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As technology-based companies rapidly grow and evolve, applications and software can often be left in the dust due to limitations on what can or cannot be optimized. These outdated tools can be a hindrance and make the customer journey more difficult. That's why it’s imperative that businesses employ solutions that are scalable and customizable while also ensuring that applications can be updated in a streamlined process to meet customer demands. What is Cloud-Native Architecture? Cloud-native architecture allows businesses to develop applications and software that are easy to update and maintain in nearly any dynamic environment. By employing the four cornerstones of cloud-native architecture, organizations can develop and support applications and software more efficiently.While cloud-native and cloud-based applications share similar characteristics, there is one factor that separates them. Cloud-based applications take advantage of the cloud and can function within its infrastructure but will find limitations when interacting with some cloud features. Cloud-native applications, on the other hand, are fully optimized for the cloud and are adaptable within the cloud’s dynamic environment. C2C partner Aiven provides a platform that cloud-native organizations can use to manage their spend and host their resources with optimal efficiency at scale. According to Mike von Speyr, Aiven Director of Partner Sales, "With public spend on cloud infrastructure expected to rise over 20% this year, it is important to remove the complexity from your cloud operations if you want to be truly cloud-native - and that's where Aiven comes in. Our data platform can operate all the major open-source data tools, including those that aren't native to Google Cloud such as Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, OpenSearch, and Cassandra, all within a single control plane, with the same reliability guarantees. We also offer a 'bring your own cloud' service that allows you to have the power of the Aiven Platform directly in your own accounts and this has proven to yield reductions in TCO of over 30%." The Four Pillars of Cloud-Native ArchitectureFor a cloud-native strategy to work optimally, it should include four main components. Each of these pillars plays a part in ensuring that updates and development run smoothly with little error. This increases efficiency for organizations while ensuring continuous quality.  DevOpsSoftware projects usually consist of development teams that make changes and updates based on user feedback and operations teams, which resist change in an attempt to keep the software running smoothly and securely. This often leads to internal friction between teams and delays in product launches. DevOps is a process that focuses on optimizing the delivery and development of software by emphasizing communication between:Product management Software development Operations professionalsCommunication between these teams is made easier by automating and monitoring critical processes in the development cycle, including:Software integration Testing Deployment Infrastructure changesBy implementing DevOps in software development, organizations tend to see increases in code quality, testing accuracy, and predictability. Furthermore, an emphasis on automation ensures a decrease in human error from initial development to future updates.  MicroservicesMicroservices are small, autonomous, and independently deployable services that run in separate processes yet still continuously communicate with each other. Microservices interact with each other over HTTP-based RESTful APIs, an architecture used for reading, storing and deleting forms of data. Because they work separately from each other, microservices can be tailored to any given load demands and can be scaled independently. This makes it easier for organizations to optimize specific components or areas where needed without having to worry about disrupting other systems in the process. ContainersWhen looking for a reliable and flexible way of moving software between different computing environments (from PCs to the Cloud, for example), containers are the best bet. Containers allow for seamlessly migrating software between different isolated environments, making it easy to move data anywhere or reproduce specific conditions throughout development processes.  Continuous DeliveryTypically, traditional software development follows the waterfall approach, which sees updates released over long periods of time. Continuous delivery streamlines this process by ensuring updates can be delivered as rapidly as needed, sometimes several times within one day. Organizations see increases in development efficiency when using continuous delivery, as it is highly automated and allows for experimentation without the typical associated risks. Updates roll out faster, and human error is less of a concern.Dig deeper into cloud-native infrastructure by visiting our online community, or contact us today to learn about becoming a C2C partner!

In March 2023, we fielded the C2C Member Pulse to observe trends, skill gaps, and challenges in Google Cloud and how our members use community to enrich their cloud experience. This infographic highlights a portion of the findings. Whether someone’s role is in business or IT, there’s no denying the organizational impact of constantly evolving and emerging technologies in the cloud and beyond. As the Google Cloud customer community, we want to ensure we’re matching our members’ needs in upskilling and staying on top of the latest in cloud.Organizations are feeling the pressure to either cultivate internal skills to manage new products or risk falling behind their competitors. At the same time, employees are running their own skills-boost race against the demands of their employers for incredibly complicated areas of study. That's why we conducted a comprehensive survey to uncover invaluable insights about the tools driving transformation, the skill gaps organizations encounter, and the avenues individuals and companies pursue to expand their knowledge. Digital Transformation with New Tech Consistent with top focus areas, cloud infrastructure, data analytics and dashboards, and AI-embedded software are the top technologies respondents expect to impact their digital transformation efforts in the next two years. This mix of technologies appeal to cloud practitioners as well as those in roles with less technical acumen and are fairly consistent across industries. More emerging forms of technology, like IoT, blockchain, and AR and VR are all noted as a potential impact by less than 30% of respondents.Interestingly, preparing for AI and ML is currently perceived as the lowest digital priority, with only 37% of organizations currently utilizing AI and ML tools from Google Cloud. However, it's worth noting that these tools are projected to become the number one choice for future adoption. As these technologies are relatively new, bridging the skill gap in training and deploying models is a crucial area of focus, with 41% of companies lacking in-house talent.On the other hand, AI-enabled software is incredibly popular, being used at 56% of organizations. Organizations clearly see the benefits of AI, infusing their workforce with smart tools like virtual assistants or other line-of-business tools. Rather than immediately venturing into building their own AI and ML products and services, they’re opting for empowering their employees with readily available solutions. Skills Organizations are Missing Among the internal skill sets that organizations find lacking, cloud security and data protection take the top spot, closely followed by the training and deployment of machine learning models and cloud architecture design and scalability. Because respondents expect cloud infrastructure to be the top technology to impact their digital transformation efforts in the next two years, we can expect these skills will be in even higher demand in the future. How Organizations and Individuals Acquire Skills When it comes to skill acquisition, Google Cloud training emerges as the preferred choice for organizations to enhance their expertise. That said, hiring—whether for permanent or temporary staff and either virtual or in-person consultants—is still a popular approach overall.How and where individuals acquire or improve skill sets aligns with organizations’ methods—Google Cloud training and certifications top the list. Notably, an equal number of respondents selected educational conferences and events, as well as massive open online courses (MOOCs), signaling that our community values both in-person events and online learning resources as valuable avenues for skill development. Visualizing It All Take a look at how the community ranks the options they were given for areas of focus, challenges, and who is responsible for making technology purchase decisions. View image as a full-scale PDF here. Get the Most of Community As members of our community, your voices shape our initiatives. While we learned a lot about you collectively in this survey, we also want to meet your needs as an individual. Take a moment to update your profile today, and ensure you're receiving the most relevant and valuable content tailored specifically for your interests.   Update Your Preferences 

