In the cloud computing industry, AWS vs Azure is a common topic of discussion as they are both major players. The AWS cloud service generates more revenue than Azure, but the Azure service has a larger user base.
For IT professionals looking to advance their careers and increase their earning potential, obtaining certifications in either AWS or Azure can be beneficial. However, with so many certification options available, it can be difficult to decide which one to pursue.
This article will examine the differences between AWS and Azure certifications, the benefits they offer, and the potential salary increases that can be achieved by obtaining them.
AWS vs Azure: overview
AWS CEO, Andy Jassy, stated that "cloud is the new normal." According to Forbes, 80% of enterprises already use the AWS cloud computing platform for their business operations or are experimenting with it. As of now, Microsoft Azure is ranked second with 67% of the usage, and Google Cloud is ranked third with 40%. Furthermore, according to IDC, IT professionals in India who are certified in cloud services are promoted 50% faster than those who are not certified in cloud services, as a result of their knowledge of cloud services.
Increasing demand for cloud services has led to an increase in job opportunities as companies choose to perform their operations in the cloud. In order to gain employment in companies that do cloud-related projects, you might want to get certified by providers like AWS in order to increase your chances of being hired.
AWS vs Azure: market share
AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud are just a few of the major cloud computing providers that operate in the industry today, but there are many others out there. Comparatively to other providers, these three companies hold a significant share of the market.
It is estimated that Amazon Web Services holds a market share of 33%, making it the most popular cloud provider. With a market share of 19%, Microsoft Azure is ranked second, while Google Cloud follows with a market share of 7%.
AWS vs Azure: job opportunities
In recent years, Microsoft Azure has made significant strides against competitors such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) in terms of job opportunities and interest. The number of job seekers searching for AWS, Azure, and GCP increased by 157.77%, 130.41%, and 908.75%, respectively.
AWS has seen a slight drop in job searches, while Azure has seen an increase of 15.39%. Additionally, the share of job postings for both AWS and Azure have increased significantly, with AWS rising by 232.06% and Azure by 302.47%.
What is the importance of certifications?
Due to the growth of cloud technology, there is now an abundance of job opportunities for developers in the field, and as the field becomes more competitive, employers are placing a greater emphasis on hiring professionals who have been certified. According to a report by Global Knowledge, 93% of employers believe that certified professionals add more value to their organizations.
Certification is a way to validate your experience and knowledge in your field of expertise by demonstrating your competency in that field. When considering which certifications to pursue, the choice can be difficult considering the popularity of the two leading cloud providers, AWS and Azure.
What is the difference between AWS and Azure?
Having a general understanding of the two technologies is a good starting point before going into the specifics of certifications and other technical differences between AWS and Azure.
Listed below are some of the key differences between AWS and Azure, which should provide a quick overview of the two services:
AWS certifications
AWS introduced its worldwide certification program in 2013, beginning with the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Level. Over time, AWS has expanded its offerings and now has 12 certifications across four categories: Foundational, Associate, Professional, and Specialty.
FOUNDATIONAL
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
ASSOCIATE
- AWS Certified Developer - Associate
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
- AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate
PROFESSIONAL
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional
SPECIALTY
- AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty
- AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty
- AWS Certified Database - Specialty
- AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty
- AWS Certified Security - Specialty
- AWS Certified: SAP on AWS - Specialty
Benefits of AWS certifications
Earning potential:
There are many career opportunities available to those with the AWS Solutions Architect Associate credential. A survey by PayScale suggests that, on average, a person in this role earns around 12 lacs a year in India. Depending on their experience and qualification, it may increase to around 25 lakhs per year. In the United States, certified professionals in this field can expect their salaries to increase by over $12K per annum, according to a report published by Forbes. Furthermore, those who have several years of experience working in cloud computing can expect to earn even more
Global recognition:
AWS certifications are highly respected among employers worldwide, which can lead to better job opportunities for certified professionals. These certifications demonstrate their knowledge and experience in the field, making them a valuable asset to any organization.
Badge of distinction:
Once certified, professionals receive a badge that can be used to attend AWS summit events and can be displayed on platforms like LinkedIn, which can help to further showcase one's skills and qualifications to potential employers.
Azure certifications
Azure's market share is smaller than AWS's, however, it continues to grow at a rapid rate over the last few years in comparison to AWS. According to a Forbes report, Azure has been closing the gap with AWS in terms of the number of enterprises using it. A large number of Fortune 500 companies currently use the Azure services in order to manage their businesses. The strong hybrid cloud capabilities of Azure, as well as the user-friendly on-premises features offered by Azure, have attracted more and more IT organizations across the world in recent years.
In order to keep up with this demand, Microsoft has consistently added more Azure role-based certifications. At present, Azure offers 14 Azure certifications. As a result, gaining these industry-specific certifications will be a great way for you to validate your expertise in the field and open up many career opportunities for you.
Fundamentals-level certifications: Ideal for those without technical backgrounds who want to start learning about cloud computing and for cloud professionals who are just beginning their journey.
Associate-level certifications: Suitable for candidates who have a strong grasp of Azure's basic concepts.
Expert-level certifications: Best suited for individuals with a robust background in the cloud, including holding an associate-level certification and hands-on experience in working with the cloud.
Specialty certifications: These certifications focus on specific areas such as Azure IOT Developer Specialty and Azure for SAP Workloads.
Benefits of Azure certifications
Earning potential:
Holding an Azure certification can open doors to high-paying career opportunities. According to PayScale, an experienced Azure Certified Solutions Architect in India earns around ₹20 LPA. In the United States, an IT professional with Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals earns an average of US$126K per year, as per a survey by Global Knowledge.
Global recognition:
Proven expertise in Azure can provide access to more and more opportunities in organizations that are running on Azure. Even companies that are planning to implement Azure features will need experts to help them, and certified professionals will be given priority when it comes to hiring as they are expected to have both expertise and deep knowledge.
.NET platform:
Getting trained for an Azure certification also provides the opportunity to learn how to integrate the .NET platform, a cross-platform, open-source framework from Microsoft that includes tools, libraries, and programming languages for development, with a company's infrastructure.
AWS vs. Azure: which is best?
There are a number of things to consider when comparing AWS to Azure, including the revenue generation, the flexibility, the features, and the ability to adapt to changing business needs.
Open-source community:
AWS is recognized as one of the world's leading providers of open-source services, while Microsoft Azure is still in the process of becoming more open-source friendly. AWS is the leader in cloud hosting because of this.
Storage capacity:
With its cloud object storage solution, AWS offers high availability and automatic replication across regions, which makes it a very reliable solution. It also provides temporary and block storage, similar to hard disks, that can be attached to or kept separate from EC2 instances. On the other hand, Azure uses page blobs and temporary storage for VM-based volumes, with block storage similar to AWS's S3.
Machine learning model:
Both AWS and Azure have machine learning studios for model development. However, Azure's studio is less complex and does not require extensive data engineering, coding, or open-source libraries.
Compatibility with hybrid cloud market:
Azure is more established in the hybrid cloud market compared to AWS, which is still developing in this area. Azure provides holistic hybrid cloud functionality that extends to on-premises data centers and enables connections between private and public clouds.
Licensing and license mobility:
Both Azure and AWS make it easy for customers to access and pay for services without facing difficulties related to licensing or license mobility. In Azure, customers are eligible for license mobility if they have already paid for the service.
