If you didn’t know anything about cloud computing, the job title “Cloud Architect” would sound like a total oxymoron: how do you design something amorphous? In tech, of course, the cloud is not nebulous at all — it’s made up of complex services that are conducted over the internet.
Much like an Architect who designs a building, Cloud Architects use their expertise to design an organization’s cloud system and oversee its implementation. This mid- to senior-level role requires a combination of technical expertise and strong soft skills like leadership and communication. As remote work becomes the norm across all industries, and businesses make use of new technologies like generative AI, Cloud Architects have very valuable and in-demand expertise to provide.
Learn cloud computing for free
If you’re working towards a cloud career like Cloud Architect, or you’re just curious how this technology works, you can get started learning cloud computing skills with our new free cloud courses. These courses help you build a foundation in key cloud computing skills, so you can test the waters before you committing to cloud certification training. Even if certification isn’t your ultimate goal, gaining a solid grasp of this sought-after domain helps make you a well-rounded developer.
Read on to learn about the day-to-day responsibilities of a Cloud Architect, the certifications and cloud services to know, and how to break into the field without a college degree.
What’s the difference between a Cloud Architect and Cloud Engineer?
A Cloud Engineer is focused on building, deploying, and maintaining specific cloud applications and services. They help organizations migrate to the cloud, set up scalable and secure cloud environments, and ensure systems run efficiently. Their role often involves working closely with developers, automating deployments, monitoring performance, and implementing best practices for security and cost management.
Cloud Architects, meanwhile, oversee planning, designing, building, and maintaining an organization’s entire cloud infrastructure. As such, they are often tasked with pretty significant projects (think: migrating the entire org’s applications and data from on-premise servers to a cloud platform or coming up with a cloud-based disaster recovery protocol), so the role requires strong organizational and leadership skills. You’re often balancing the needs of lots of different stakeholders and business needs, so communication is key. On top of that, Cloud Architects have to be knowledgeable about lots of different cloud technologies as well as security and compliance concerns.
What does a Cloud Architect do all day?
A day in the life of a Cloud Architect typically involves a mix of strategic planning, design work, and oversight of cloud implementations. Let’s break down the roles and responsibilities of a Cloud Architect:
Cloud Infrastructure Design
One of the core responsibilities of a Cloud Architect is designing the overall cloud infrastructure. This could involve sketching out diagrams, creating documentation, and collaborating with other stakeholders. Cloud Architects have to carefully consider lots of factors like scalability, security, and compliance in addition to the business requirements. That’s because this design forms the foundation for efficiently deploying applications.
Security & Compliance
Security and compliance are critical aspects of a Cloud Architect’s role. They are responsible for designing cloud systems that protect data, applications, and infrastructure by implementing best practices in identity management, encryption, and network security. Additionally, Cloud Architects ensure compliance with industry regulations and organizational policies, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or SOC 2.
Cloud Migration Strategies
A Cloud Architect is also responsible for guiding the process of moving applications, data, and workloads from on-premises systems to the cloud. This includes choosing the right migration approach—such as rehosting, refactoring, or rearchitecting—based on the organization’s needs and technical requirements.
Cost Optimization & Performance Tuning
Another important role for a Cloud Architect is to ensure they design cloud environments that balance performance with cost-efficiency. This require selecting the right services, appropriately sizing resources, and leveraging features like autoscaling. Cloud Architects also need to monitor usage and performance metrics to identify inefficiencies and make adjustments that reduce costs while maintaining or improving system performance.
Disaster Recovery
Cloud Architects must ensure their systems can quickly recover from unexpected failures or data loss. That includes developing strategies with automated backups, data replication across regions, and failover mechanisms to ensure business continuity.
Collaboration with Other Teams
Cloud Architects might also be managing ongoing cloud projects, providing guidance to development teams, and troubleshooting any issues that arise. This comes with various meetings to discuss progress updates, review designs, or address concerns from other departments. They’re also often times responsible for interfacing with steering committees and CIOs to determine budgets and savings.