Google Cloud certifications will allow you and your teams to strengthen your knowledge of Google Cloud products and help to transform your business. Certifications help employees grow into leadership positions in the workplace and offer other professional development opportunities that relate to the cloud. Both single classes and full learning paths that enhance your cloud skills are available, and there are specific Google Cloud certifications depending on the level of knowledge you wish to obtain. These classes and courses will cover the infrastructure of the cloud, and will also equip you with the skill set for a desired position. This article will cover the different certifications, certification levels, and possible positions and titles that you can work toward upon receiving your certification.  Foundational CertificationThe foundational certification does not require a technological background and provides you with a foundation for understanding Google cloud products, services, tools, and benefits. Recommended roles involve high collaboration with other team members who have a highly technical background. Cloud Digital Leader This certification provides you with the ability to articulate the main functionalities of Google products and services as well as how they fit into an organization. Overall, the Cloud Digital Leader role is rooted in explaining how Google can help to support the goals of a business and covers cloud computing basics. This certification tackles digital transformation with Google Cloud, infrastructure and application modernization, innovating with data, and Google Cloud security.  Associate CertificationAssociate certifications will provide you with the skill set to manage Google Cloud projects. This certification is ideal for a candidate who has prior experience with managing cloud enterprise solutions and monitoring cloud operations.Associate Cloud EngineersAssociate Cloud Engineers monitor and deploy applications. The Google Cloud Console is used to perform common tasks that are associated with managing enterprise solutions. Projects within the role leverage Google-managed or self-managed services within the cloud. This certification will help you prepare to set up a cloud environment, deploy a cloud solution, and configure security plans that are effective for cloud solutions.  Professional Cloud CertificationThis level of certification strengthens technical skills related to the design and implementation of the Cloud. Prior experience in deploying cloud solutions and setting up cloud environments is critical for the Professional Cloud Certification.Cloud Architect Professional Cloud Architects assist with organizations applying core Google Cloud products and services. Cloud architects design and implement cloud solutions that help a business to fulfill their goals and reach their objectives. Many of their responsibilities are rooted in designing and managing the cloud infrastructure. Other cloud skills you may obtain include optimizing technical business processes as well as configuring access and security.Cloud Database Engineer The Cloud Database Engineer manages Google Cloud solutions used by organizations to both retrieve and store data. The core responsibility of this role entails translating business objectives into scalable solutions that enhance a database. Other responsibilities a Cloud Database Engineer include migrating data solutions and deploying databases within the cloud. Cloud DeveloperA Cloud Developer creates applications using Google-recommended tools and approaches. The candidate for this role has prior experience with developer tools, managing services, and cloud-native applications. The applications are highly scalable and flexible. This certificate will enhance your understanding of managing deployed applications as well as building and testing applications to ensure their effectiveness. Data Engineer This role enables decision-making that is related to data. Data Engineers build and monitor data systems while also focusing on the security and compliance aspect of them. They also ensure that data systems are scalable to meet the needs of a business. Data Engineers also deploy and work with pre-existing machine learning models to strengthen solution quality. Building and designing data systems is the primary responsibility of this role. Cloud DevOps Engineer Cloud DevOps Engineers implement processes within the systems development life cycle using tools and methods that are recommended by Google. They build software delivery pipelines and maintain production systems while also balancing service reliability. Building pipelines for services, creating service monitoring strategies and optimizing service performance are also involved when being a Cloud DevOps Engineer.Cloud Security EngineerA Cloud Security Engineer designs secure workloads within the cloud. By examining best practices and using Google Cloud Technology, a Cloud Security Engineer develops a scalable as well as flexible infrastructure. The candidate for this certification should be knowledgeable in all aspects regarding cloud security, including organizational policies, access management, data protection, network security defenses, collecting Google Cloud logs, and dealing with incident responses. Managing cloud operations and ensuring security within the cloud environment is the primary responsibility of this role. Cloud Network Engineer A Cloud Network Engineer manages network architectures within the cloud. They may also work closely with architects who design the cloud infrastructure. Cloud Network Engineers use the Google Cloud Console to leverage experiences with network services, application neworks, and hybrid and multi-cloud connectivity. They also manage the security for the network architecture in order for successful cloud implementations to occur.Google Workspace Administrator This role transforms business objectives to policies and best practices that are accessed by users within the Cloud. By thoroughly understanding the infrastructure, the Google Workspace Administrator creates a collaborative environment where team members are working together and are able to efficiently access the data that they need. Through the use of programming languages and APIs, they develop workflows to ensure smooth communication within the cloud. Educating users, managing Workspace operations, and implementing Google Workspace access are daily tasks associated with the role. Other roles that are related to this certification include Cloud Solutions Engineer, IT System Administrator, and Collaboration Engineer. Machine Learning EngineerA Machine Learning Engineer builds machine learning models to solve business challenges using Google Cloud Technologies. An ML Engineer works with AI throughout the AI and ML development process and should be knowledgeable in the fields of data pipeline interaction, metrics interpretation, and model architecture. The candidate for this certification should also be familiar with other foundational concepts, including application development, data engineering, and infrastructure management. A Machine Learning Engineer creates scalable solutions that optimize performance by developing ML models, designing processing systems, and operating ML pipelines.

