If you are looking to prove you can effectively manage and optimize cloud costs, a FinOps certification is a good place to start.

FinOps refers to a set of practices for managing operational expenses in cloud computing. Just as the term DevOps highlights collaboration between development and IT operations teams, FinOps suggests collaboration between finance and IT operations and engineering teams.

FinOps practices were developed by the FinOps Foundation, a program within the Linux Foundation.

FinOps helps teams ensure financial accountability across an organization. By using economic incentives offered by cloud providers, as well as cloud financial management strategies, the goal is to have a cost-effective cloud deployment. FinOps also aims to help organizations make careful tradeoffs between cloud costs and performance.

For IT pros who want to learn more about FinOps, or demonstrate their FinOps expertise, there are certifications and training programs available. Some come directly from the FinOps Foundation. Others, such as those from AWS and Coursera, offer training in cloud cost management and optimization more generally. While some of these courses may not explicitly mention FinOps in their titles, the concepts they cover can lend themselves to a FinOps practice.

The FinOps Foundation has a variety of options for certifications and training programs.

This self-paced course is targeted at a wide variety of IT and business roles, including cloud budget owners, cloud architects, FinOps analysts, IT program and portfolio management leaders, and financial business advisors. The course introduces FinOps fundamentals and key concepts. Recommended prerequisites include knowledge of cloud computing basics, at least one public cloud platform and pay-as-you-go consumption models.

The $599 course provides access to the following:

Alternatively, there is a virtual, instructor-led FinOps Certified Practitioner course that spans two days. The FinOps Foundation offers this course, which costs $1,500, on specific dates.

The FinOps Certified Practitioner exam costs $300. It lasts one hour and has 50 multiple-choice questions. A grade of 75% is needed to pass, and the certification is valid for two years.

The Linux Foundation also offers bundled options for the FinOps Certified Practitioner exam. For $599, individuals have access to the online course and exam. For $1,500, individuals attend an instructor-led course and can then take the exam.

This foundational course trains engineers on how to work with FinOps, finance and procurement teams to efficiently manage cloud use and costs. It's aimed primarily at software and system engineers as well as DevOps engineers and managers. While there are no prerequisites, it is a practitioner-level course that explores FinOps from the perspective of engineering teams. The $299 course provides access to the following:

This hands-on course is the FinOps Foundation's most advanced training option. A mix of instructor-led and self-paced learning, it requires an estimated 40 to 50 hours of work over a span of a few weeks. Prerequisites include at least six months of FinOps work experience and a FinOps Certified Practitioner certificate. The course costs $3,750.

To meet the requirements for this certification, you'll need to do the following:

The two-hour FinOps Certified Professional exam includes 100 questions. A grade of at least 75% is required to pass.

An AWS certification shows that the recipient has specific AWS knowledge, skills and capabilities. The AWS Cloud Financial Management for Builders course is specifically for individuals who want to more effectively manage and optimize their AWS cloud costs. It's aimed at developers, system admins and architects. An Architecting on AWS certificate is recommended for this course.

This intermediate-level course covers the following:

There are virtual and in-person options in various locations and languages. The three-day course costs $2,025.

Cloud Academy is an online training platform that offers certificates on a variety of topics, from cloud computing fundamentals to business management. Subscriptions include access to the content library, hands-on labs and exam preparation. They cost $39 per month, or $399 per year.

Cloud Academy offers an Optimizing Cloud Costs course that focuses on cloud financial management. Participants learn how to do the following:

The course averages 11 hours, broken down into 17 modules that include hands-on labs, courses, webinars and an exam. The free exam consists of 30 multiple-choice questions and lasts 45 minutes. You must score at least 60% to pass.

In addition to this, Cloud Academy offers numerous other courses, exams and resources on its platform.

AWS offers a course called Cloud Cost Management: Optimization Strategies through Coursera, another online training platform. This course covers how to get started with optimizing AWS costs and capacity. Set over three weeks, this six-hour, online, beginner-level course offers flexible deadlines and a certificate upon completion. The objective is to develop skills in financial management, cloud computing and cost management. Topics covered include AWS pricing basics, VM right-sizing and using the AWS Billing console to analyze spending. You can enroll for free, but the certificate costs $49.

From practice tests to study guides, there are various ways to supplement FinOps training and prepare for a certification exam.

For $25, online course provider Udemy offers two practice tests for the FinOps Certified Practitioner exam. Each practice test has 50 questions.

The book mentioned above -- Cloud FinOps: Collaborative, Real-Time Cloud Financial Management by J. R. Storment and Mike Fuller -- is an additional study resource. The book uses real-life examples to help readers learn about cloud costs and financial management, two concepts you'll need to understand well to attain FinOps certification.

