The Growing Need for Cloud Computing Training & Certifications in a Hybrid World

This artice emphasizes the need for training and certifications to effectively manage multi-cloud environments and highlights Alibaba Cloud Academy's offerings in cloud training and certifications.

By Alibaba Cloud Academy Team (intl_training@list.alibaba-inc.com)

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The Acceleration of Cloud Computing

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an acceleration in the use of public cloud platforms and services, forcing businesses to adapt to remote work and digital communication. This desire for digital transformation and scalable economic infrastructure is continuing to drive the rapid expansion and innovation of the public cloud market, as cloud hyperscalers fight for market share.

Alternatively, organizations can adopt the private cloud approach, hosting private cloud platforms on-site or externally with either a cloud hyperscaler or data center operator. The key advantage of private cloud environment infrastructure is that it is dedicated to one business, making it simpler to customize according to business needs. Businesses in regulated industries like financial services, government organizations, etc. often opt for private cloud services for privacy and security reasons.

Businesses embarking on a cloud journey will often begin by adopting a hybrid cloud strategy, combining existing private infrastructure or cloud platforms with public cloud services. Hybrid cloud environments ensure no silos are kept on-site, ensuring data movement across different environments is uninterrupted. The hybrid cloud approach helps regulatory and data residency-restricted businesses to take advantage of different technologies and platforms, improving business agility and time to market.

ABI Research noted a shift towards AI solutions where computations occur at the edge of a user’s network and away from traditional AI, where algorithms are processed at a centralized cloud computing data center. Shipments of on-premises and more importantly edge cloud AI servers are expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 56% from 2023 to 2028.

Cloud practitioners must manage hybrid / multi-cloud environments effectively to support advanced technologies like AI and Machine Learning (ML) to meet customer demands. Increasingly, businesses cannot rely on a single cloud infrastructure, and must upgrade cloud knowledge and training to handle multiple cloud environments. With the rapid shift towards multi-cloud and hybrid environments, businesses should ensure their cloud professionals can manage multiple cloud environments.

Cloud hyperscalers and solution providers develop innovations, services, and solutions that constantly drive the evolution of cloud technology and services. Reliable cloud service providers who offer cutting-edge technology, exceptional product support, recognized training, and certifications are essential to help businesses adapt to ever-evolving cloud computing technologies and benefits.

Training, accreditation, and certifications are vital to validate a cloud professional’s skills and expertise, guaranteeing quality consistency and supporting future career advancements. From a business perspective, having a team of certified cloud professionals provides a competitive edge, as it showcases the qualified resource capabilities to design, deliver and manage cloud computing services.

Continuous Cloud Innovation Will Drive Need for Training & Certifications

Alibaba Cloud is an established cloud hyperscaler in Asia Pacific, providing cloud services to thousands of businesses, government agencies, and developers in over 200 countries. Alibaba Cloud has 89 availability zones located strategically across 30 regions worldwide aimed at providing reliable computing services and support for all stakeholders.

Cloud computing is growing rapidly, exacerbated by new technologies such as AI, ML, Web3, etc. and Alibaba Cloud Academy will play an important role as part of Alibaba Cloud’s overall cloud computing offerings. Cloud solution programs, online and classroom training, hands-on labs, and cloud proficiency certifications represent an important investment for cloud professionals looking to deepen their knowledge and advance their careers in cloud computing.

Enrolling in training courses and becoming certified in cloud computing has become an important trait to display.

Certifications help cloud professionals showcase their abilities, knowledge, and experience to employers.
Hiring certified cloud professionals also ensures businesses are investing in high-quality resources and avoiding the expensive mistake of having to rehire for a cloud technology role

Training & Certification Offerings

The Alibaba Cloud Academy is the training and certification arm of Alibaba Cloud International, an important component of Alibaba Cloud’s overall cloud computing offering. Alibaba Cloud Academy offers around 130 online and offline certification courses aimed at customers, partners, and developers looking to further enhance their skills with Alibaba Cloud’s products and solutions.

The Alibaba Cloud Academy certification program is divided into five main categories: Professional, Specialty, Clouder, Free E-Learning, and offline courses. Close to 53,000 registered users are enrolled on the platform, with 17,000 users utilizing free learning courses hosted on the platform.

Certification Levels & Learning Paths

Alibaba Cloud Academy offers 16 professional certifications across three levels: Associate, Professional, and Expert. Alibaba Cloud Academy also offers specialty certifications such as networking, big data analysis, machine learning, DevOps, relational database, and cloud migration.

In addition, Alibaba Cloud Academy provides further certification for cloud technical specialists looking to learn and perform certain functions within Alibaba Cloud’s solutions with the Apsara Clouder Certification. Cloud professionals can choose from a deep pool of Alibaba Cloud solutions such as Kubernetes, PolarDB, Network Attached Storage, Load Balancer, etc.

3 Levels

Associate

Foundation program for beginner cloud professionals with zero to some cloud experience

Professional

Professional certification for experienced cloud architects, engineers, developers, and operators

Expert

Expert certification for highly skilled cloud professionals experienced in cloud computing technology and offerings.