Sebastián Moreno (@sebastianmorenoe) is a Google Cloud Partner Engineer who holds seven Google Cloud Certifications. As someone greatly experienced with Google Cloud certifications, Sebastián explains in this event how to prepare for the Professional Cloud Database Engineer certification, including the pitfalls that we may encounter during the preparation of the exams and the best tips to prepare for the exam.The Professional Cloud Database Engineer should be comfortable translating business and technical requirements into scalable and cost-effective database solutions. The tips and tricks in this recording include:Aligning the responsibilities of the certification with your goals Understanding what’s on the exam and how to best prepare Locating the most valuable resources on the webWatch the full recording here: 

Certifications are a Google Cloud user’s keys to success. Google Cloud’s many certifications provide the training and expertise practitioners need to identify and excel in their career paths, and certifications help employers and industry decision-makers find the talent that sets their teams apart from the competition.This C2C Connect was hosted by Devoteam, a foundational platinum partner of C2C and Google Cloud Premier Partner. Devoteam has an ambition to encourage consultants to become fully certified on Google Cloud, being well versed in multiple disciplines, and has four consultants who have done it, with two of them being Anthos fellows. The presenters shared reasons for why they think this is important and their methodology and support system they have built to roll this out to 400 consultants world wide.The recording from this session includes the topics listed below, plus nearly twenty minutes of open Q&A from community members present at the live event:(0:00) Introduction to the session from @Alfons, C2C (1:50) Introduction on Devoteam and our presenters, Jason Quek, Global CTO of Devoteam G Cloud, and Niels Buekers, CTO of Devoteam G Cloud Benelux & UKI (5:10) Session overview on the why, what, and how: continuous learning, business value, and leading by example by building the best talent on Google Cloud to serve customers (9:00) Why continuous learning is necessary for building trust (11:35) Testing your theoretical knowledge and preparing for certification exams (18:25) How Devoteam uses gamification (leaderboards) to award exam vouchers and why they celebrate newly certified exam-takers (27:40) Gaining hands-on experience and qualifying for cloud jobs (30:15) Mentorship programs and study sessions (32:15) Leading by example and the goal of becoming fully certified (33:45) Final thoughts and community Q&AWatch the full recording of the conversation below: 

The Google Cloud certifications program offers career-enhancing training and testing for professionals in all areas of cloud technology. Data, infrastructure, and security are often topics of particular interest for those investigating these options, but developers make up one of the biggest and most vibrant communities in the world of Google Cloud. Sebastian Moreno is a Google partner engineer and the author of the Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud Developer Exam Guide. In this C2C Connect event, Sebastian joins us to share his insights and field questions directly from C2C members interested in taking this exam. Questions answered and topics explored include: (0:00) Introducing Sebastian and the Professional Cloud Developer exam (4:45) Who is the target of the Professional Cloud Developer certification? (7:30) Does the Professional Cloud Developer exam include case studies? (9:30) The Professional Cloud Developer exam, DevOps, and related certifications (19:30) Preparing for the Professional Cloud Developer exam with Pluralsight and other labs (24:00) How difficult is the Professional Cloud Developer exam? (28:00) What tools does a data professional need to take the Professional Cloud Developer exam? (31:40) Retaining knowledge gained while studying for the Professional Cloud Developer exam (37:30) The Professional Cloud Developer exam and career advancement Watch the full recording of the conversation below:  

The field of data engineering is growing, and demand for certified data engineers is growing even more rapidly. The Google Cloud Data Engineer certification was the top-paying cloud certification of 2021, after the Cloud Architect certification held the distinction for the two preceding years. Given these stats, some questions are likely coming to mind for C2C community members looking into Google Cloud certifications: What’s driving the increase in interest in this field? Is data engineering the right choice for Google Cloud users looking for a new professional challenge? What is data engineering in the first place?Peak6 Technologies Principal Engineer Dan Sullivan recently joined C2C for a coffee chat to answer these questions and others, including:How is data engineering related to software engineering? What are DevOps, DataOps, and MLOps? What are the different compute and storage options on the Google Cloud Platform? What topics are covered in the Professional Data Engineer exam?Watch a full video of the event below to hear Sullivan’s answers and more questions from members of the C2C community:  Extra Credit:  

Google Cloud wants its solutions to be accessible to all organizations seeking to scale and stay current. To that end, Google Cloud offers local certification training and support resources to all communities of practicing and prospective Google Cloud users. C2C is committed to connecting community members to these resources.On Jan. 20, 2022, The C2C Connect UK and Ireland group invited Carl Tanner, Google Cloud’s EMEA Business Training Leader, to lead a session for customers interested in pursuing the Cloud Digital Leader certification.Here are some of the key takeaways from Carl’s session: Business leaders consider lack of skills the biggest barrier to cloud adoption. Google is committed to training 40 million people in Google Cloud via the Google Cloud Skills Boost program to close the skills gap. Google Cloud Certifications are considered more difficult than competitor cloud certifications. Certification provides a significant boost to the confidence and attractiveness of an applicant’s CV. Google certified professionals rank as the most in-demand and consequently receive higher salaries. Certified individuals can opt in to an online public certification directory. There are 8 professional level certifications, 1 associate level certification, and 1 foundational certification. The foundational certification is Cloud Digital Leader. Tanner covered the following details about the Cloud Digital Leader certification: The Cloud Digital Leader certification covers the basics of cloud computing and how Google Cloud products help organizations. The certification is designed to help organizations attain a consistent level of cloud skills. Exams are available in English and Japanese and cost $99. The exams are multiple choice and taken over a two-hour period. Free self-paced training is available as part of the Cloud Skills Boost program, and also from Coursera and Pluralsight. Instructor-led training is also available. Since Jan. 26, 2022, some technical aspects of the exam have been removed, and are more closely aligned with the training material.   The following updates to the certifications program are coming in the near future: Industry-specific learning is in focus for 2022. French and Spanish training materials and exams will be rolled out soon. Watch the full recording of the event below:  Extra Credit:  

