From the day you start using a computer, you become familiar with the Windows operating system that Microsoft has created. The most widely used applications of Microsoft used to be Microsoft Word and MS Excel. People had to install these applications on their computers to use them. Fast forward to today, you don’t need to install the applications on your hard drive. You can access them simply on your browsers as you access websites when the system is connected to the internet. Well, it is Microsoft Azure that has made it possible. Players like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud Platform have taken cloud computing to the next level.
As officially described, Microsoft Azure is more than 200 products and cloud services designed to help you bring new solutions to life – to solve today’s challenges and create the future. In other words, it is a public cloud computing platform that offers a wide range of services like compute, storage, analytics, DevOps, machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, networking, and so on. All these services are offered to organizations on a pay-as-you-go model, i.e., companies need to pay only for the services they use and can terminate them at any time without any up-front capital expenditures.
Cloud services are in huge demand these days owing to various benefits associated with them. Around 95% of Fortune 500 companies trust their business on Azure. Its clients are not only software companies, but span across industries like healthcare, financial institutions, government agencies, manufacturing, and retail. As such, professionals are finding a lot of career opportunities in cloud computing and building a foundation in Azure. Online Azure courses are also helping them learn about the different services it offers and become a certified cloud practitioner. Read on to know why learning Azure is beneficial for your career.
Why Learn Azure?
Here are some of the compelling reasons to consider learning Azure and stepping into the world of cloud computing.
Rising cloud adoption
IDC has predicted that India’s public cloud services (PCS) market is expected to reach $7.1 billion by 2024, growing at a CAGR of 20.3% between 2019 to 2024. More than 60% of the Indian companies plan to use cloud platforms for digital innovation. Evidently, such companies would require professionals who are skilled in using cloud services and can contribute to migrating their workload to the cloud. That said, Microsoft Azure is a suitable cloud platform, to begin with.
A chance to command huge paychecks
You’ll find various career opportunities once you enter the world of cloud computing. Cloud developers, cloud architects, cloud consultants, and cloud administrators are some of the top job roles one can prepare for. According to Payscale, software engineers with Microsoft Azure skills earn an average base pay of $90,000 in the US. The figures for cloud solutions architect and senior systems engineer stand at $129,000 and $103,000, respectively. With such lucrative salaries, you can’t miss on learning Azure.
Switch to a different domain
A lot of professionals do not find job satisfaction with their current role or industry and are looking for ways to switch to a new field. By learning Azure, they can demonstrate their knowledge of cloud computing and explore their skills in a cloud role. An Azure certification further shows to the employers that the candidate is serious about a cloud career and knows how to leverage different Azure services in a project.
Azure is here to stay
One concern that every tech professional has about a given job is its relevance in the future. The technological landscape is more dynamic than ever before, and many jobs are on the verge of becoming obsolete. As far as cloud computing is concerned, its adoption is only growing to increase in the future. Apart from being extremely cost-effective, cloud computing has become a necessary catalyst for innovation in companies. So, Azure is a future-proof skill to develop and grow your career.
Easier to adapt
As mentioned at the beginning, people are quite comfortable using the Windows Operating System. It makes the Microsoft Azure learning curve flatter than other cloud platforms available out there. When you start using Azure services, you might already be familiar with some of its features. Once you understand the working principles of Azure, you will be able to leverage its services for different applications easily.
Take the Next Step
Microsoft Azure offers role-based certifications for professionals who want to demonstrate their Azure skills. Whether you are a developer, DevOps engineer, network administrator, or technical architect, you will find an Azure certification suitable for your role. All of these certifications have some eligibility criteria and associated exams to qualify. With Azure’s growing popularity, many training providers have started offering Azure online courses to help professionals build a strong foundation of the platform and prepare for different Azure certifications.
So, take some time to find a reliable Azure training course, decide which certification you want to pursue, and start learning Azure. Investing your time and effort in becoming familiar with Azure services will definitely pay off. Renowned tech companies, as well as startups, have opened their doors for skilled cloud practitioners, and you wouldn’t regret starting a promising career in this field.