CompTIA is an organization that provides certifications and training programs for IT professionals. Working in a multi-cloud environment comes with both challenges and opportunities to implement, maintain, manage, and secure mission-critical apps and store data. The CompTIA Cloud+ Certification authenticates the technical skills you would need to protect these invaluable assets.
So this blog aims to take you through all the details you need to know before appearing for the CompTIA Cloud+ exams. You will learn the skills you will get after certification, the domains included, prerequisites, exam overview, how to prepare, details of the study guides, and much more.
Let’s dive in.
What will you learn from CompTIA Cloud+ Certification?
By certifying for CompTIA Cloud+, you not only give a kick start to your cloud computing career but also gain a strong foothold in the sector by knowing all the latest advancements in your field. You prepare yourself with the skills to handle cloud computing issues while learning to deal with the new technologies that might emerge in the short term.
Apart from this, you will get a 360-degree view of areas included in cybersecurity and upgrade yourself in the cloud computing space. Here’s a list of things you can expect to learn from this certification:
- What is cloud architecture and how to design it: You will learn to analyze the different cloud models and design solutions to best suit business needs.
- What is cloud security: You will find out how to handle and maintain servers, including operating system configurations, gaining control, and virtualization.
- What is cloud implementation: You will know how to identify system requirements to migrate your workload to the cloud.
- What are the operations and support: You learn how to manage and optimize cloud environments with accurate automation and orchestration procedures, creating backups for operations and disaster recovery assignments.
- How to troubleshoot: You will discover more about creating troubleshooting capacities, automation, connectivity, and protection issues concerning cloud deployment.
Who should apply for CompTIA Cloud+ Certification?
The CompTIA Cloud+ certification exam provides a wide array of opportunities for IT professionals. From cybersecurity to a system administrator, you can have any IT-specific background and still leverage the certification to advance in this domain.
However, we can divide the certification benefit into three baskets:
For System Administrators:
If you are a system administrator, you will benefit the most from this certification. You can expand your skills and responsibilities to include cloud-related jobs and gain a foothold in that domain. As a system administrator, you will learn how to troubleshoot when a network interfaces with a cloud, automate the device’s output in a cloud’s database and optimize orchestration.
For Network Administrators:
It’s impossible to imagine a network that’s entirely independent of cloud services. If you attain CompTIA Cloud+ certification as a network administrator, you will know how to handle and maintain cloud servers that work simultaneously with your on-premise devices. If you run network virtualization, the Cloud+ will also teach you perpetual integration and implementation techniques to leverage in the long run.
For Cloud Specialist:
If you are a cloud specialist, you would want to upgrade yourself in everything related to the cloud: from handling and optimizing cloud infrastructures to handling OS configurations and regulating control. But passing this exam will help you get employers’ trust and validation, and you wear your badge of expertise everywhere.
Also Read: Preparation Guide for CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam
Why should you go for CompTIA Cloud+ Certification?
The CompTIA Cloud+ certification is a course worth it for all IT professionals. CompTIA is not only a leading name in the IT industry but is also known for providing certifications not tied to any specific software or device. You don’t need to remember configurations for just one setting.
Interestingly, the US department has recognized Cloud+ as one of the components of its Directive, which means that this certification is a mandatory qualification to ensure that candidates have the required skills to ensure information and enhance cybersecurity.
This certification, in fact, also provides infrastructure options if you need to be certified in IAM Level I, CSSP Analyst, or CSSP infrastructure support roles.
Additionally, there are two main reasons why you should go for the CompTIA Cloud+ certification:
- You learn skills for the latest tech trends
Undoubtedly, CompTIA Cloud+ is one of the toughest exams to crack as it tests your perseverance to operate in a cloud environment. The other certifications are mostly vendor or platform-specific tests, and if you are on the other side of the road, it becomes pretty hard to deal with cloud server issues. CompTIA Cloud+ lets you learn and have all the vendors’ tricks right up your sleeves and adapt to every approach of cloud administration.
- Validate your knowledge and skills
Bizarrely, CompTIA Cloud+ is perhaps the only certification where cloud administration and network administration marry each other. If you are searching for ways to be an all-rounder in cloud computing who know a-z about cloud and network administration, this is the right place for you. Employers trust your skill when you have this certification because it indicates that you know troubleshooting, operations and support, implementations, protection, and cloud infrastructure: be it any cloud.
Format of CompTIA Cloud+ Certification
Before we discuss the exam, you need to be careful that there are two versions of CompTIA Cloud+ Certification: CV0-003 and CV0-002.
The former is the latest one, and here in the blog, we have captured the details of CV0-003. The only difference is that CV0-002 focuses on operating cloud environments as a part of broader system operations, whereas CV0-003 specializes in implementing and automating protected cloud infrastructures and customizing them as per requirements.
CompTIA Cloud+ Certification Exam Overview
Speaking of exam overview, the CompTIA Cloud+ exam is 90 minutes, or 1 hour and 30 minutes, and is a computerized test. The exam would contain 90 questions and multiple-choice and performance-based questions.
On a scale of 100 to 900, passing marks are 750. The test is valid for three years and would cost USD 381. No prior certification is required, but you would need to have a basic knowledge of CompTIA Network+ and two years of relevant experience in the IT industry with expertise in system or network administration.
| Exam Name | CompTIA Cloud+ Certification |
| Exam Format | Multiple choice and performance-based questions |
| Duration of the exam | 90 minutes |
| Number of questions | 90 |
| Passing scores | 750 (on a scale of 100-700) |
| Language | English, Japanese, Portuguese & simplified Chinese |
| Exam Fees | $381 USD |
Requirements for CompTIA Cloud+ Certification
Before diving headlong into the CompTIA Cloud+ exams, you will need at least two to three years of experience in system or network administration. Additionally, CompTIA also recommends having a fundamental knowledge of Network+ or Server+.