Personal development and professional development are among the hottest topics within our community. At C2C, we’re passionate about helping Google Cloud users grow in their careers. This article is part of a larger collection of Google Cloud certification path resources.Get to Know the Google Cloud Digital Leader Certification was originally published on C2C in October, 2021. This updated infographic reflects the exam revisions going into effect this Wednesday, January 26.Google introduced the Cloud Digital Leader exam in June 2021. Not even a full year after its release, the foundational-level certification was deemed eligible for a refresh. The initial release outlined three key areas of focus: general cloud knowledge, Google Cloud knowledge, and Google Cloud products and services.What, then, are the major differences to expect between that version and this update? Most notably, there’s a shift from defining the “what” of general cloud knowledge to explaining the “why” in terms of specific business drivers for using Google Cloud in new adoptions and digital transformation. You should still be able to define basic cloud technologies. The full exam guide has been updated to reflect evolving solution-area priorities for Google Cloud’s place in the cloud technology landscape, including an unsurprising expansion to dedicate full 30% sections to:Google Cloud data, AI, and ML solutions Infrastructure and application modernization Google Cloud security and operations toolsThe new exam guide makes no mention of compliance, resource hierarchies, geographical segmentation, support options, data pipelines, workload migration, or on-premises networking, all of which occupied entire subsections in the original guide. View image as a full-scale PDF here. Looking for information about a different Google Cloud certification? Check out the directory in the Google Cloud Certifications Overview. Extra CreditGoogle Cloud’s certification page: Cloud Digital Leader      Example questions Exam guide Coursera: Google Cloud Digital Leader Training Professional Certificate Pluralsight: Google Cloud Digital Leader TrainingHave more questions?We’re sure you do! Join C2C staff and community members on Tuesday, Jan. 25 for an open discussion with Mattias Andersson, a Senior Community Training Architect at A Cloud Guru / Pluralsight. 

Personal development and professional development are among the hottest topics within our community. At C2C, we’re passionate about helping Google Cloud users grow in their careers. This article is part of a larger collection of Google Cloud certification path resources.The Google Cloud Professional Security Engineer works to verify all controls related to security operations, network security, and compliance within a company’s cloud infrastructure. Exam takers should be prepared to design, develop, configure, and manage secure workloads and data access.The skills a security professional brings to any team help to protect a business’s assets from malicious attacks by identifying threats and applying security best practices. In a fully secure environment, these configurations also shield the business from misstepping in areas of high legal risk. Worldwide, privacy and data protection is trending in national legislative measures, with approximately two thirds of all countries having passed laws and about a dozen more with drafts prepared. And while GDPR-like laws regulate all sectors, cloud security professionals are especially in demand for the financial services, ecommerce, tech, healthcare, and life sciences industries.These laws are turning consumer privacy into a hot topic, but consumer privacy is not the only security concern businesses need to keep in check. In the United States, for example, an executive order was passed earlier this year to improve the nation’s cybersecurity measures. Given the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity regulations and the continually expanding arsenal of security technologies, security skills are some of the most in-demand skills in cloud technology professions. However, cybersecurity certifications aren’t limited to security engineers. Across the board, these are the most popular cross-certifications among the respondents to Global Knowledge’s IT Skills and Salary Report. Whether your goal is to specialize in a security role or to boost your credentials and close skill gaps on security-related issues in another cloud technology role, we have answers to the following:What experience should I have before taking this exam? What roles and job titles does Google Cloud Professional Security Engineer certification best prepare me for? Which topics do I need to brush up on before taking the exam? Where can I find resources and study guides for Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification? Where can I connect with fellow community members to get my questions answered? View image as a full-scale PDF here.  Extra CreditGoogle Cloud’s certification page: Professional Cloud Security Engineer Example questions Exam guide Coursera: Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Security Engineer Professional Certification Pluralsight: Preparing for the Google Cloud Professional Security Engineer Exam AwesomeGCP Cloud Security Engineer Playlist Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report 2020 Looking for information about a different Google Cloud certification? Check out the directory in the Google Cloud Certifications Overview. 

Personal development and professional development are among the hottest topics within our community. At C2C, we’re passionate about helping Google Cloud users grow in their careers. This article is part of a larger collection of Google Cloud certification path resources.The Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification covers highly technical knowledge concerning how to build scalable, reliable data pipelines and applications. Anyone who intends to take this exam should also be comfortable selecting, monitoring, and troubleshooting machine learning models.In 2021, the Professional Data Engineer rose to number one on the top-paying cloud certifications list, surpassing the Professional Cloud Architect, which had held that spot for the two years prior. According to the Dice 2020 Tech Job Report, it’s one of the quickest growing IT professions, and even with an influx of people chasing that role, the supply can’t meet the demand. More than ever, businesses are driven to take advantage of advanced analytics; data engineers design and operationalize the infrastructure to make that possible.Before you sit at a test facility for the real deal, we highly recommend that you practice with the example questions (provided by Google Cloud) with Google Cloud’s documentation handy. All the questions are scenario-based and incredibly nuanced, so lean in to honing your reading comprehension skills and verifying your options using the documentation.We’ve linked out to plenty of external resources for when you decide to commit and study, but let’s start just below with questions like:What experience should I have before taking this exam? What roles and job titles does Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification best prepare me for? Which topics do I need to brush up on before taking the exam? Where can I find resources and study guides for Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification? Where can I connect with fellow community members to get my questions answered? View image as a full-scale PDF here.  Looking for information about a different Google Cloud certification? Check out the directory in the Google Cloud Certifications Overview. Extra CreditGoogle Cloud’s certification page: Professional Data Engineer Example questions Exam guide Coursera: Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Data Engineer Professional Certification Pluralsight: Preparing for the Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer Exam AwesomeGCP Associate Cloud Engineer Playlist Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report 2020 Global Knowledge 2021 Top-Paying IT CertificationsHave more questions? We’re sure you do! Career growth is a hot topic within our community and we have quite a few members who meet regularly in our C2C Connect: Certifications chat. Sign up below to stay in the loop.https://community.c2cglobal.com/events/c2c-connect-google-cloud-certifications-72

