Last February I passed the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate exam. I had to study my ass off for a couple of month to pass it, so at the very least, a blog post should go up.
Cloud architecting for analytics has been calling my attention for the last few years. While at ASICS we experimented with Google Cloud Compute to run various scripts, BigQuery and Google Storage. In Amazon I learned a bit more about how AWS could help with reporting automation. It is clear to me that the cloud is becoming critical for digital (or any) analytics. It is the base on which we can understand how to leverage data beyond what the typical tools provide us with.
I have used a few services from AWS and Google Cloud but wouldn’t call myself a cloud architect. That said, here are some of the reasons top of mind that, in my view, make cloud so important.
- Creating Datamarts. A datamart is just a subset of relevant data. In ASICS we had to combine product data, currency conversion rates from ASICS corporate, Google Analytics data and set the stage for other incoming data points. We did this in Google Cloud with the help of the Nmodal team and David Vallejo. In Amazon that’s just part of how we do things. The possibilities are baffling.
- Machine learning. AWS and Google are making machine learning algorithms accessible to everyone. I’m sure there are others, but Goolge and AWS investing in it means it will soon be adopted by many to leverage this technology for challenges like customer segmentation, pricing models, etc.
- Experimenting. The ability to instantly commission a computer to have some code constantly running – say, scraping pages for data – is just awesome. It worked? Great! Better decisions. It didn’t? No problem, minimal cost.
- Serverless. I believe this is going to take over the industry. Dig a bit into this and it just makes sense for so many businesses.
So yeah. I’m certified and I’m adding my badges at the top and bottom of this post! (It’s the least I can do).
[…] But as I move forward in my career I’ve chosen to prioritize learning cloud architecture (becoming AWS Certified and currently studying Google Cloud Platform) over scripting language proficiency. I often find […]