How to become a Google Professional Cloud Architect?

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Google Professional Cloud Architect

As you are all aware, the growth of cloud computing has resulted in a revolution in the IT business. Cloud is one of the most booming sectors, and practically every IT professional is pursuing cloud certifications. Moreover, over 65 percent of the biggest companies have shifted to the cloud and begun forming cloud teams. One of the most in-demand job roles among businesses and organizations is that of a Google Professional Cloud Architect.

Google Professional Cloud Architect is the most in-demand career role, and becoming certified in this field will not only improve your abilities and knowledge but will also serve as a key to several profitable opportunities. However, in order to obtain this position, study the sections below for a brief overview of cloud architect and the processes for obtaining this role. So, let’s start with an overview of Google Professional cloud architects’ roles.

Who is a Google Professional Cloud Architect?

  • Professional Cloud Architects are responsible for allowing organizations for utilizing Google Cloud technologies. 
  • Secondly, using their expert-level abilities and understanding of cloud architecture and Google Cloud, they plan, develop, and manage robust, secure, scalable, highly available, and dynamic solutions for driving business goals. Further, Cloud Architect perform various tasks in their role which includes:
    • monitoring cloud activity
    • planning and migrating applications
    • designing courses of action
    • defining computing loads. 
  • Thirdly, Cloud Architects are knowledgeable in software development processes and approaches, such as multi-tiered distributed systems that span several clouds or hybrid environments.
  • In the field of information technology, Cloud Architects hold a unique position. In simple words, they manage teams and develop plans based on solid technical expertise in order to get better results.
  • Lastly, they primarily focus on bridging the gap between complicated business challenges and cloud-based solutions.

About the GCP Cloud Architect Exam

The certification exam for Professional Cloud Architect evaluates your skills for:

  • Creating a cloud solution architecture and designing it out.
  • Managing and providing the infrastructure for cloud solutions.
  • Creating a design that is both secure and compliant.
  • Analyzing and improving technical and operational procedures.
  • Managing cloud architecture deployments.
  • Verifying the solution’s and operations’ durability.

However, the exam will have around 50 questions with a limit of 2 hours. The question format type will be multiple choice and multiple select. Further, the exam can be given in English and Japanese language with a registration fee of $200 (plus tax where applicable). Taking about the exam delivery method, you can:

  • Go for the online-proctored exam from a remote location
  • Or the onsite-proctored exam at a testing center
Recommended experience

For the Google Professional Cloud Architect exam, you are recommended to have more than 3 years of industry experience including one plus years of experience in designing and managing solutions using Google Cloud.

Now, coming on to the steps to earn the Google Cloud Architect role using the best study methods and ways!

Preparation Guide for Google Cloud Architect Exam

The key to a comfortable exam experience is to use a study guide. The first step is to create a study schedule that you must follow until the end. Make a study schedule and determine how many hours each day you can devote to it. Then, below, we’ve set out a step-by-step plan for passing the Google Cloud Architect test. In addition, we will go through a comprehensive training that is specific to this certification. However, you won’t have to worry about learning resources or concepts if you use these resources. As a result, everything will be covered. Let’s begin!

Google Cloud Architect Exam

1. Creating a Study Plan

Understanding where to focus your efforts throughout the test preparation is one of the most important components of the Cloud Architect certification exam. Understand the certification exam’s goals and evaluate your abilities, knowledge areas, concepts, and technologies in relation to the abilities, knowledge areas, concepts, and technologies that will be examined. After that, make a study plan to help you prepare for the exam and make sure you cover all of the exam objectives. Use the essential training ways to gain the ideas, then use the practice tests to thoroughly revise them.

2. Level up preparation using the Cloud Architect learning path

Cloud architects create, maintain, and manage scalable cloud architecture solutions. However, the learning path covers various courses step by step to prepare for the Professional Cloud Architect exam.

Google Cloud Fundamentals: Core Infrastructure

Reference: https://cloud.google.com/training/course/core-infrastructure?skip_cache=true

  • Learn and understand the concepts of Google Cloud’s computing and storage services available, including Compute Engine, Google Kubernetes Engine, App Engine, Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, and BigQuery. Moreover, this course also provides an overview of resource and policy management tools like:
    • Resource Manager hierarchy
    • Cloud Identity and Access Management.
Architecting with Google Compute Engine

Reference: https://cloud.google.com/training/course/architecting-with-google-compute-engine?skip_cache=true

  • Learn the process of deploying infrastructure components such as networks, systems, and applications services using Compute Engine. Further, this course covers how to put practical solutions, such as securely linking networks, using customer-supplied encryption keys, security and access control, quotas and pricing, and resource monitoring.
Architecting with Google Cloud: Design and Process

Reference: https://cloud.google.com/training/course/architecting-design-process?skip_cache=true

  • Learn how to build dependable and secure Google Cloud deployments, as well as how to run them in a highly available and cost-effective way. This course provides an excellent overview of site reliability engineering (SRE).
Begin with Google Kubernetes Engine

Reference: https://cloud.google.com/training/course/getting-started-with-google-kubernetes-engine?skip_cache=true

  • Learn the process of implementing solutions using Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). You’ll learn how to create, plan, practice load balancing, and monitor workloads in this course. Moreover, you’ll also learn how to handle role-based access control and security, as well as how to provide your cloud apps with persistent storage.
Creating and Managing Cloud Resources

Reference: https://cloud.google.com/training/course/getting-started-create-and-manage-cloud-resources?skip_cache=true