What skills are required of a Cloud Architect?
Many Cloud Architects have advanced degrees in cybersecurity in addition to high-end cloud certifications. For context, Cloud Architects hold nine certifications on average, according to the latest Skillsoft IT Skills and Salary Report. That said, it’s possible to have a career in cloud without a college degree.
Cloud Computing Platforms
The major cloud providers (Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Azure) have beginner-friendly certifications that can help you land an entry-level role as a Cloud Administrator Associate. Once you build foundational knowledge in the key areas of cloud computing — compute, storage, database, networking, and machine learning/AI — you can specialize in one or many cloud services. Our free, video-based cloud courses are an awesome way to start learning essential cloud skills in Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, and CompTIA Cloud Essentials+.
Networking & Security
Seeing how Cloud Architects are responsible for designing secure and efficient network architectures, it’s no surprise that networking and security skills are vital. Beginners can build a foundational understanding of networking technologies (like TCP/IP and HTTP), or start learning security principles with our Intro to Cybersecurity course.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Cloud Architects usually aren’t necessarily writing code or building applications, but they still need technical skills in primary operating systems and programming languages. Languages like Python, JSON, Ruby, and Golang are good ones to start with if you want to get into cloud. You can start learning these languages with a free Codecademy account while you work through our new cloud courses.
Containers
Containers offer a lightweight, portable way to deploy and manage applications consistently across different environments. Cloud Architects need to understand how to use tools like Docker and orchestration platforms like Kubernetes to design scalable, resilient systems that support microservices architectures.
Serverless Computing
Serverless computing skills are important for a Cloud Architect because they allow for the design of highly scalable, cost-effective systems without the need to manage underlying infrastructure. By leveraging serverless services like AWS Lambda or Azure Functions, Cloud Architects can build applications that automatically scale based on demand.
Data Management & Storage Solutions
Aspiring Cloud Architects should not only focus on cloud-specific skills but also develop a deep understanding of the underlying technologies and vendors that support cloud infrastructure, Michael suggests. For instance, having knowledge of Cisco data centers is essential for Cloud Architects, as well as hypervisor technologies such as VMware, Citrix Xen, and Linux KVM.
Monitoring and Logging
By setting up monitoring tools and logging systems, architects can track the performance, availability, and health of cloud resources in real time. These skills are crucial for maintaining the reliability and security of cloud environments.
What’s an average Cloud Architect salary?
The average annual salary for a Cloud Architect is $135,881, according to data from the most recent Skillsoft IT Skills and Salary report. The types of certifications you have in cloud technologies can influence your earning potential as a Cloud Architect. For example, people with Google Cloud’s Professional Cloud Architect certification earn an average salary of $200,960, the report found. (You can learn more about the highest-paying cloud certifications from this year.)
Our new cloud courses prepare you for a certification program. These free courses are an awesome way to see if you actually like the cloud space before you commit to certification training. And even if you don’t go on to become a certified cloud expert, having a strong foundation in this in-demand and lucrative area of tech can propel your career.
What’s some advice from a real Cloud Architect?
We spoke with Michael Shannon, Senior Analyst in Tech and Dev at Skillsoft, the cloud expert who helped make these courses, about what a Cloud Architect does.
“The scope of a Cloud Architect’s work can vary depending on the size of a company,” explains Michael. “A large organization is more likely to have a separate Cloud Architect who’s solely responsible for the cloud strategy, whereas a smaller org might have one person who acts as both the Cloud Engineer and the Cloud Architect. It’s also common for newer startups to hire Cloud Architects who can make decisions about which database platforms and SaaS tools the organization will use.”
“In short, a Cloud Architect is really a leader who can pull the trigger on decisions,” Michael says.
This blog was originally published in May 2024 and has been updated to include the latest salary data and new courses and paths.
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