting and managing the infrastructure and apps, as well as performing maintenance tasks like updating software. Those who wish to connect to the app do so over the internet. 

Read more about what cloud computing is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is a skill that can open many professional doors, lead to competitive salaries, and provide you with the training and skills to stand out to a range of recruiters and employers. Currently, cloud computing is one of the most in-demand skills you can have on your resume. According to U.S. News and World Report, the number-one job in America in 2022 is Information Security Analyst. These individuals safeguard the information stored in an organization’s computer system from cyberattacks and data breaches, often in the cloud environment. Whether you want to pursue a cybersecurity career or employment in a related field like web development or cloud development, cloud computing is likely to play an integral role in your professional responsibilities. The demand for those with cloud computing skills will likely increase over the next decade as more companies realize the benefits of cloud environments.

Cloud computing allows businesses and organizations to reduce expenses by using resources from several providers instead of just one. This can lead to a significant reduction in operating costs. Not only does cloud computing save money, but it improves a company’s flexibility. It provides a way for users to access apps and data when and where it’s needed. Working in the cloud environment also improves an organization’s agility by allowing users to easily and quickly deploy services and applications. 

Another benefit of working with cloud computing is that it provides a secure data environment with which users can securely access their data from any location. Because it’s made the internet more reliable and improved the speed by which information can be accessed, cloud computing often improves employee productivity. It also provides a way to stay current with technology trends. Additionally, because cloud computing relies on state-of-the-art data centers and cutting-edge technology, it can also reduce an organization’s carbon footprint.

What Are the Most Challenging Parts of Learning Cloud Computing?

Learning cloud computing is considered by most to be a challenging skill. This field’s inherent complexity is one reason it’s so difficult to learn. Computing itself is a complicated task. On top of that, when working with cloud models, you’ll likely encounter platform-level incongruities and mismatches. This is partly because cloud computing technology lends itself to agile configurations that are easy to access. Individuals working in cloud environments can easily lean into complexity, even without intending to do so. There is little discussion in this field devoted to applying uncomplicated methodologies to cloud platforms. Although some business problems demand complexity, some Cloud Developers may not actively search for less complicated solutions. This can lead to solutions that perform well but are not optimized, which can result in an organization’s operational costs increasing.

If you are interested in managing the complexity of a cloud computing environment, it’s essential to do so right from the start, in the preliminary application design and architecture stages. Before embarking on a cloud project, you can raise questions about added complexity and be aware that this issue will need to be dealt with right from the start.

Another challenging aspect of cloud computing is cybersecurity. Companies interested in quickly adopting cloud computing environments need individuals with technical expertise to facilitate this transition and to help interconnect legacy systems that are about to expire with new platforms. However, some organizations may encounter difficulty upskilling their current enterprise application teams. Talent shortages are a significant contributing factor that hinders organizations from transitioning to digital technology. In addition, a current lack of cybersecurity staff is an ongoing challenge for organizations interested in adopting cloud technologies. Currently, there’s a high demand for these professionals. However, burnout and stress have led to many individuals leaving cybersecurity positions. The prevalence of hybrid clouds has resulted in more entry points through which threats like malicious code can affect infrastructure.

Organizations wishing to address this factor may consider building cybersecurity needs into all business decisions. This is especially important for organizations that conduct the majority of their daily work tasks off-premises.

How Does Learning Cloud Computing Compare to Other Tech Skills?

If you are considering learning cloud computing, you may wonder how it compares to other technology-related skills and fields. One skill set commonly compared to cloud computing is data science. Data science involves gathering data from different resources, then preparing, modeling, and analyzing the data. On the other hand, cloud computing refers to the technology or infrastructure used to provide an organization with continuous IT services. Both of these fields require a background in technology, programming, and other related skills, which is why they are considered relatively difficult to learn. These two fields have several similarities, as well as some key differences.

Data science and cloud computing are powerful tools for enabling business agility since they provide improved organizational efficiency and reduced costs. Cloud computing professionals and Data Scientists often work in concert to ensure their organization has sufficient IT infrastructures, as well as network bandwidth, to enable fast data modeling and flow. Another similarity these fields share is that they both seek ways to improve organizational performance. Cloud computing is concerned with solutions for data processes, and data science is concerned with locating important insights that can help an organization perform better. This is why both fields provide competitive salaries for qualified individuals. Because organizations require an environment that can handle and maintain their data processes, cloud computing services have a range of data science applications that provide better value and performance for a business when used together.

Noble Desktop’s Data ScienceBlog & Learning Resources provides more information about the field of data science, career paths, and the tools and software commonly used by Data Scientists. 

Why is Cloud Computing Worth Learning?