16 Professional Certifications

Alibaba Cloud Academy also offers learning paths for customers looking to embark on specific courses, eg:

Delivering Key Cloud Values through Partnerships

Alibaba Cloud Academy works with training partners to deliver certifications to cloud professionals. These training partners are responsible for the enrollment, delivery, class facilitation registration, and payment collection of the training provided. Alibaba Cloud provides accreditation to instructors from training partners through a “train-the-trainer” program. Alibaba Cloud also provides course materials, e-books, credits to LabEx (an online laboratory environment), and exam vouchers relevant to the courses undertaken.

Alibaba Cloud training partners can choose from three different partnership levels, each with different criteria and benefits:

1. Authorized Training Partner

Partners have access to Alibaba Cloud courses and labs and are authorized to provide training with at least two trainers that have passed the ACP examinations and the “train-the-trainer” program.

2. Alibaba Cloud Training Delivery Partner (ATDP)

Partners that are qualified and certified to provide training on cloud computing, security, big data, and AI cloud solutions. Training partners must have at least three years of training business experience, at least two Alibaba Cloud certified trainers, and train 1,000 students per year.

3. Alibaba Cloud Training Course Partner (ATCP)

ATCP partners work closely with Alibaba Cloud Academy to design and produce technical training courses to fit industry demand. ATCP partners need at least two years of experience delivering training in the cloud industry and at least two course developers who have passed the ACP examinations.

Alibaba Cloud Academy also works with higher education institutions within the Asia-Pacific region through its Alibaba Cloud Academic Empowerment Program (AAEP) in providing cloud computing courses that are relevant to the IT industry. Some of the universities that are partnered with Alibaba Cloud include the University of Macau, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), The University of Hong Kong (HKU Business School), Chulalongkorn University, Asia Pacific College, Nanyang Polytechnic and ITE Central in Singapore as well as Universitas Advent Indonesia, Bina Nusantara University (BINUS), Telkom University and Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia.

Alibaba Cloud announced a partnership with the University of Hong Kong Business School to offer a full-credit course leveraging Alibaba Cloud Academy resources

This collaboration signifies a key focus in developing and nurturing future technology talents and leaders, allowing undergraduates the chance to learn from industry professionals and be equipped with real-world skills that can be immediately translated once the students start their first jobs.

Success Stories

VST ECS Philippines Developed Cloud Business with Alibaba Cloud Academy’s Training and Certification Program

VST ECS Philippines has been an ICT distribution and technology provider for 25 years. It is part of the VST ECS Group, a leading Asia Pacific IT channel development and technical solutions integration services provider. VST ECS Philippines is the sole distributor of Alibaba Cloud solutions in the Philippines.

Blue Power Technology Enhanced Business Value Proposition through Alibaba Cloud Training and Certification

PT. Blue Power Technology (BPT) was founded in 2011 as a subsidiary of PT Computrade Technology International (CTI) Group, a leading IT infrastructure solutions provider in Indonesia. Serving as your IT expert, BPT operates as a value-added distributor for Alibaba Cloud in Indonesia and is actively involved in the Alibaba Cloud Academy program.

As a partner, BPT not only distributes Alibaba Cloud’s commercial cloud solutions but also takes advantage of Alibaba Cloud Academy’s online training, course certifications, and partner enablement programs, which have helped transform BPT’s digital business portfolio.

BPT has been assigning role-specific learning paths available in Alibaba Cloud Academy’s portal to individual staff and business units to enhance productivity and ensure upskilling of knowledge. The portal has also allowed BPT to identify and build internal cloud practitioners, helping to identify and map new roles and career opportunities based on an individual’s strength and interest in cloud computing solutions.

BPT has attended 37 training sessions, with 23 employees, including 4 solution architects, achieving 47 certifications. The certifications obtained range from basic cloud certifications to more advanced cloud solutions such as security, database, and more. Along with the certifications, BPT’s technical team now has a strong knowledge of Alibaba Cloud’s solutions and will be able to serve customers better with strong knowledge and foundation.

Looking ahead, BPT envisions deepening its partnership with Alibaba Cloud, extending collaboration into cutting-edge domains such as big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT). BPT’s confidence in its ability to support Indonesian businesses undergoing digital transformations is bolstered by the strong and dynamic partnership forged with Alibaba Cloud.

Commitment to Partners Underscored By Announcements during Partner Summit

Growing and enabling more training partners remains critical to Alibaba Cloud’s overall growth strategy. During Alibaba Cloud’s Partner Summit in May 2023, Alibaba Cloud Academy announced the goal of training 100,000 cloud professionals across the Southeast Asia (SEA) region by the end of 2024 through the SEA Talent Empowerment Program. The SEA Talent Empowerment Program aims to boost cloud talent development in the region by involving and supporting key training partners. The initial training partners includes:

Initial Partners of Alibaba Cloud’s SEA Talent Empowerment Program:

Alibaba Cloud also announced the Alibaba Cloud Partner Empowerment Portal during the 2023 Summit.

This training platform for global partners houses product and service offerings, training, educational videos, materials related to emerging technologies, cloud certifications, and various resources to enhance partner capabilities. This portal aims to train 500 global partners, including independent software vendors, managed services partners, and channel distribution partners, on Alibaba Cloud’s solutions and offerings.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via email at intl_training@list.alibaba-inc.com.

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