How To Learn Cloud Computing To Stand Out in Your Cybersecurity Career
- Kyser Clark
- Sep 26
- 4 min read
You keep hearing people say, learn the cloud, like it’s the secret to leveling up your cybersecurity career. But how much do you really need to know? Is AWS mandatory? Do you have to become a cloud security expert just to get hired? In this blog post, I break it all down with zero fluff.
Whether you’re a beginner or already in the field, this guide will help you figure out what actually matters, and what you can safely ignore.
The Quick Summary
At its core, cloud computing is just outsourced infrastructure. Since so many companies now use it, cybersecurity professionals need to understand the cloud because that’s where the risks live.
The good news:
You don’t need to be a cloud expert to succeed.
You do need a basic understanding of how it works.
Fundamentals like networking, Linux, and scripting should still come first.
Learn the basics that matter:
The shared responsibility model
Service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
Cloud vs. on-prem trade-offs
Elasticity and scaling
Common misconfigurations
If you’re not sure how deep you want to go, CompTIA Cloud+ is a great starting point.
Specializing can absolutely pay off, just make sure it aligns with your career goals. AWS is the safest bet for most people, but Azure or Google Cloud might be better if that’s what your employer uses. Always choose relevance over popularity.
Related Video:
What Is the Cloud and Why Does It Matter?
Cloud computing is simply renting hardware, storage, and compute power from a provider like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP) instead of running your own servers.
Startups love it because it eliminates upfront costs and makes scaling easy.
Enterprises use it for testing, development, and sandbox environments.
Remote teams thrive because they can deploy globally without building physical infrastructure.
Why it matters for cybersecurity: wherever infrastructure lives, risks live too.
Misconfigurations, exposed services, and weak access controls often happen in the cloud. Attackers target cloud environments, so defenders, penetration testers, and even governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) professionals need a basic understanding.
Do You Really Need to Learn the Cloud as a Cybersecurity Professional?
Yes, but only at a basic level to start.
Most modern certifications (Security+, CySA+, etc.) already include cloud fundamentals. You’ll learn about shared responsibility, service types, and risks almost by default.
But here’s the key: cloud is not the first thing to go deep on.
If you’re starting out, focus on:
How attacks actually work
These will give you a bigger return early in your career. Cloud knowledge is valuable, but opportunity cost matters. Time spent learning AWS deeply is time not spent mastering penetration testing, threat detection, or application security (app sec) fundamentals.
And the truth is, you can build a successful career without ever specializing in cloud. Plenty of professionals have.
The Cloud Knowledge That Actually Matters
Don’t try to learn everything at once. Focus on concepts that show up in real cybersecurity work:
Shared responsibility model: know what the provider secures vs. what you secure.
Service models: understand IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.
Cloud vs. on-prem trade-offs: cloud is fast and flexible, but often misconfigured. On-prem is expensive upfront but gives full control.
Common misconfigurations include exposed S3 buckets, forgotten resources, and weak Identity and Access Management (IAM) rules.
For a strong start, CompTIA Cloud+ teaches you these fundamentals without tying you to one provider.
Should You Specialize in Cloud?
Ask yourself two questions:
Do you enjoy cloud technology?
Does your employer (or target employer) rely heavily on it?
If yes, specializing can make a big impact.
Defensive track roadmap:
Start with Cloud+
Then add provider-specific certs (AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate, Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate, etc.)
Offensive track roadmap:
Start with Cloud+
Take Tyler Ransby’s AWS Penetration Testing course (Simply Cyber Academy)
Consider GIAC Cloud Penetration Tester (GCPN) (expensive, but recognized)
Just avoid these three mistakes:
Going too deep too early
Underestimating complexity (it’s not just “someone else’s computer”)
Ignoring the cloud entirely
Picking a Platform
If you’re going to pick just one:
AWS is the safest bet (largest market share, most jobs, mature training).
Azure or Google Cloud might be smarter if your current or future job uses them.
Relevance always beats popularity. There is no point in learning AWS if your employer runs on Azure.
Final Thoughts
Cloud security is in demand, and entire careers can be built on it. But don’t let the hype fool you. You don’t need to be a cloud wizard to thrive in cybersecurity. Even basic knowledge will give you an edge.
I’ve been in the field for over seven years as a penetration tester. My career is proof that you can succeed without specializing in cloud, though I still plan to expand on it down the line.
In short:
Cloud skills are a nice differentiator, not a mandatory specialization.
Start with the fundamentals first.
Go deeper later if it fits your goals.
And if you’re wondering what the real differentiator is, it’s programming. That’s a game-changer. If you want to know why, check out my breakdown on coding next.