Building a highly-skilled and happy workforce is an art in its own right. Fostering a learning culture within an organization by encouraging employees to get certified in a specific technology or process requires leadership to collaborate, listen, and adjust internal processes so employees can take full advantage of training and certification opportunities during work hours.When creating a more cloud-agile team, a number of obstacles stand between a manager and establishing a clear certification path for employees while also illustrating the value of a Google Cloud certification.Establishing a clear path and projecting the benefits of Cloud certifications to the team requires each IT decision-maker to complete their own training and certification. Cloud training allows managers to compare the value and the time commitment of each task before assigning team-wide. Managers may see this training as tedious and beneath them, but it provides important hands-on experience in a highly dynamic industry, allowing them to better comprehend their team’s day-to-day issues, and understand how the environment has changed since they were in a similar role. Once the team lead has assessed each Google employee training & practices option, they must allot time during the work day for the employee to complete tasks. This gesture helps to show company investment in career development and can increase workplace happiness while decreasing turnover. Pushing for employees to become cloud certified helps to promote cross-project work and projects to other internal teams that “cloud experts” are available to help with various effortsIn short, managers fail to see the value of Google Cloud certifications because they rarely complete Cloud training for managers or day-to-day tasks assigned to their employees.  What are the Benefits of Cloud Certifications & Cloud-Agile Teams? The success of a well-oiled cloud adoption strategy depends on the capabilities of the team that’s going to use it. That’s why it’s important to ensure that teams are properly trained and equipped to support any new technologies implemented internally. Continuous Google employee training practices help to sharpen the skills of all team members.  In addition to organizations benefiting from Google Cloud certified employees, employees themselves benefit from specialized training. Upward Mobility & Retention Upward mobility and promoting from within allow organizations to scale with their growth while retaining top talent. Enterprise cloud adoption maximizes resources, focusing heavily on tools and ignoring operators. Investing your employees' cloud knowledge and skills signals to the team that you are driven to advance their abilities in addition to the organization’s. The demand for cloud solutions has sparked a surge in cloud-based solution companies that far exceeds the talent pool for these crucial positions. The scarcity of certified Cloud operations team structures makes a properly trained team a unique value proposition to clients. Pushing employees to grow their skills keeps them engaged and challenged in their positions, creating a happier and hungrier employee. The value of Google Cloud certification and training is avoiding the cost of hiring and training a new employee.  Skill DiversificationObtaining a certification requires an employee to learn new concepts and skills. Employees -- especially technical staff -- need to keep educating themselves to keep up with the latest technology. By offering certification classes and tests, organizations can keep their employees current so they can use the latest technology to improve infrastructure.Although certifications are assigned to employees, they also improve the organization’s experience and knowledge pool. These certifications can demonstrate your organization’s skills and experience to customers. Job SatisfactionAccording to a Gallup study, “People who use their strengths everyday are three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life”. Introducing a new internal process, like a cloud adoption strategy, could present leadership with a great opportunity to improve their employees’ job satisfaction if they couple that new process with applicable and specialized training. It will fall on the employer to choose the most relevant certification. What are Some of the Things That Prevent Teams from Getting Certified? While the benefits of Google Cloud certifications are many, busy individuals working in tech or any other client-facing industry can struggle to find time to work on new skills, improve their processes, or participate in lengthy meetings. If you’re planning on rolling out a rigorous certification program, it’s good to be aware of the limitations your team might be facing and plan accordingly. TimeOne of the obstacles that most frequently stands in the way of individuals obtaining Google Cloud certifications is time. Anyone who has studied for any college course knows that studying takes up many hours every week. Studying for certifications is no different: it requires hours of study time on top of a full-time work week. The time needed to study takes away family time, and requires the employee to study during their time off. It’s a commitment that eats away at weekends and nighttime hobbies. CostTraining and onboarding individuals costs money, and there’s really no way around it. Decision-makers need to determine the value of whichever Google Cloud certification they decide to go with in order to justify the cost. Some certifications are expensive, especially if you pay for several employee certifications. Google offers numerous certifications, and it’s not unusual for employees to pursue training in several areas of focus. The costs associated with certifications can skyrocket unless employees limit the number that can be taken.  Goal MalalignmentIt’s not uncommon for employees to be interested in pursuing certifications outside of the organization’s interests. When an employee expresses interest in an unrelated technology, the organization might not want to add the expense. Most organizations will list categories or certifications that they will approve. In some cases, it might be beneficial to pay partially for certifications slightly outside of the organization’s interest to keep employees happy with their study choices. Types of Cloud Certifications & Picking the Right One for Your Team Choosing the right Google Cloud certification for your team is the first step to creating a more Cloud-enabled workforce, and there are a number of certification types to choose from. If you plan to use a specific technology in the future, offer the certification now so employees can learn the skills they will need to manage it.Google offers a range of certifications, but some are for experienced professionals and others are helpful for people new to the technology. Classify these certifications so employees know which are attainable at their current skill set level. Security CertificationsYour business needs, your employees’ capabilities, and your organizations goals will be the best indicators of which Google Cloud certifications hold the most value for your team. For instance, if one of your goals for creating a cloud-enabled team is to promote better security practices, the Professional Cloud Security Engineer (PCSE) certification path may be most relevant. Developer CertificationsSoftware-as-a-Service (SaaS) is one of the most common cloud platforms in the industry. Google offers a developer certification that provides employees with the skills to design, develop, maintain, and secure SaaS applications. This certification is best for someone who already knows coding languages, but wants to know the development strategies and lifecycle of an application in the cloud.Cloud applications run differently than local desktop applications, so developers pursuing this certification must learn the basics of remote code performance and monitoring. An employee who walks away with this certification can code, deploy, monitor, and maintain a cloud application. Cloud Engineer & Architecture CertificationsBuilding a cloud environment is difficult, so Google offers engineering and architecture certifications to help employees understand everything about building secure private or public cloud insfrastructure. These two certifications are the most popular among operations people who want to take their infrastructure education to the next level.With these certifications, employees will be able to provision, maintain, configure, secure, and design infrastructure for public, private, and hybrid clouds. For organizations with existing cloud infrastructure, this certification is equally valuable. DevOps CertificationsIn a microservices environment in which developers use containers to deploy applications, the Google DevOps certification helps developers and operations technicians leverage automation between local environments and the cloud. Google provides many opportunities to work in an automated environment, so this certification introduces DevOps practitioners to valuable tools.If you don’t have a DevOps department, these certifications can help your employees understand how they can accelerate their development and streamline the deployment process to reduce human error and testing timelines. Extra Credit 

