Cloud Computing is the most popular IT field that has been growing rapidly in recent years, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) is among the major cloud service vendors leveraged by world-class organizations. Several companies around the world are using AWS to run various instances and are looking to hire professionals who are experts in it. This blog will guide you to clear the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam and become a certified professional in this IT domain.
This AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Certification study guide will cover the following topics:
- Who is an AWS Certified Solutions Architect?
- AWS Solutions Architect Associate Preparation
- AWS Solutions Architect Associate Syllabus
- AWS Solutions Architect Associate Jobs
- AWS Solutions Architect Associate Salary
- Path to Become an AWS Solutions Architect Associate
First, let’s understand who these professionals are and what they are responsible for.
Who is an AWS Certified Solutions Architect?
It is not unknown that AWS is a one-stop solution for most companies in the world who wish to store and access their data in the cloud, leading to a more efficient and profitable business. Among the various Aws Solutions Architect Associate roles and responsibilities, the primary one would be that they are responsible for deploying applications into the AWS cloud infrastructure.
Learn more about this certification exam through this YouTube video:
What do they do?
One of the reasons why organizations have either already moved or are on the verge of moving their data to the cloud is to reduce the cost that is spent on the on-premises storage facilities. Although the process may sound simple, it isn’t. If the data is not stored in the cloud in the right manner, companies may have large outstanding bills, costing them more than any physical storage infrastructure and defeating the purpose altogether. It is the job of Solutions Architects to create designs that reduce the expense, along with addressing crucial issues on scalability, usability, performance, and reliability.
Additionally, they minimize risks such as calculation errors, data breaches, application downtime, etc. that organizations may otherwise face. To do so, these professionals need to know how the puzzles of AWS fit together, building a secure environment.
Further, you will come across the steps that need to be followed to get into this profession.
AWS Solutions Architect Associate Preparation
To become an AWS Solutions Architect Associate, you need to clear the AWS Solutions Architect Associate level certification exam. As mentioned earlier in the blog, SAA-C02 is the new and updated version of this certification exam, and it covers the latest content and objective w.r.t. the AWS cloud, including security, databases, and cost optimization. This AWS Certification is updated constantly to keep up with the latest AWS cloud practices and innovations.
While taking the exam, you can either opt for this version or the previous one, i.e., SAA-C01. Now, you might be wondering, ‘How to pass the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate exam?’
To prepare for this certification exam and clear it, you must enroll in the best online course for AWS Solutions Architect Associate offered by Intellipaat.
About the AWS Solutions Architect Certification
Before appearing for the certification exam, you need to be familiar with the format and other details of it. Some of the details regarding the exam are listed below:
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate exam duration: 130 minutes
- AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam passing score: 720 (on a scale of 100 to 1,000)
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate exam pattern: Multiple choice and multiple answers
- AWS Solutions Architect Associate Certification cost: US$150
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate practice exam cost: US$20
- This AWS certification exam is available in multiple languages: English, Korean, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese
After reading about the details of the examination, you may question, ‘How tough is the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam?’ With the help of the right resources, practice, and effort, the certification will not seem too difficult. Besides, you can get a basic idea of the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam questions that are generally asked by checking out the syllabus of the examination.
AWS Solutions Architect Associate Syllabus
Your knowledge, capabilities, and skills will be tested across four distinct sectors, wherein each sector contributes a specific percentage to the overall exam. The sectors or categories in which your SAA-C02 certification exam can be distributed, along with their percentage of weightage, are as follows:
- Designing resilient architectures: 30%
- Designing high-performing architectures: 28%
- Designing secure applications and architectures: 24%
- Designing cost-optimized architectures: 18%
Let’s discuss them briefly.
Designing Resilient Architectures
The questions asked in this section of the exam are based on developing advanced cloud-based systems with the help of AWS. Moreover, you will also get questions on the following:
- Using Glacier, S3, EBS, and other AWS services, which are resilient and reliable, to opt for storage
- Designing decoupling mechanisms with AWS SNS
- Developing a multi-tier architecture in Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
- Architecting fault-tolerant and highly available systems
- Amazon storage services and Route 53
- Business continuity strategies and disaster recovery
Designing High-performing Architectures
The following topics will be covered in this section:
- Using Redshift, RDS, and DynamoDB to choose high-performing databases and storage
- Using ElastiCache to make improvements in storage performance
- Designing scalable and elastic solutions with the help of AWS techniques and tools, such as CloudWatch, Lambda, and Data Pipeline
Designing Secure Applications and Architectures
The topics that are covered in this category of the syllabus are as follows:
- Using AWS services such as CloudTrail, IAM, and Inspector to secure applications
- Securing data with AWS Macie and CloudHSM
- Defining the infrastructure of a network using VPC, CloudFront, and Elastic Load Balancer
Designing Cost-optimized Architectures
Under this section of the exam, you may get questions related to the modules listed below:
- Designing a cost-effective solution for computing with the help of Elastic Beanstalk, Lightsail, EC2, and AWS Lambda
- Creating cost-optimized storage solutions with AWS services, namely, Glacier, S3, Elastic File System, and EBS
Now that you have read the brief version of the syllabus of this certification exam, let’s check out the numerous job opportunities available for those who clear this certification.
Check out our AWS Tutorial to learn more about this Cloud Computing technology.
AWS Solutions Architect Associate Jobs
Major companies across the globe are hiring AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associates, including Amazon, Accenture, IBM, Intel, and more. Following are some of the job profiles that recruiters from these popular organizations are looking for:
- AWS Solutions Architect
- AWS Cloud Architect
- AWS Redshift Architect
- Infrastructure Architect
- Cloud Solutions Architect Manager
- AWS Cloud Engineer
Check out the range of salaries earned by these AWS Certified Solutions Architects below.
AWS Solutions Architect Associate Salary
AWS Solutions Architect Associates earn an average of US$125,000 per annum in the United States, as per Indeed. The salary range of these professionals varies between US$117,750 and US$140,834 per year.
In India, they earn in the range of ₹798,913–1,225,420 per annum, depending on the skills, work experience, company, etc.
Path to Become an AWS Solutions Architect Associate
Get a head start in your career by enrolling in our online courses and becoming capable of clearing the AWS SAA-C02 certification exam. This will help you become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate. Acquire the necessary skills and work on the projects offered to gain industry experience in AWS.
Visit AWS Community and ask all your doubts regarding this certification exam.
The post How to Become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate? appeared first on Intellipaat Blog.
