According to cloud vendor statistics, Amazon Web Services (AWS) remains the leading cloud vendor, while Microsoft Azure steadily catches up.
Google Cloud follows as third, and then there are “others” that are not always listed, which include Alibaba Cloud, IBM Cloud, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).
Given that these six cloud vendors are the most used and cover over 99% of cloud infrastructure utilization, how does one gain a fundamental understanding of their differences and individual benefits compared to each other?
Perhaps one way to approach it, which tends to be one of my hobbies, is to identify the types of professional certifications they offer and attempt to pass them. At least the free ones…
It is very common for a cloud vendor to provide the online self-paced training required for certification for free, but the exam itself will have a cost. Only after passing the certification exam will the certification be granted.
Certification tiers are roughly aligned as shown in the table below:
| Vendor | Free tier | Cheapest paid exam | Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure | - | Fundamentals, 99 USD | Fundamentals -> Associate -> Expert |
| Alibaba | ”Event” | Clouder, 0.01 USD | Associate -> Professional -> Expert |
| Oracle | Foundations Associate | ||
| IBM | - | Advocate, 200 USD |
Links to certification starting locations in these cloud vendors:
- Alibaba Cloud Academy Certifications
- Getting certified in IBM Cloud
- Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Training and Certification
https://mylearn.oracle.com/ou/learning-path/become-an-oci-foundations-associate-2024/139374