Personal development and professional development are among the hottest topics within our community. At C2C, we’re passionate about helping Google Cloud users grow in their careers. This article is part of a larger collection of Google Cloud certification path resources.The Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect is a key player on any team that wants to activate the full benefits of Google Cloud within its organization. According to Google, “this individual designs, develops, and manages robust, secure, scalable, highly available, and dynamic solutions to drive business objectives.” Candidates need to have proficient knowledge of cloud strategy, solution design, and architecture best practices before taking this exam.The Cloud Architect debuted in 2017 and quickly became the leading competitive advantage certification that cloud job-seekers can hold; for three years in a row, Global Knowledge has placed the Google Professional Cloud Architect at or near the top of its 15 top-paying IT certifications. The salary from holding this certification doesn’t exist in a bubble, however. Global Knowledge’s report includes additional analysis on its respondents, including average number of additional certifications, average age of the certification-holder, and popular cross-certifications (some of which also place high on the list). That said, we already know from the Associate Cloud Engineer overview that any Google Cloud certification is a substantial value boost in the job market.Now, for anyone who wants to break into that market, let’s get the basics out of the way. These certifications are well-compensated for a reason, so make some time to prepare and answer the following questions before sitting for this challenging exam:What experience should I have before taking this exam? What roles and job titles does Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect certification best prepare me for? Which topics do I need to brush up on before taking the exam? Where can I find resources and study guides for Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect certification? Where can I connect with fellow community members to get my questions answered?View image as a full-scale PDF here.  Looking for information about a different Google Cloud certification? Check out the directory in the Google Cloud Certifications Overview. Extra CreditGoogle Cloud’s certification page: Professional Cloud Architect Example questions Exam guide Coursera: Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Architect Professional Certification Pluralsight: Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud Architect AwesomeGCP Professional Cloud Architect Playlist Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report 2020 Global Knowledge 2021 Top-Paying IT CertificationsHave more questions? We’re sure you do! Career growth is a hot topic within our community and we have quite a few members who meet regularly in our C2C Connect: Certifications chat. Sign up below to stay in the loop. 

C2C’s Tuesday Coffee Chats covering Google Cloud Certifications have officially launched. The series kicked off with a presentation by special Guest Magda Jary, Google Tag Manager’s Global Lead for Google Cloud Certifications and Digital Badges. Jary and C2C’s Community Managers, Alfons Muñoz and Ilias Papachristos, were joined by a diverse group of community members including students, practicing developers, and startup founders, all interested in pursuing future certification.Jary began with some background on the overall cloud space, reporting that over 90% of IT leaders plan to expand cloud services in the next few years, and nearly as many cite a lack of in-house cloud skills as a barrier to success. According to Jary, the prevalence of job postings citing cloud skills as a desired qualification increased by 40.5% between the first quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2021. Certification is becoming a reliable way for employers to find the staff they can count on to perform the services they hope to provide.As Jary presented them, the value and the benefits of Google Cloud certification are clear. The remainder of Jary’s presentation focused on certifications themselves: the impact of the certification program, the different certifications the program offers, and the roles different certified practitioners can play in an infrastructure setting.Jary closed with some insights into the exam process and the exam itself, and then answered a series of community questions, some submitted beforehand, some fielded on the spot.Jary’s presentation provided a strong introduction to the Google Cloud Certification process for all who attended, but the response from the community made one thing clear: there is much more to discuss on this topic. If you couldn’t make it this time, or you did, but still want to learn more, don’t miss the next four biweekly coffee chats. On November 16th we’ll be joined by Antoni Tzavelas, and on December 14th by Konrad Cłapa.Extra Credit: 

Personal development and professional development are among the hottest topics within our community. At C2C, we’re passionate about helping Google Cloud users grow in their careers. This article is part of a larger collection of Google Cloud certification path resources.The Google Associate Cloud Engineer certification, like the Cloud Digital Leader, covers broad knowledge of everything GCP. Unlike Cloud Digital Leader, this one’s for the technical folks; going into this exam, you likely have some hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform and possibly some other technical knowledge of cloud computing.Google describes the Associate Cloud Engineer (ACE) as someone who “deploys and secures applications and infrastructure, monitors operations of multiple projects, and maintains enterprise solutions to ensure that they meet target performance metrics.” In the market, a “Cloud Engineer” also vaguely refers to any of the roles available among the many professional-level certifications. Once you pass the ACE, there’s a good chance you’ll want to eventually pursue one of those to flaunt your area of expertise.It’s important to note, though, that Google does not impose any requirement to obtain ACE certification ahead of the professional-level options. If you already have the recommended experience and working knowledge and feel prepared to skip to the next level, by all means, go for it!If you’re new here and the ACE has caught your intrigue, let’s look at some common questions:Who is Associate Cloud Engineer certification for? What type of salary can I expect for an Associate Cloud Engineer? Which topics do I need to understand to pass the exam? Where can I find resources, study guides, and practice exams for Associate Cloud Engineer? What are some sample questions I’ll be asked on the Associate Cloud Engineer exam? Where can I connect with fellow community members to get more questions answered? View image at full scale here.  Looking for information about a different Google Cloud certification? Check out the directory in the Google Cloud Certifications Overview. Extra CreditGoogle Cloud’s certification page: Associate Cloud Engineer Example questions Exam guide Coursera: Preparing for the Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer Exam Pluralsight: Google Cloud Certified Associate Cloud Engineer AwesomeGCP Associate Cloud Engineer Playlist Global Knowledge IT Skills and Salary Report 2020 Have more questions? We’re sure you do! Career growth is a hot topic within our community and we have quite a few members who meet regularly in our C2C Connect: Certifications chat. Sign up below to stay in the loop.  

The C2C community exists to connect users of Google Cloud Products at all levels of skill and expertise. One of the most valuable benefits our community offers is the opportunity to hear from users whose journeys can inspire you to advance in yours. To make these opportunities available, C2C is creating and promoting resources related to Google Cloud Certifications, including coffee chats with our community managers for members interested in pursuing certifications themselves.The first of these coffee chats, on October 19th, will feature special guest Magda Jary, Google Tag Manager’s Global Lead for Google Cloud Certifications and Digital Badges. In the run-up to the event, we’re looking back at content Jary has produced related to Google Cloud Certifications. In this free session for Pluralsight, Jary hosts a course on Google Cloud Certifications with a specific focus on their value to a developing career journey.The course offers background information, testimonials, and specific numbers on the reach and impact of Google Cloud’s many certification options.In the first half, Jary defines the different certifications, highlights the benefits of certification for employees and employers, and breaks down the scope and format of the exams and the Google Cloud technical learning paths. Some surprising insights include that 79% of IT departments globally report a skills gap, and 82% of certified job applicants can prove cloud skill competency to recruiters. In the second half, Jary brings in David Lauen and Omar Thompson, two systems engineers at Home Depot, and Priya Saxena, Strategic Cloud Engineer at Google Cloud, to talk through their journeys and describe how certification has benefited their careers.Watch the presentation, and if you have any questions or thoughts to share about Google Cloud certifications, sign up for the coffee chat below and join @Alfons and @ilias. 