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Explore options for FinOps certifications and training - TechTarget

The rate of digital adoption by the construction industry is soaring. In a survey conducted by RIB CCS in the final quarter of 2021, respondents singled out cloud computing as the most critical area to invest in followed by Building Information Modelling (BIM), mobile technology and integrated technology platforms.

RIB CCS Vice-President, Peter Damhuis, says the construction industry is notorious for being one of the least digitised industries in the world. Cloud computing is central to the solution. Its the foundation of the industrys digital revolution. It underpins all the most powerful software solutions, and enables the industry to take advantage of the latest technological developments.

Damhuis notes that each time a construction company moves onto a new site, it has to set up some form of infrastructure for employees and support teams. The complexity of the infrastructure differs from site to site, from relatively basic set-ups at smaller sites, to more complex arrangements at large sites.

Before cloud computing was widely adopted by the industry, people on site would require an IT infrastructure, printers and in some instances a dedicated server room to facilitate the exchange of data between teams. During the set-up phase, a team of IT specialists would arrive on site and go from one container to the next, installing equipment and running software.

Cloud computing has changed this scenario significantly. When everything is in the cloud, there is no need for major infrastructure on site. Construction companies need only connect their sites to the internet. While this can be challenging when a site is in a remote area, modern technology such as satellite phones, 4G and 5G can help to solve connectivity issues, adds Damhuis.

Less infrastructure also means fewer security concerns. When construction companies work in remote areas, they often have to guard against theft. When there is less equipment and infrastructure onsite, there is less to worry about, he adds.

In addition, cloud computing promotes greater efficiency when it comes to construction projects. For example, programmes such as BuildSmart can be accessed from wherever the various team members are located and provide one source of information for everyone. All of the manual processes of seeking information, submitting requisitions and creating orders can now be completed in the cloud in real time improving the outcomes for everyone involved.

The segregation of information, which saw each site have its own little hub of data, which was maintained on desktop computers and laptops, is fast becoming a thing of the past with the move to cloud computing. And, if someone loses a laptop, its not a major issue, because all the information is readily available in the cloud, says Damhuis.

He says, while construction companies have begun to move to the cloud, the process is not happening fast enough. There is a perceived cost element involved that construction companies cite as a hindrance. I say perceived, because if these businesses conducted a cost value exercise, they would realise that the costs saved on infrastructure, people efficiencies and other peripheral issues far outweigh the cost of introducing cloud computing.

Another challenge is trust. While most people will happily conduct all of their financial transactions on their mobile phones, construction companies are loathe to put confidential information in the cloud, even with the stringent security measures in place to keep their data secure.

Damhuis says when he started conducting conversations about moving to the cloud with his clients a few years ago, there was little interest in doing so. Those same clients are now asking us to help them make the transition. I believe the Covid-19 pandemic, Microsoft and other players in the industry are major drivers behind this.

He offers the construction industry more compelling reasons to expedite the move to cloud.

Ability to store unlimited data

The most obvious benefit of cloud computing is the ability to store masses of data relating to each project in a secure environment. Cloud storage protects data from the threat of physical loss or damage and makes it accessible from anywhere, anytime. Most cloud operators offer duplicity (a replica of your information in another data centre), which is added protection of data loss and continuity of service.

Potent data processing at hand

In the past, the processing of 3D models required laptops with massive engines, video cards and high processing speeds. With cloud computing, model optimisation and file format translation can be conducted in the cloud centres equipped with top of the range equipment and limitless processing power.

As a result, working on a 3D model now requires looking at the optimised data in the cloud, rather than having to use a desktop computer to create it.

Another compelling reason for choosing the cloud is the concept of Generative design, an iterative design process that uses the full power of the cloud to compute design alternatives. For example, if the construction team were building a complex arch, a Generative design would calculate the optimum span, shape and load, explains Damhuis.

Collaboration with multiple stakeholders

For a long time, the segregation of information on job sites has not been conducive to working in an integrated way.

Damhuis says each job has its own information, but once construction companies start compiling information over numerous job sites, they are able to track trends on projects and make better executive decisions.

Notably, the capturing of information by drones or videos streaming from site also allows for the real-time tracking of the events on site, allowing people at the support office to follow progress and creating a connection between people in support office and the people on site.

Related

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Cloud key to digital transformation in construction - IT-Online

The intelligent edge refers to the collection and analysis of data where the data is generated. It could be the point where a user such as a mobile worker is doing their job, or an IoT device attached to industrial equipment is generating data. The data is collected, processed and analysed at this remote point, meaning the intelligence sits on the edge of the organisations IT architecture. This decentralisation of storing data, processing and intelligence capabilities takes much of the workload away from the central processing hub, datacentre or cloud.

Edge computing is a powerful enabler when its injected with intelligence to enhance its potential for disruption and enrich the value of the data captured at its proverbial source, says Scott Cowling, director, network solutions at BT. The sheer volume of data created through the IoT, where information is streamed from sensors to optimise operations, makes this intelligence a business imperative.

