AWS Vs Azure: Which certification is better?

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Cloud Computing has taken the world of technology by storm. It is one of the biggest developments in the modern world and has been a steady revenue generator for many years. Cloud computing enables global access to a shared group of computing assets, allowing exchange and transfer of data easily with minimal effort. Because of cloud computing, enterprises can now store and process information in centres outside the ambit of their internal servers.

A report by the IDC shows that cloud computing will add close to 5,00,000 jobs in India and $4.2 billion in the country by 2020. There couldn’t be a better time to begin a career in cloud computing than this. Enterprise Architects and developers are the most coveted profiles in the Cloud Computing landscape at present.  The main cloud vendors such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Salesforce and Microsoft have fresh cloud offerings and they are constantly upgrading it. Due to the increased popularity of Cloud Computing in the job market, there is always a need for certification.

The two most important certifications in the field of Data Science are AWS and Azure. Both of them have their own pros and cons and it is difficult to ascertain as to which one is more relevant to the correct job market. At present, AWS is the dominant market player with about a 49% growth in the second quarter of 2018, but Microsoft Azure is also catching up. AWS has about 41.5% of the application workloads in the cloud, while 29.4% of the installed base is held by Azure.

Due to the growing popularity of Azure over AWS, it is a hot topic of debate which certification would be most useful for candidates. Before you make a choice, it is very important that you are well-versed with the fundamentals of Cloud Computing. The core knowledge of storage, computing, VPN and routing must be strong in your mind so that you can take an informed decision about which certification to opt for. Once, you are thorough with your basics only then will you be prepared for vendor-specific certification.

We have done a comparative study on both the certifications and vendors on various parameters, for you to make an informed choice.

  AWS Certification Azure Certification
Description It is one of the most coveted cloud certifications and employers are always seeking cloud professionals who can design and deploy applications on AWS infrastructure. The expertise in Microsoft cloud-related technologies and advance your career by earning one of the new Azure role-based certifications
Career path AWS Solutions Architect Associate.   Post clearing the AWS Solutions Architect exam, candidates go for Developer Associate exam.   The prominent positions after clearing the exams are DevOps, Developer and SysOps Completing the Microsoft Certified Solutions Architect certification is a prerequisite for advanced level certification   There are three certifications: One for architects, the other one is for Linux and the third one is for Visual Studio web developers.   Cloud administrator, cloud architect and information security analyst roles
Eligibility One should have a minimum of two-year experience in designing applications with AWS technologies. Azure Administrators who manage cloud services that span storage, security, networking, and compute cloud capabilities.
Scope of test Tests the candidate’s ability to make architectural recommendations for deployment and provisioning applications on AWS.   Tests a candidate’s expertise in Microsoft cloud-related technologies
Advantages of these certifications Several data availability zones, so that users can store data close to them and cut costs.   Minimal data loss during server and storage transfer. Considerable support for hybrid cloud applications that helps them to protect the sensitive information of the client’s information   Since Microsoft is used by most of the organisations, it is easy for them to adapt to Azure cloud services. The transition will be rather seamless.   Azure Storage gives flexible, protected, secure, and performance-efficient storage benefits in a cloud.
Notable Achievements In 2016, AWS was used for developing the Early Warning System in Cambodia so that the people in flood-prone areas could find a safe spot before being affected by the floods. This way thousands of lives could be saved in a cost-effective way. Ecolab Inc. used Azure IoT to develop sensors that will allow businesses to leverage information to steer their business processes to reduce, re-use, and recycle water to conserve water for coming generations.

Sources:

Analytics India Magzine

Mercury Solutions