Personal development and professional development are among the hottest topics within our community. At C2C, we’re passionate about helping Google Cloud users grow in their careers. This article is part of a larger collection of Google Cloud certification path resources.The Google Cloud Digital Leader certification demonstrates broad conceptual knowledge of cloud computing and an understanding of how and when to choose Google Cloud products, services, and features. It’s one level below the Associate Cloud Engineer certification. While Cloud Digital Leader’s market value remains to be determined (as a fairly new release and the first of its kind), fortifying a team with cloud knowledge can only stand to benefit organizations in the times of increased cloud transformations. In the meantime, here’s what we can answer:Which role is Cloud Digital Leader best for? Which topics do I need to brush up on before taking the exam? Where can I find resources, study guides, and practice exams for Cloud Digital Leader? What are some sample questions I’ll be asked on the Cloud Digital Leader exam? Where can I connect with fellow community members to get more questions answered? View image at full scale here.  Looking for information about a different Google Cloud certification? Check out the directory in the Google Cloud Certifications Overview. Extra CreditGoogle Cloud’s certification page: Cloud Digital Leader Example questions Exam guide Coursera: Google Cloud Digital Leader Training Professional Certification Pluralsight: Google Cloud Digital Leader Training Notes from my beta Google Cloud Digital Leader certification exam Have more questions?We’re sure you do! Career growth is a hot topic within our community and we have quite a few members who meet regularly in our C2C Connect: Certifications chat. Sign up below to stay in the loop.  

Any community must support the needs and growth of its members to succeed. At C2C, we’re passionate about helping Google Cloud users grow in their careers. Becoming certified is an excellent way to enhance your career as a Google Cloud professional. Please join us for a  series of conversations breaking down different Google Cloud certification options. What are Google Cloud certifications?Google Cloud certifications prove your technical expertise in Google Cloud technology. Like any education documentation, a certification on its own won’t replace actual working experience, but it’s a reason for potential employers or clients to trust that you have the credentials to complete the tasks at hand. For example, Google Cloud Partners are expected to be certified in the area they are serving. Certifications are also seen by employers as a value-add to any potential candidates they want to hire. How do I get certified?Well, that depends on what you’re interested in! Google Cloud offers varying levels of certification across multiple career paths, and each one has its own recommended amount of experience and training. Ultimately, though, each certification requires taking the exam and walking away with that official badge.But there’s a lot to consider before jumping right in. We’ve pulled together the answers to common questions among our community of Google Cloud users, including:How does a Google Cloud certification benefit me and my career growth? Is certification worth it? What about other cloud certification options? What are Google Cloud’s certification requirements? What are the exam fees and how can I qualify for vouchers or discounts? How can I best prepare for exams and find training, study guides, and other resources? If I want to complete multiple certifications, where do I start? Once I’m certified, does my certification expire?View image as full-scale PDF here.  So which certification is best?Now that you know which certification paths exist, you’re hooked on the pursuit of shiny new tokens of your professional development! But let’s say you’re still mulling over which one will align with your career goals. Over the next few months, we’ll share some helpful information per path and link them all to the below directory.Cloud Digital Leader Associate Cloud Engineer Professional Cloud Architect Professional Cloud Developer Professional Data Engineer Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer Professional Cloud Security Engineer Professional Cloud Network Engineer Professional Collaboration Engineer Professional Machine Learning EngineerNot included in the above-mentioned levels for this infographic are the recently released certifications specific to Looker.Looker Business Analyst LookML DeveloperInterested in pursuing a certification and want to talk about it with the community? We have a *new* chat for that! Register below:   Extra CreditGoogle Cloud Certification Help Center Global Knowledge 2020 IT Skills and Salary Report

