Enterprises need experienced staff to connect disparate IT environments and implement hybrid and multi-cloud deployments. This requirement makes the cloud network engineer job enticing.
A cloud network engineer is a seasoned IT professional who designs, implements and manages networks in a cloud. The goal is to ensure that cloud resources, services and applications are interconnected and functioning properly.
But cloud computing can be a complex and granular environment with a broad mix of available resources and services of varying levels of complexity. As a result, every cloud network engineer can face different job requirements. Before applying for a job, evaluate each prospective cloud network engineer role. Take a close look at the position’s daily tasks and expectations, as well as the education, skills and experience needed for the specific cloud environment and employer.
Cloud network engineer roles and responsibilities
Generally, a cloud network engineer is a network specialist who bridges the gap between established enterprise LANs and emerging private and public cloud implementations. Most cloud network engineers report to senior IT staff or a business liaison, such as director of cloud operations. They are responsible for the implementation, configuration, maintenance and support of a cloud network, as well as various other cloud services.
Duties often include the following:
- Design. Apply a comprehensive understanding of network technologies and concepts, including LANs, WANs, virtual private clouds (VPCs), intranets and extranets. This involves routing, switching, firewalls, load balancing, and network monitoring and management. Analyze, develop, test and upgrade enterprise network architectures within major cloud platforms, such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure.
- Implementation. Work with cloud users — such as departments or application owners — to implement the desired cloud network, then optimize and support the deployment and ongoing operations of the cloud network environment. This might involve the use of automation technologies to invoke cloud network designs in repeatable and consistent ways.
- Administration. Upgrade, patch and maintain the overall network infrastructure upon which the private or hybrid cloud operates.
- Monitoring. Monitor the usage, performance and availability of the cloud network infrastructure and its services. Plan and implement upgrades and optimizations to the cloud network as required.
- Documentation. Work with engineers, architects and IT support teams to establish guides, procedures, training and other documentation for audits and compliance and to sustain the cloud network and its services.
- Security. Support the architecture, design, implementation and compliance efforts for effective cloud network security.
- Integration. When required, perform network integration work to support hybrid or multi-cloud models, such as connecting a private cloud with AWS.
- Troubleshooting. Identify and resolve network problems. This task often extends into disaster recovery operations and involves 24/7 on-call rotations to ensure constant networking support.
Education and certifications
A qualified cloud network engineer should hold a mix of formal education and industry certifications. A bachelor’s degree in computer science or IT is the foundation for any cloud network engineer role. Postgraduate degrees, such as a master’s or doctorate, are helpful but typically not required unless the role has a particularly technical focus.
While degrees are often expected, prospective employers increasingly focus on a variety of industry-recognized certifications. Cloud services and resources constantly evolve. Therefore, ongoing education and certification are major job requirements. Invest the time — and money — in appropriate certification courses and exams.
Topical certifications
Cloud network engineers frequently possess professional certifications with an emphasis on cloud, network or security topics, such as the following:
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).
- Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP).
- Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE).
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) from (ISC)².
- Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE).
Provider-specific certifications
Some employers that use specific public cloud providers favor network, operational or architectural certifications from these providers. Examples include the following:
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect.
- AWS Certified Advanced Networking.
- AWS Certified Sysops Administrator.
- AWS Certified Developer.
- Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK).
- Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect.
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert.
Industry-specific certifications
Finally, cloud network engineer job listings might call for certified expertise in industry standards that are relevant to the employer’s line of business. Such specific details vary between employers, so it’s important to review the requirements for every job listing before submitting an application. Specific expertise can require knowledge such as the following:
- Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).
- Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies (COBIT).
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
- Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
IT job experience
The cloud network engineer role is not entry-level, and passing a certification exam doesn’t replace time spent in the field. Employers seek candidates with demonstrated experience and expertise in the design, deployment, management and troubleshooting of local and cloud networks. After all, the organization’s entire line of business might depend on the applicant’s capabilities.
As with many networking professions, the role demands a strong background in data center system administration. Expect to demonstrate competency in audit logging, incident management, virtualization and Simple Network Management Protocol. Candidates often bring more than five years’ experience as a Windows Server — or other major OS — administrator.
Time spent in networking roles is valuable. Highlight your work of connecting and directing traffic between LANs and WANs when you apply. Prospective employers typically seek a cloud network engineer with at least three to five years of experience implementing, configuring and supporting complex network infrastructures.
Prospective employers typically ask candidates about their experience with the following:
- WAN circuits.
- Virtualization, including virtual private cloud and virtual LAN.
- Internet connectivity standards and protocols.
- Cloud services in their many varied forms.
- VPN technologies.
Showcase your detailed knowledge of core networking concepts and technologies, such as TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP, wireless and distributed networks. In addition, expect to cover specific network protocols, such as the following:
- Interior Gateway Routing Protocol and Enhanced IGRP.
- Routing Information Protocol (RIP).
- Open Shortest Path First (OSPF).
Cloud network engineer applicants must also demonstrate expertise in network security architecture, protocols and practices. Candidates should be versed in security controls, including the following:
- Firewalls.
- Physical controls.
- Encryption — often end-to-end for data at rest and in flight.
- Authentication and authorization.
- Secure Sockets Layer.
- Vulnerability scanning and remediation.
- Intrusion detection and prevention system management.
- Security monitoring and activity logging.
