CompTIA debuts cloud certifications for IT pros

Trade association CompTIA is adding a cloud-focused certification to its roll call of IT industry accreditations.

The CompTIA Cloud+ certification is aimed at IT professionals from a networking, storage, systems or datacentre background that regularly find themselves working on cloud and virtualisation deployments.

It is recommended that participants have at least 24-to-36 months' experience in any of the above disciplines, and should also hold other CompTIA qualifications in networking and storage.

The accreditation is designed to validate their cloud knowledge and use of best practice procedures when delivering cloud-based infrastructure projects.

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To gain the certification, IT professionals will be required to sit an exam that tests their knowledge and understanding of cloud terminologies, methodologies, technologies and infrastructures.

Terry Erdle, executive vice president for skills certification at CompTIA, said, as cloud continues to become an integral part of the IT landscape, the pressure will be on IT pros to get certified in new skills.

"As cloud-based applications proliferate and network architectures become more diverse, networking and technical sales professionals must become proficient in new skills," he explained.

According to figures from CompTIA's Fourth Annual Trends in Cloud Computing study, 90 per cent of companies claim to be using some form of cloud-based service.

Meanwhile, figures flagged by Microsoft at its TechEd conference earlier this year suggest 1.7 million cloud-related job vacancies went unfilled last year.

"CompTIA Cloud+ was developed by the industry to address this shortage, providing IT professionals with a credential that validates their ability to efficiently and securely implement and maintain cloud technologies," Erdle added.

The organisation also has a CompTIA Cloud Essentials qualification for non-techie members of the IT pro community who want to validate their understanding of cloud technologies from a business perspective.

Caroline Donnelly was the news and analysis editor of IT Pro. Previously, she worked as a reporter at several B2B publications, including UK channel magazine CRN, and as features writer for local weekly newspaper, The Slough and Windsor Observer. She studied Medical Biochemistry at the University of Leicester and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism at PMA Training in 2006.