The power of community is in its conversation, and this week, the women are speaking. At C2C, we believe sharing journeys can provide the motivation, inspiration, or belief others need to either take their first steps or keep going. In that spirit, we’re honoring Women’s History Month by having career conversations with the women from our global community, culminating today on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021. Today we’re featuring Kelly Wright, Head of Google Workspace Engineering at SADA. C2C: You’re in a video call with people you haven’t yet met. How would you introduce yourself?Kelly Wright (KW): My name is Kelly Wright. I currently lead a team of engineers focused on the implementation of Google Workspace and complementary tools. I have been at SADA for just shy of eight years and have worked as a support engineer, deployment engineer, and sales engineer for Workspace, which allows me to act as an escalation point in our engagements. C2C: Talk to me about your experience and education. What certifications did you get, what did you feel like you needed? KW: I actually have a bachelors’ in mathematics. I took a few CS courses to fulfill the requirements and really fell in love with the puzzles that technology gave me to solve. My first steps into the technology industry were actually in the networking space at a company called Bedroc. During my time there, I worked on networking and telephony projects and some help desk staff augmentation.  In terms of certifications, the needs melded over time. For my first job, I earned my CCNA. As I moved into working with Google Workspace, certifications I’ve found useful include the original G Suite Deployment Certificate, the recently added Professional Collaboration Engineer certification. C2C: How did you get started with Google Cloud? KW: I made a move to SADA and took on the, at the time called, Google Apps for Work support, and ever since, my focus has solely been on Google Apps/G Suite/Workspace as it grew and evolved over the last eight years. C2C: When you think back on your career, what stories can you share to demonstrate what it means to be a woman in tech?  KW: There are so many stories. I’m sure we have all experienced something negative, whether from coworkers or externally.  One story that ultimately jolted me into the reality I was trying to walk into casually was at a networking event straight out of college. A professor of mine was able to get me discounted tickets and helped me navigate the waters. I remember one man who looked at my resume and said something to the extent of the following:  “People are going to entertain you at these events because you are a minority here—because you are a woman in a room full of men—but you need to show them what you are capable of; a one-page resume won’t do that. So make sure they remember you for more than just being the only woman at a networking event.”  I remember thinking about how curt the feedback was, but I ultimately believe it helped with my assertiveness, whether I realized it then or not. Especially because that would not be the last time I was the only woman in a room or one of few.  A couple of weeks later, I ran into one of those conference acquaintances at a bookstore, and I picked up the nerve to reintroduce myself. That reintroduction got my resume passed along a couple of hops to the CEO of my first job. However angry I was after that first event, I think it knocked me out of the quiet woman I thought I was supposed to be.  C2C: Have you felt the “imposter syndrome” creep up on you? How do you deal with it?  KW: All the time. A colleague of mine once also pointed out that my perfection syndrome feeds into imposter syndrome. I don’t think it will ever go away and evolves, but with a lot of coaching, self-reflection, and self-affirmation, you can keep it at bay. At my first job, I was the only woman engineer, and there were definitely moments where I would joke that I was picked as the travel partner on trips because that meant the other engineer didn’t have to share a room. But with a lot of self-reflection, I realized quickly that those guys would not have tolerated someone who couldn’t hold their own.   Moving into a leadership role had a big part to play, even though it did take me a bit to get used to it. While I am now in a position to be the escalation point, it was no longer my job to be the absolute expert on every minute detail of a deployment.  Now, though, my imposter syndrome sends me into a sort of hyper attention to the amount of backlog I have, whether in tasks or responding to emails in a timely manner. Especially with the last year of remote working, it has taken a considerable effort not to feel utterly under water, since there have been many times an entire week was filled with meetings with no time to work. I am learning with a lot of coaching to unabashedly set realistic expectations about when I can complete something.   C2C: How do you want to change the world?  KW: My very wise leadership coach asked me one day to think about what the cause of my snarkiness was when I was stressed. Was it because I had too many things on my plate and therefore couldn’t get to them all, or was it because I needed more life—a bike ride, a book, a nap? I should think about what it is that was making me stressed and then plan around it.  If it was a book I needed, being OK to shut down at the end of the day without feeling guilty. If it simply needed to get through some of my backlogs, I had the strength to set expectations when a new task would be prioritized.  If changing the world meant even just normalizing not feeling guilty about saying no to things, that is a small change I would like to make.  C2C: Inspire Me! What advice would you give someone interested in a career like yours?  KW: Find a place where you are given opportunities to thrive and learn and take those opportunities given. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are struggling with something.  ______As a former journalist, I am already ready for a good story. So, tell me a story! Reach me at sabina.bhasin@c2cglobal.com, or comment below.

The power of community is in its conversation, and this week, the women are speaking. At C2C, we believe sharing the journeys can provide the motivation, inspiration, or belief others need to either take their first steps or keep going. In that spirit, we’re honoring Women’s History Month by having career conversations with the women from our global community, culminating on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021. Today we’re featuring Vijeta Pai, program manager and cloud evangelist, who is currently on a mission to demystify the cloud and increase its proliferation and adoption. How did you get started with the Google Cloud?  Pai began as we all do: an intern. She said she earned powerful hands-on experience with data center management and server deployments on Akamai’s network process team. “I became well-versed in the subtle nuances of on-premise infrastructure maintenance, so I started exploring cloud offerings out of sheer curiosity,” Pai said.Like Nina Trankova in the C2C community, Pai turned to Coursera last year and worked to earn a professional certificate on the Google Cloud Platform. The certification course is curated by experts working at Google and arms students with a strong foundation. “That was just the beginning of my journey,”  Pai said, “and I haven’t stopped since.” What makes you a cloud expert? A unique combination of storytelling and technical expertise allows Pai to make cloud computing accessible to anyone. “I want to use my experience to grow and give back to the profession,” Pai said. “I want to make technology accessible, fast, scalable, and reliable.”With a master’s in English literature and a zeal for learning about cloud computing, Pai uses animations and analogies to demystify cloud technology. She aspires to learn something new about cloud every day, not only because of its rapidly evolving, agile nature, but also because she believes in evangelizing products like Kubernetes.    Do you have a favorite product or project? Why? “I’m a die-hard fan of Kubernetes,” Pai said. “I have a favorite anecdote whenever I talk about Kubernetes, which I can elaborate on if anyone is interested. But long story short, I love the portability, simplicity, and speed it offers, along with excellent integration and agility.” To hear the story, connect with Pai on the C2C Community platform.  What certifications do you have? What’s next? In addition to the Google Cloud Platform’s Professional Cloud Architect certification, Pai has a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB), and is a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM). Coming up, Pai wants to work on her AI/ML skills to gain more hands-on experience.Pai loves supporting others on their certification journeys, so she’s open to connecting and sharing her learnings and experiences.  If you could go back and tell yourself a piece of career advice, what would it be? Despite Pai’s achievements and successes, she struggles with the same challenges many women experience, not just in tech, but in careers in general: Imposter syndrome. Feeling like a fraud or not worthy of your success, or as the Harvard Business Review states, it’s when you are “doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. It disproportionately affects high-achieving people, who find it difficult to accept their accomplishments. Many question whether they’re deserving of accolades.”So, to combat those thoughts, Pai reminds herself to simply celebrate her achievements with pride, “and not give in to the imposter syndrome.” What advice would you have for someone interviewing to be on your team? Building on the idea of believing in yourself and what you can bring, Pai’s advice is simple: “don’t limit your imagination, and don’t be afraid to take a  leap of faith.”As an avid reader, Pai also leans on her favorite author, Rabindranath Tagore, when she needs a boost. “You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water,” the Nobel Prize-winning poet wrote.  Why did you choose to join the C2C community?  This is best shared through Pai’s own words: “The vibrant culture, diversity, and wealth of information by the community drove me to join the C2C community,” Pai said. “However, it was my call with Sabina [content manager] and Alex [content production assistant] that sealed the deal. I got a glimpse into the wonderful opportunities, enthusiasm, and vigor exhibited by everyone working towards making the C2C community a better place for all cloud enthusiasts.” How can the community best get in touch with you?  The community can connect with me on LinkedIn or visit Cloud Demystified.  ______As a former journalist, I am already ready for a good story. So, tell me a story! Reach me at sabina.bhasin@c2cglobal.com, or comment below.