According to NASSCOM, massive cloud deployment can produce $380 billion in GDP and 14 million direct and indirect job possibilities in India by 2026. Based on the estimate, a coordinated all-around effort might result in a consistent 25-30% increase in cloud outlay over the following five years, reaching $18.5 billion. This is fantastic news for any potential cloud engineer there! As per ZipRecruiter, cloud engineers in India may expect to earn between $140k and $250k. The market is thriving, and it is critical to advance in order to match the sector’s expectations.

What is a cloud engineer?

A cloud engineer is more than one job title. It is, in reality, a group of positions that represent various skills and perform distinct duties related to the creation, management, operation, and enhancement of cloud systems. Cloud engineers are cloud specialists; however, their knowledge may be separated into positions such as cloud software engineer, cloud systems engineer, cloud database administrator, and cloud security administrator, among others. Here is a breakdown of some of those positions.

• Solutions architect
• Cloud developer
• System operations engineer

The solutions architect are individuals involved in designing the infrastructure and applications, the cloud developer is accountable for coding and development of apps, and system ops are the ones who administer or takes over an app once it is designed and developed.

Skills Required to Become a Cloud Engineer

Understanding cloud service provider 

Learn how different cloud service providers work before attempting to become a cloud engineer. The providers offer numerous end-to-end services such as storage, databases, machine learning, migration, and almost anything related to cloud computing. This makes it an essential stepping stone for individuals looking to enhance their expertise to become cloud engineers. You must select at least one of the various options offered. 

AWS is a market pioneer and a dominant player. The cloud behemoth has held the industry’s leading spot and is well-known for its specialty. It will be wise to learn how the service provider functions. Understanding how multiple cloud providers operate and deliver services to their customers will assist you in comprehending cloud computing in-depth and acquaint you with the best practices to follow.

Technical skills to acquire

Cloud engineers acquire and use technical skills such as software engineering, web development, data management, and cloud computing application expertise. Here are some additional technical skills to learn as a cloud engineer:

• Linux: Linux is regarded as one of the best open-source operating systems for customizing to meet any corporate needs. Companies require Linux to develop technologies that are utilized in a variety of websites and apps. Obtaining the Linux Foundation Certified Systems Administrator (LFCS) credential is also advantageous.

• Programming skills: Languages such as Java and PHP are leveraged to unleash the cloud’s possibilities. Some popular programming languages, such as Ruby and Python, are ushering in new eras of cloud computing. ASP.NET, SQL, and Golang are a few more languages to be proficient with.

• DevOps: DevOps is the integration of software development and operations into a single umbrella. It is a popular framework for reducing task dependencies and closing the distance between the two teams. It offers an insight into the entire development lifecycle, from planning to upkeep.

APIs & web services

Both APIs and web services are frequently used in cloud infrastructure. These are used to integrate internet-based apps. XML, SOAP, WSDL, and other open standards transport and describe data and identify accessible services. Learning more about these basics can help aspiring engineers build their foundation strong.

After acquiring these abilities and gaining practical learning exposure to these technologies, you may take numerous cloud certification exams to validate your new expertise and, as a result, land a well-paying job.

Networking

Networking is directly connected to cloud computing. Why? Because centralized computer resources are shared with customers via the cloud. It has sparked a trend of moving more network administration operations to the cloud, requiring fewer consumer devices to administer the network.

Improved Internet connectivity and dependable WAN bandwidth have made it easy to move more networking administration operations to the cloud. This, in turn, has increased demand for cloud networking, as consumers seek quicker methods to establish and access networks via a cloud-based service.

Cloud security

Cloud security is one of the most complex areas of the cloud as it entails crucial steps to be performed in case of a hacking and cyberattack or catastrophe recovery. It necessitates significant cybersecurity and cloud expertise since any downtime of cloud resources can result in heavy loss and denial of services to the clients, impacting their business in turn.

Cloud Engineer Salary Trends in India

The national average income for a cloud engineer in India is Rs. 6,12,210, according to Glassdoor. Besides, the highest paying cities, as per Indeed data, are as follows:

City	Average salary (In INR)
Delhi	10,80,044
Bengaluru	10,07,985
Noida	9,15,035
Hyderabad	9,05,261
Pune	8,08,581
Chennai	7,66,002
Kolkata	5,07,371
Coimbatore	3,38,073

Source: Indeed

In accordance with their experience, a beginner with less than or equal to three years of experience earns an average salary of Rs. 4.8 lakhs yearly, a person at mid-level with 4-9 years of experience bags about Rs. 8.2 lakhs per year, and those with good experience – somewhat about 10-20 years, have an average salary of Rs. 14.7 lakhs per year. This data is collated by AmbitionBox.

The top paying industries include – the internet at the top followed by software product, hardware & networking, telecom/ISP, and IT services and consulting. 

Conclusion

The migration from traditional on-premise infrastructure to remote cloud servers was already ongoing. The pandemic has further provided an impetus to the cloud’s success story. Hence, workers with cloud capabilities are in high demand from hiring organizations looking to get the most out of the technology. Compared to other IT professionals in India, cloud IT professionals’ compensation is relatively high. The experts termed the trend as “booming” as cloud computing is the fastest-growing sector in India. In the coming years, cloud computing experts like cloud engineers in India will earn extraordinarily high salaries that continue to rise as they get more expertise.