It’s expected that by 2025, more than 100 zettabytes of data will be stored in the cloud. Each zettabyte contains a trillion gigabytes. This number is so large it’s nearly impossible to conceptualize. Because so many businesses are seeing the benefits of cloud computing, this field continues to change how businesses run. To get an idea of just how widely used and valuable cloud computing is, the following facts and figures illustrate its popularity:

• In 2022, KPMG’s Global Tech Report concluded that nine out of ten businesses feel they have adopted advanced cloud systems, and nearly three-quarters of organizations are currently transitioning their strategic workloads to a cloud environment. Cloud computing is increasingly becoming a technology pillar for many organizations. 
• In 2021, 94% of workloads were processed in cloud data centers. This indicates that non-cloud data centers are becoming obsolete as more organizations transition to cloud computing technology. 
• In 2021, the public cloud computing market generated more than $412 billion. This number is expected to grow to $592 billion by 2024 and $832 billion by 2025.
• North America is the global leader in the cloud computing market. In 2020, it held 61% of the market total. This number is three times greater than Western Europe, which held nearly a quarter of the market total. 
• Cloud computing is widely trusted by organizations. Nearly half of them store classified data on the cloud as regular and encrypted data. 
• Multi-cloud strategies are becoming increasingly popular with organizations. This involves working with several cloud service providers like AWS or Google Cloud. Doing so ensures that if one service is unavailable at any point in time, the organization has a backup service for disaster recovery. An estimated 92% of organizations have a backup, multi-cloud strategy already in place.

Why is Cloud Computing So Popular?

Cloud computing provides a range of solutions for businesses of all sizes. Because it reduces the need for traditional servers, many organizations are quickly adopting cloud computing technologies. The following list describes several reasons why cloud computing is such a popular field, as well as why it’s expected to grow in popularity in the coming years:

• Cloud computing drives innovation. As cloud computing becomes a more affordable and accessible business solution, more organizations are taking advantage of its capabilities. They can process large volumes of data much easier than in the past, as well as execute global deployment. This allows them to be more innovative as they adopt new working strategies.

• It’s scalable. Unlike traditional computing, in which more servers must be added and configured to facilitate increased usage, cloud computing provides a way for users to work with unlimited resources and to do so as their business needs change. Cloud computing makes it easier than ever for an organization to scale its operations and spend less time worrying about acquiring supplementary resources.

• Cloud computing facilitates collaboration. One of the most powerful features of cloud computing is that it allows team members to come together in real time, as well as to accept files and data at any time and from any location. It also provides options for live collaboration in which multiple team members can simultaneously work on files or tasks. Not only does this lead to improved productivity and workflow, but it also reduces the need for employees to exchange physical documents.

• It provides mobility. The remote access and improved mobility features provided by cloud computing are huge assets to businesses. They provide a way for employees to access relevant data and resources, regardless of where they’re located. For organizations where some or all employees work remotely, cloud computing makes it much easier for them to perform work-related tasks.

• Cloud computing can minimize loss and help your organization recover from disasters. Even for those who devote their efforts to carefully managing business operations, disasters can still strike. Any downtime can have dire consequences for an organization, such as lost revenue, slower productivity, and tarnished brand reputation. When working with cloud-based solutions for disaster recovery, data can be recovered quickly, reducing downtime to only a few hours.

• It can help you spend less on hardware infrastructure. Organizations that run on cloud computing technology don’t have to have their own data centers or IT teams to manage hardware. This means that overhead expenses will likely be much lower for these organizations. Not only that, the inefficiencies inherent to traditional computing are also eliminated. The money saved by using cloud computing can then be used to fund other business-related expenses.

Learn Web Development & Cybersecurity Skills with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

One great way to learn many of the skills associated with cloud computing is to enroll in a course or bootcamp with Noble Desktop. Noble’s Cloud Computing with AWS prepares students to create and secure an enterprise-level cloud environment. Those enrolled in this hands-on class receive expert instruction on how to work with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the most popular cloud computing platform. Participants learn how to navigate the cloud’s infrastructure, as well as how Security Operation Centers can be used in AWS. These relevant skills can help students pursue a career in cybersecurity. Tuition includes the option of a free course retake for up to one year for all students.

Another great option for those interested in working with cybersecurity is Noble’s Cybersecurity Bootcamp. Instruction is provided on protecting networks and apps, evaluating security threats, and using cloud computing, Python, and Linux to prevent cyberattacks. By course completion, students will have a working knowledge of the skills required to work in several in-demand cybersecurity professions, such as Cybersecurity Analyst and Cybersecurity Engineer. In addition to the option of a free course retake, all participants in this intensive program receive one-on-one mentoring.