Cool New, AWS Certification and everyone loves a price war!

I am certified! Just not clinically

I have always supported continuous learning and professional development. I am considering going back to The Open Univerisity and choosing another Master's degree to delve into. Of course, professional certifications abound too: Microsoft, Oracle and RedHat to name three. However, in my line of work one was missing: Amazon Web Services. Well not anymore. Recenty AWS announced that they have now their global certification program (http://aws.amazon.com/certification/) - very cool!

Ok, they only support one level but it is a start and a very good move. AWS currently is probably the biggest public cloud provider in the world with 1000s of customers; so getting a recognised certification on their platform can only be a good thing: improving visibility, confidence and professionalism. Besides, everyone loves a badge / award / title don't they?

Am considering taking another certification stream, the Esri Technical Certification however as I watch newer levels come being offered by Amazon.

Oh, I mentioned price war too. Recently, Microsoft has finally announced that their long awaited IaaS offering is now out and that they will perform price parity with AWS. I love a price war but some think that AWS will prevail. I think so too, AWS has been steadily dropping their prices over the last few years and it has been noticeable each month. However, I will definitely check out Microsoft Azure for sure. They are too big and important to ignore.

Have a great weekend everyone.