AWS Adds New Certification For DevOps Pros

Amazon Web Services introduced on Friday a new certification level and exam to validate the advanced skills of developers building applications on its public cloud platform.

The new DevOps Engineer Certification validates the technical expertise of software architects, developers and solution providers in provisioning, operating and managing distributed application systems on Amazon's cloud. It's the next step for AWS pros who have already earned the ranks of Certified Developer and SysOps Administrator.

"As you probably know, DevOps practices increase IT efficiency for your business, allowing you to respond more quickly to your customers by providing stable, secure and predictable IT environments," wrote Jeff Barr, Amazon's cloud evangelist, on the AWS blog.

[Related: Amazon Introduces Professional-Level AWS Certification]

As cloud computing becomes more mainstream, "the demand for DevOps skills continues to rise as companies are seeking to gain benefits from this practice," Barr wrote.

A beta version of the exam will make its debut at AWS re:Invent, the Amazon cloud conference that takes place next week in Las Vegas.

"It is intended to identify individuals who are capable of implementing and managing systems which are highly available, scalable and self-healing on the AWS platform," Barr wrote.

In addition to the prerequisite certifications, those pursuing the new credential must also be experienced in coding in at least one high-level programming language, as well as automation and testing in a scripting or programming language. They should also understand agile and other modern development processes and methodologies, Barr wrote.

PUBLISHED NOV. 7, 2014