For Hanno Brink, machine learning engineer at Synthesis, the technical challenge that the intelligent edge is trying to solve is the efficient use of resources, increasing robustness, and reducing cost of implementation and management of this technology.

There are many benefits that could be unlocked if this technology is applied correctly. One is the reduction in latency between when data is collected and acted upon, which has applications such as predictive maintenance, fleet maintenance, and many others where real-time visibility and responsiveness would aid in reducing operating costs or improving service delivery.

Another would be that intelligent applications delivered to customers where limited bandwidth or connectivity has previously prevented such, or where data from customers hasnt been easily collected and operationalised. This technology could also be used to collect data that wasnt previously accessible, due to the cost of implementation, and to provide new customer experiences or improve current service delivery by using intelligence where the customer is interacting with it.

Forresters 2021 Build integrated technology platforms to accelerate growth and agility report tells IT leaders: In this stage of technology maturity, innovate with technology to serve customers across the entire customer lifecycle, mastering systems of engagement and insight.

This is precisely what the intelligent edge allows us to do, says Varsha Ramesar, managing executive, data and analytics at iOCO. From a technology perspective, the intelligent edge has several benefits, including reduced dependency on network performance, and allows the business to increase its bottom line by reducing overhead expenses. What organisations must bear in mind, though, is that the real value of the intelligent edge lies in how it can expand and amplify a companys ability to sense and respond with greater speed and agility whether thats in the context of predictive maintenance, or customer service.

Navinder Singh, GM at In2IT Technologies, says edge computing emerged in the past few years driven by a few technology companies that developed the technology. When the intelligent cloud arrived, it was a major innovation as it helped to overcome some of the fundamental issues of cloud computing such as latency, bandwidth requirements and cost containment. In the past year, cloud providers have been accelerating intelligent cloud offerings, where data that sits on the edge with intelligence built into it can still interact with, and relay, to and from the cloud.

In addition, he says investment into the edge has changed its potential and scope. If we look at the intelligence incorporated into edge devices, were seeing advancements that align with cloud strategies and one of the most challenging elements integration with the cloud. The intelligence is creating seamless integration of applications into the cloud through AI. For instance, companies are often compelled to integrate their CRM and ERP solutions with cloud service providers, yet theres a lot of effort required from resources for these applications to achieve seamless integration. AI gathers information from the edge applications and as the integration requirements are predefined, this simplifies the integration process significantly and, as a result, reduces costs. It also eliminates bottlenecks where processing and analysis was conducted centrally with data alignment across multiple applications. Processing becomes faster and more efficient.

Moving data and compute closer to the edge also means that this infrastructure is moving further away from your control, and it becomes vastly more exposed.

Hanno Brink, Synthesis

However, like any other technology that is, relatively speaking, in its infancy, the intelligent edge is not without its challenges. Brink says these include creating more efficient hardware, creating more compute-efficient AI, looking at more efficient ways to manage limited bandwidth and storage resources, securing the edge, distributing machine learning to the edge to preserve privacy, and overcoming myriad challenges presented by implementing systems that interact with the real world.

Various proof-of-concept and proof-of-value projects have proven the ROI and business benefits of intelligent edge deployments that bring AI and ML to edge environments, adds Ramesar. However, the challenge now is determining how to scale these deployments to hundreds or thousands of sites so that organisations can take full advantage of the business-critical data they are generating at the edge. Before businesses can realise the benefits of the edge and embark on their industrial digital transformation, they must consider their data. The volume and velocity of data is growing astronomically, and availability is key. To support these applications and use cases, sensor and related contextual data must be ingested, processed, and analysed in the right place, at the right time and provided to the right people.

For Cowling, one of the main concerns at the edge, and one of the biggest barriers to the deployment, is cybersecurity. Increasingly the edge becomes a point of convergence between two worlds: operational technology (OT), including industrial systems that run equipment in factories, refineries and mines, and IT. Industry 4.0 solutions like predictive maintenance need data from both worlds, such as SCADA from OT and ERP from IT.The OT world is highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks, the vast majority of which come from IT and has traditionally relied on security through obscurity and air gaps. Once you join the dots, critical processes become vulnerable because they run on old proprietary software, with poor password protection, limited patching, and no authentication. Identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities therefore becomes a major focus area.

When it comes to securing the intelligent edge, Brink says the most crucial component of any edge application is making sure that your application is secured from the device, all the way up to the cloud, and back again. Moving data and compute closer to the edge also means that this infrastructure is moving further away from your control, and it becomes more exposed. Any such application must be designed with security top of mind.

Over and above data security, physical security and reliability also become factors that must be considered and appropriately balanced with functionality. In addition, secure physical devices should be used, and these devices should be robust against the extreme environments that they may operate in.

