Career Spotlights:
Azure Cloud Engineer
Whatever the Microsoft Cloud role, use our guide to benchmark your salary or contact rate, or to uncover what you should be paying employees in your team.
How much do Azure Cloud Engineers make?
| First quartile | Median | Third quartile | Contract rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States ($) | 111,000 | 160,000 | 200,000 | 110-160 (p/h) |
| United Kingdom (£) | 50,000 | 65,000 | 110,000 | 500-650 (p/d) |
United States ($)
| First quartile | 111,000 |
|---|---|
| Median | 160,000 |
| Third quartile | 200,000 |
| Contract rate (p/h) | 110-160 (p/h) |
United Kingdom (£)
| First quartile | 50,000 |
|---|---|
| Median | 65,000 |
| Third quartile | 110,000 |
| Contract rate (p/d) | 500-650 (p/d) |
54%
of Azure Cloud Engineers are satisfied with their job, up from 50% in our previous study**
45%
of Azure Cloud Engineers are satisfied with their salary, while 15% are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, compared to 15% and 35% respectively in our last survey
41 hours
Permanent Azure Cloud Engineers work an average of 41 hours per week
40 hours
Freelance Azure Cloud Engineers work an average of 40 hours per week***
* Survey responses in the remainder of this chapter are indicative only due to a limited number of Azure Cloud Engineers participating in the survey.
** Comparisons to the survey data in our last study are indicative only due to a limited number of Azure Cloud Engineers participating.
*** A limited number of freelance Azure Cloud Engineers participated in our survey, so results are indicative only.
What factors impact your earning potential as an Azure Cloud Engineer?
We asked current Azure professionals what factors are most important for upping your earning potential in that role.
| Important | Neutral | Unimportant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years of experience in IT | 89% | 4% | 7% |
| Exposure to large projects | 81% | 11% | 7% |
| Years of technical experience with Microsoft products | 81% | 15% | 4% |
| Microsoft certifications | 72% | 12% | 16% |
| Specific vertical industry experience | 58% | 35% | 8% |
| Working with AI | 54% | 25% | 21% |
| College/University degree(s) | 52% | 24% | 24% |
Years of experience in IT
| Important | Neutral | Unimportant |
|---|---|---|
| 89% | 4% | 7% |
Exposure to large projects
| Important | Neutral | Unimportant |
|---|---|---|
| 81% | 11% | 7% |
Years of technical experience with Microsoft products
| Important | Neutral | Unimportant |
|---|---|---|
| 81% | 15% | 4% |
Microsoft certifications
| Important | Neutral | Unimportant |
|---|---|---|
| 72% | 12% | 16% |
Specific vertical industry experience
| Important | Neutral | Unimportant |
|---|---|---|
| 58% | 35% | 8% |
Working with AI
| Important | Neutral | Unimportant |
|---|---|---|
| 54% | 25% | 21% |
College/University degree(s)
| Important | Neutral | Unimportant |
|---|---|---|
| 52% | 24% | 24% |
What steps should you take to become an Azure Cloud Engineer?
Education
Almost two-thirds (63%) of Azure Cloud Engineers hold at least a Bachelor’s degree. However, only 26% consider a degree to be important to work with Microsoft Cloud, while 52% believe a degree to be an important factor when it comes to increasing earning potential.
Certification
Over two-thirds (70%, up 2% from the last survey) of Azure Cloud Engineers hold certifications, though only 37% (down from 53%) have renewed to maintain their Microsoft Certified status. This trend of prioritizing initial certification over renewal is also seen more broadly (see here for more information). Meanwhile, the bulk (84%, up slightly from 82%) of certified engineers believe certification adds professional value.
If you’re beginning your journey as a cloud engineer, Azure Fundamentals, Azure Data Fundamentals, or Azure AI Fundamentals are excellent starting points.
As you progress, several certifications are tailored specifically for cloud engineers, including Azure Network Engineer Associate, Azure Security Engineer Associate, and Azure Data Engineer Associate.
The cloud engineer certification path reaches its peak with the DevOps Engineer Expert credential—one of only two advanced certifications currently offered for Azure professionals.
Top Microsoft certifications held by Azure Cloud Engineers
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals | 26% |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert | 26% |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate | 21% |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate | 16% |
| Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert | 16% |
| Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals | 16% |
| Microsoft 365 Certified: Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate | 16% |
| Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals | 16% |
Paths to becoming an Azure Cloud Engineer
There’s no specific path that is guaranteed to lead you to a role as an Azure Cloud Engineer, but given the job’s highly technical nature, having previous experience relating to cloud infrastructure will give you a good head-start. Those with a background in systems, network, or database administration often also transition well to Azure Cloud positions because of their technical understanding of infrastructure and cloud computing basics.
Such roles include, but are not limited to:
Systems Administrator/Engineer: Experience in managing IT infrastructure is relevant for cloud environments
Network Engineer: Knowledge of networking and cloud infrastructure is crucial for Azure cloud engineering roles
Database Administrator/Engineer: Familiarity with data management, SQL, and databases aligns well with Azure’s data services
Software Developer: Developers with experience in application deployment on cloud platforms can transition into cloud engineering, especially with an understanding of Azure’s deployment tools
Professionals with a background in Systems or Network Administration, Software Development, and Cloud Infrastructure Engineering are well-suited. Experience with networking, virtualization, and cloud solutions, especially Microsoft Azure, is valuable for an Azure Cloud Engineer role. However, professionals can also follow alternative paths, especially with relevant certifications and targeted experience.
What skills and experience should Azure Cloud Engineers have?
- Solid expertise in Microsoft Azure concepts, including IaaS, PaaS, and serverless architectures
- Proven experience designing and managing cloud-native applications in Azure
- Knowledge of best practices in security, infrastructure, and governance within cloud environments
- Familiarity with data processing tools and platforms such as Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, Kubernetes, and both SQL/NoSQL databases
- Proficiency in DevOps methodologies and CI/CD tools like Azure DevOps and Jenkins
- Advanced skills in development or scripting languages such as Java, PHP, Ruby, Node.js, C#, PowerShell, Python, Bash, and more
- Practical experience with Azure Networking, Microsoft Windows Servers, and Azure CLI
- Expertise with Azure monitoring and management tools like Azure Monitor, Azure Log Analytics, and Azure Trusted Advisor
- Ability to work with automation tools such as ARM, Chef, Terraform, and Ansible
- Experience working within agile development environments
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
- Excellent communication skills