However, it’s better to get certified for these two domains, but it is not mandatory. You should also be familiar with hypervisor technology for server virtualization, cloud service models, IT service management, and hands-on experience with IaaS cloud platforms.
Along with this, you would also need the below-listed skills:
- Assessing the security of the enterprise environment
- Maintaining and protecting hybrid environments
- Identifying, assessing, and troubleshooting security issues
- Deploying security solutions
- Knowledge of complying with the norms of governance, risk, and compliance
Although, you will always have ample time to develop these skills (apart from relevant experience) and make yourself suitable for this certification.
Domains covered in the CompTIA Cloud+ Certification
The CompTIA Cloud+ certification exam covers five domains. Here’s a sneak peek of the detailed syllabus:
Deploying cloud (23%): Captures methods to migrate successfully to the cloud. The lessons include:
- Services of subscriptions
- Resources of provisioning
- Applications
- Implementing VMs
- Auto-scaling
- Virtual private cloud
- Migrating to storages
- Migrations of databases
Securing Clouds (20%): Covers vital elements of cybersecurity principles for securing cloud infrastructure. Lessons include:
- Getting access to control technologies
- Standard of encryption
- Protocols for tunneling
- Configuring OS
- Virtualization
Architecture and Design of Cloud (13%): Highlights fundamental knowledge and abilities to assess multiple cloud models and implement the one that aligns with your business needs. Lessons involve:
- Models of deployment and services
- Cloud services
- Model of shared responsibility
- Planning for performance capacity
- Techniques of techniques
Support and Operations (22%): Focuses on optimizing cloud infrastructure, automation, backup, and recovery for better availability. Lessons include:
- Logging, alerting, and monitoring
- Management of life cycle
- Change and asset management
- Policies and rollback
- Right-sizing and computing
- Storing, networking, and placement
- Methods of restoration
Troubleshooting (22%): This entails battling capacity, networking, automation, and protection bottlenecks. Lessons captures:
- Privilege, authentication, authorization, and privilege
- Security groups and keys and certificates
- Issues associated with data security
- External and internal malware cyber attacks
- Tools for network troubleshooting
- Issues related to network configs
Each of the domains mentioned in the above list carries a specific weight in the exam. Cloud deployment comes at the top of the pyramid.
Next on the list are Support Operations and Troubleshooting. Both domains cover 22% of the total marks. This is followed by Cloud security which covers 20%. Last comes, at the bottom of the funnel, Cloud architecture and design which carries 13% of the total exam weightage.
How to start preparing for CompTIA Cloud+ Certification?
Preparing for an extensive syllabus like the CompTIA Cloud+ certification might get overwhelming. To make your preparation process a breeze, here are a few pro tips you can follow as starters.
Tip 1: Chalk out a study plan. Focus first on fulfilling the prerequisites and gaining fundamental knowledge of Networking+ and system operations. Meanwhile, you can also enroll in training programs or prepare with the help of the CompTIA study materials.
Tip 2: Be well versed with the exam syllabus and domains. Prepare as per the weightage but do not leave any subjects. Split your study plan into subdomains and get everything at your fingertips.
Tip 3: Get hands-on experience with cloud infrastructure technology and cybersecurity techniques. There are numerous training labs where you can arrange a practical experience.
Tip 4: Once you are confident with your practical and theoretical skills, it’s time for you to attempt practice tests. Assess your strengths and weaknesses and improvise your strategies.
Materials to refer to while preparing for CompTIA Cloud+ Exam
CompTIA provides countless resources to prepare for the CompTIA Cloud+ certification exam. You can opt for any of them and begin preparations.
To begin with, CompTIA provides live training classes or tutorials and offers learning styles and timelines that align with your schedule and priorities. It provides for both self-study and classroom training.
Similarly, CompTIA also offers study guides specially designed for the CV0-003 exam. It covers every domain in detail and offers countless tools to crack the certification.
Other than these, you can also go for instructor-led training programs conducted by CompTIA. You can directly interact with subject matter experts and provide training programs for individuals and teams. If you are new to the concepts of CompTIA Cloud+, you can also opt for CompTIA Tech Career Academy.
Next, to gain practical experience in cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity, opt for CompTIA training labs. These labs provide exposure to real virtual cloud infrastructure and other tools.
Finally, when you think you are ready to ace the exam, you can appear for exclusive practice papers and assessments offered by CompTIA. It will also provide you with personalized feedback and real-time preparation analytics.
Summary
The beauty of the CompTIA Cloud+ Certification is that it is not restricted to just a few roles. Anyone with basic experience in system and network administration can go for this certification. And if you want complete autonomy while operating in a cloud environment, this is the right course for you.
Moreover, businesses are increasingly becoming dependent on cloud services. By learning the cloud environment inside out, you can give a competitive edge to your organization without much effort. But this would require foundational knowledge of cloud, system, and network infrastructures and cybersecurity. And it all begins with preparation with the right resources.
Interestingly, CompTIA itself provides more than adequate resources to begin your journey, which is sufficient enough to ace these exams. Additionally, to step up your preparations, we at Whizlabs are soon going to launch practice papers for CompTIA Cloud+ certifications.
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