Organisations should make sure that systems can scale effectively while also ensuring a consistent security implementation, and need to define an organisational root of trust. This is a way for edge devices to authenticate themselves to the company, and prevents privileged systems from being impersonated and their access abused.

Security and privacy risks can be reduced by limiting data flows between the point of collection and the core infrastructure, particularly when those flows happen over the public internet, adds Cowling. Using the intelligent edge helps businesses to adhere to in-country data protection laws. It keeps sensitive data within the device, anonymising and analysing at source rather than sending identifiable information to the cloud.

Secure access service edge, or SASE, is also key to bringing together connectivity and network security into a single policy-driven service that provides consistent, centrally managed access and security from edge-to-edge. SASE also supports a zero trust approach to the cloud and underlying infrastructure, meaning sessions are protected regardless of where the edge device is connecting from.

As we move closer to cloud and hybrid cloud environments, the benefits that the intelligent edge deliver make it a compelling technology procurement decision.

Navinder Singh, In2IT

Securing the edge is not just daunting, it can seem downright impossible, considering the unprecedented number of devices on the network, generating data every second of the day, all of which needs to be ingested, transformed, and analysed by compute platforms in the wild, and all needing to be locked down.

Surprisingly, many IT professionals think of security as securing perimeters and implementing robust access control. However, security in today's era of edge and cloud is so much more complicated. With the explosion of IoT, and Industrial IoT in particular, the attack surface has increased, as has the number of attack vectors. Since edge computing is a distributed model, its security concerns are very different from a centralised model. To save costs and speed up deployment, many edge devices dont encrypt data natively, and IT managers need a security framework in place before the large-scale rollout of edge projects, says Ramesar.

Ultimately, as we move closer to cloud and hybrid cloud environments, the benefits that the intelligent edge deliver make it a compelling technology procurement decision, says Singh. It helps in streamlining the business processes, data alignment across multiple applications, easy integrations and more. Its also all about the business optimising its operations and driving efficiency, and in an era of always on and instant gratification, the intelligent edge is the way to go.

* This feature was first published in the May edition of ITWeb's Brainstorm magazine.

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Intelligent edge: The future of cloud computing? - ITWeb

ReportLinker

Global Cloud Computing Market In Government Sector 2022-2026 The analyst has been monitoring the cloud computing market in the government sector and it is poised to grow by $ 25.

New York, April 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Cloud Computing Market in Government Sector 2022-2026" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05372326/?utm_source=GNW 41 bn during 2022-2026, accelerating at a CAGR of 14.04% during the forecast period. Our report on the cloud computing market in the government sector provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors.The report offers an up-to-date analysis of the current global market scenario, the latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by increased cross-functional service, growing demand for cloud computing to decrease IT expenditure, and rising demand for the OPEX model.The cloud computing market in government sector analysis includes product segment and geographic landscape.

The cloud computing market in the government sector is segmented as below:By Product Hardware Software Services

By Geographical Landscape North America Europe APAC South America The Middle East and Africa

This study identifies the rising demand for cloud-based security as one of the prime reasons driving the cloud computing market in government sector growth during the next few years. Also, increasing demand for internet quality and IOT and relocation of big data will lead to sizable demand in the market.

The analyst presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters. Our report on the cloud computing market in the government sector covers the following areas: Cloud computing market in government sector sizing Cloud computing market in government sector forecast Cloud computing market in government sector industry analysis

This robust vendor analysis is designed to help clients improve their market position, and in line with this, this report provides a detailed analysis of several leading cloud computing market in government sector vendors that include Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com Inc., AT and T Inc., Capgemini Service SAS, CGI Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Citrix Systems Inc., Dell Technologies Inc., Equinix Inc., Fujitsu Ltd., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Informatica LLC, International Business Machines Corp., Lumen Technologies Inc., Microsoft Corp., NEC Corp., NetApp Inc., NTT DATA Corp., Oracle Corp., Salesforce.com Inc., SAP SE, and VMware Inc. Also, the cloud computing market in the government sector analysis report includes information on upcoming trends and challenges that will influence market growth. This is to help companies strategize and leverage all forthcoming growth opportunities.The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors.

The analyst presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters such as profit, pricing, competition, and promotions. It presents various market facets by identifying the key industry influencers. The data presented is comprehensive, reliable, and a result of extensive research - both primary and secondary. Technavios market research reports provide a complete competitive landscape and an in-depth vendor selection methodology and analysis using qualitative and quantitative research to forecast accurate market growth.Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05372326/?utm_source=GNW

About ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

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The Global Cloud Computing Market is expected to grow by $ 25.41 bn during 2022-2026, accelerating at a CAGR of 14.04% during the forecast period -...