A cloud network engineer should know how to deploy and manage cloud services and integration, as well as comprehensive scripting and automation knowledge. Brush up on public cloud APIs and protocols that enable hybrid clouds. Some employers expect hands-on experience with the public cloud provider they use or plan to use.
Interview questions for cloud network engineers
Interviews for a cloud network engineer role can cover an astonishing range of topics. A typical candidate can expect to field questions such as the following:
- Which public clouds have you used in the past, and what types of resources and services did you design and deploy?
- How have you automated cloud network deployments, and what automation tools have you used?
- Which cloud network monitoring or cloud security systems have you used in previous roles, and why?
- What are the most important components of a public cloud platform? This question might relate to a specific platform in use at that organization.
- Have you dealt with security breaches? How have you prepared for security attacks?
- What is a cloud computing hypervisor, and which types have you used?
- What are the different data center deployments of cloud computing?
- What is a multi-cloud strategy? What kinds of multi-cloud strategies have you worked with?
- What is a hybrid cloud strategy? What kinds of hybrid clouds have you worked with?
- How is cloud computing related to edge and fog computing?
- Can you tell me about your experience with some aspect of networking technology? The interviewer might choose general networking technology, such as cloud DNS, or dig into specifics.
- What is your background supporting DevOps projects?
- How do you architect for high availability in the cloud? What can you do if availability demands go over budget?
Cloud network engineer vs. network engineer
The primary difference between network engineers and cloud network engineers is scope. Both roles focus on networks, network technologies — such as routing and switching — and network security.
A network engineer generally focuses on local data centers to create, secure and maintain the physical LAN that drives the business. They select, deploy, configure and troubleshoot physical networking hardware and interconnections and connect the LAN to a WAN, such as the internet.
In its purest form, a cloud networking engineer role focuses entirely on cloud networking. The engineer architects, deploys and manages the cloud resources and services needed for a network environment upon which a cloud workload operates.
Fundamental network issues are almost identical in each role. But cloud network engineers theoretically don’t work with the underlying network hardware. Instead, their expertise covers network-related cloud services. For example, a cloud network engineer might deploy and manage Amazon Virtual Private Cloud or AWS Network Firewall, while a network engineer uses a VPN and firewall for the data center. In reality, roles can overlap to a significant degree, with cloud network engineers tackling work on the LAN and network engineers handling network tasks in the cloud.
Network engineers and cloud network engineers never operate in a vacuum. They are all members of a larger team of architects, engineers and administrators that creates and runs the organization’s IT environment. Collaboration and communication are vital for success. Hybrid cloud deployments demand expertise in both local data center networks as well as cloud network resources and services in order to successfully integrate a private local cloud to a public cloud.
How to go from network engineer to cloud network engineer
The move from network engineer to cloud network engineer is primarily a matter of additional training and expertise in cloud resources and services. A network engineer typically possesses the fundamental education and certifications for network jobs. The move to cloud network engineer takes a relatively straightforward addition of cloud network skills. This direct addition of skills is what makes overlap between the two roles so common.
A successful transition from traditional network engineering to cloud network engineering typically involves a series of steps completed over time, such as the following:
- Gain experience using a public cloud. Work with popular public clouds such as AWS, Google Cloud and Azure to gain familiarity with resource provisioning, configuration, implementation and workload deployment.
- Focus on public cloud networking. Shift some practical experience to working with the cloud provider’s networking resources and services. Understand how cloud provisioning and management differ from traditional network design and management.
- Take some courses. Look for training opportunities. Cloud providers themselves offer study aids and certifications for cloud network engineers. The comfort gained in previous cloud practice pays enormous dividends in more formal coursework.
- Get an industry-standard certification. Many cloud network engineers start with a cloud provider’s native certifications and move on to tackle more formal and industry-recognized certifications, such as CCNA or CCNP.
Cloud network engineer career outlook
The career outlook for cloud network engineers remains lucrative and in demand for 2025. This strength is driven mainly by the continued and accelerating adoption of cloud computing technologies, which demands skilled IT experts capable of designing, implementing, securing and managing complex networks across multiple public clouds, as well as hybrid cloud environments.
This promising career path brings a measure of job stability and offers several compelling benefits to job seekers, including the following:
- Attractive salaries. Cloud network engineers are relatively well-paid technical experts with annual salaries typically above $110K in the United States.
- Professional opportunities. The cloud network engineering field provides an array of potential specializations, enabling practitioners to pursue more specific areas of interest such as automation, AI, security and management.
- Learning opportunities. Technology is always advancing — especially in the cloud, as providers compete for leading-edge resources and services. This offers opportunities for practitioners to explore varied technologies, such as new networking capabilities and standards, and support technologies such as AI and IoT.
Salary expectations
The salary for a cloud network engineer can vary dramatically. Most job listings show between $89,000 and $133,000 per year, according to ZipRecruiter. Average annual pay in the U.S. is about $110,000 per year.
This wide salary range depends on factors such as seniority, specializations, experience and education requirements, cloud platform expertise, as well as the industry and geographic location for the particular role. Salary expectations can sometimes be higher in technology hubs or organizations with specific high-level requirements, such as using multi-cloud environments.
Editor’s note: This article was updated to include up-to-date information about certification and careers.
Stephen J. Bigelow, senior technology editor at Informa TechTarget, has more than 30 years of technical writing experience in the PC and technology industry.