  • Learn about Google Cloud’s most important tools and services. Morever, learn how to use Cloud Shell to perform commands and launch your first virtual machine, as well as how to use Google Kubernetes Engine and load balancing to run apps. 
google cloud architect online tutorials
Performing Foundational Infrastructure Tasks in Google Cloud

Reference: https://cloudskillsboost.google/quests/118?utm_source=gcp_training&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=cgc-infmod&skip_cache=true

  • Develop important skills that can be used to any Google Cloud effort by diving into Cloud Storage and other major application services like Stackdriver and Cloud Functions.
Automating Infrastructure on Google Cloud with Terraform

Reference: https://cloudskillsboost.google/quests/159?utm_source=gcp_training&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=cgc-infmod&skip_cache=true

  • Learn how to use Terraform, an open-source infrastructure deployment solution, to automate your infrastructure on Google Cloud.
Deploying and Managing Cloud Environments

Reference: https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/quests/121?utm_source=gcp_training&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=cgc-infmod&skip_cache=true

  • Learn how to use Google Kubernetes Engine, Spinnaker, and Cloud Monitoring to successfully deploy, manage, and monitor your applications.

3. Get familiar with the Exam Objectives

Understand the exam’s content in order to get a clear picture of what you’ll need to study for the exam. However, organizations may use Google Cloud technologies with the help of a Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud Architect. They design, develop, and maintain resilient, secure, scalable, highly available, and dynamic solutions that drive business objectives using knowledge of cloud architecture and Google technologies. All elements of business cloud strategy, solution design, and architectural best practices should be covered by the Cloud Architect. To get a better understanding of this, let’s learn about the exam topics. 

Domain 1: Designing and planning a cloud solution architecture

1.1 Designing a solution infrastructure that meets business requirements. Considerations include:

1.2 Designing a solution infrastructure that meets technical requirements. Considerations include:

1.3 Designing network, storage, and compute resources. Considerations include:

1.4 Creating a migration plan (i.e., documents and architectural diagrams). Considerations include:

1.5 Envisioning future solution improvements. Considerations include:

Domain 2: Managing and provisioning a solution Infrastructure

2.1 Configuring network topologies. Considerations include:

2.2 Configuring individual storage systems. Considerations include:

2.3 Configuring compute systems. Considerations include:

Domain 3: Designing for security and compliance

3.1 Designing for security. Considerations include:

3.2 Designing for compliance. Considerations include:

Domain 4: Analyzing and optimizing technology and business processes

4.1 Analyzing and defining technical processes. Considerations include:

4.2 Analyzing and defining business processes. Considerations include:

4.3 Developing procedures to ensure reliability of solutions in production (e.g., chaos engineering, penetration testing) (Google Documentation: Patterns for scalable and resilient apps)

Domain 5: Managing implementation

5.1 Advising development/operation team(s) to ensure successful deployment of the solution. Considerations include:

5.2 Interacting with Google Cloud programmatically. Considerations include:

  • Google Cloud Shell
  • Google Cloud SDK (gcloud, gsutil and bq)
  • Cloud Emulators (e.g. Cloud Bigtable, Datastore, Spanner, Pub/Sub, Firestore)
Domain 6: Ensuring solution and operations reliability

6.1 Monitoring/logging/profiling/alerting solution (Google Documentation: Introduction to alertingAlerting behavior)

6.2 Deployment and release management (Google Documentation: Google Cloud Deployment Manager)

6.3 Assisting with the support of solutions in operation (Google Documentation: Cloud MonitoringOperations)

6.4 Evaluating quality control measures (Google Documentation: Google security whitepaper)

Now, coming on to the next crucial phase in the preparation process: case studies.

4. Case studies

During the Cloud Architect Certification exam, you may be directed to a case study that explains a fictional business and solution concept. These case studies are meant to provide you with more information so you can make an informed decision (s). Further, examine the case studies that might be utilized in the exam. This include:

5. Using Additional Training Resources

The more resources you have for studying for the Professional Cloud Architect Certification Exam, the better. To put it another way, if you want to have a successful revision, you should concentrate on getting a better understanding of concepts. However, there are a few resources worth looking into:

6. Evaluate yourself with Practice Tests

Practice exams for Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect can help you identify your weak areas so you can improve on them. Furthermore, by analyzing yourself with these exams, you will be able to determine your strong and weak regions. You’ll also be able to enhance your answering abilities, which will save you a lot of time. However, the best time to start conducting practice exams is after you’ve finished one entire topic.

7. Scheduling the Exam:

  • To get started, go to Google Cloud and register for the exam you wish to take.
    • However, Google Cloud certifications are available in a variety of languages. A list of available languages may be seen on the exam page.
  • Secondly, create a new user account in Google Cloud’s instance of that language in Webassessor if you’re a first-time test taker or want to take the certification exam in a localized language.
  • Then select an exam and a delivery option for it from the catalog (remote or from a testing center).
  • After that, select your exam day, time, and testing center location  (if applicable). Then, confirm your payment.
  • Lastly, after your registration is complete, Kryterion provides you with a unique Test Taker Authorization Code through email. To begin your exam at the testing centre, you’ll need this code.

Final Words

To pass the Google Professional Cloud Architect exam, you’ll need to create and stick to a study plan that covers all of the essential subjects, includes practice exams, and helps you to improve your skills. Furthermore, you must concentrate on all of the essential areas in order to improve your preparedness. Start studying right now to pass the test.

professional cloud architect practice tests
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