What Exactly is Professional Services?

Professional Services, often abbreviated as ProServ, functions essentially as IT consultancy. When you think of consulting, major firms like Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, and EY likely come to mind. While they dominate the consulting landscape, AWS ProServ offers a unique advantage by being intrinsically linked to AWS.

So, what does ProServ typically handle? Picture an online bookstore operating from a traditional data center with physical servers and load balancers. As their business expands, this infrastructure becomes insufficient. Rather than investing in more hardware, they seek to transition to the cloud—an actual scenario that led to the inception of AWS.

The bookstore recognizes AWS as a top-tier cloud service provider, yet their internal IT team lacks the necessary cloud migration expertise. Consequently, they enlist AWS professionals to facilitate their migration from on-premise servers to cloud solutions. This is where AWS ProServ steps in.

While the bookstore could opt for consulting from one of the major firms, large organizations—such as multinational corporations, government entities, and educational institutions—often prefer AWS ProServ due to our direct affiliation with AWS. This relationship enables us to troubleshoot complex issues effectively by accessing internal AWS resources.

What Tasks Does Professional Services Undertake?

The duties within ProServ are varied, as our work is project-driven. Each assignment is unique, thus shaping our activities. For instance, I’ve been involved in designing network architectures and firewall configurations for a prestigious university in Australia. Additionally, I conducted a security assessment for a research institution and contributed to the development of a big data platform for the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Such experiences span diverse IT domains, and while expertise in every area isn't expected, ProServ professionals must demonstrate versatility across various technical landscapes.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

The core responsibility of ProServ is delivering technical solutions. This involves understanding client needs, planning, and executing solutions. Senior Cloud Architects not only guide technical teams but also engage with senior executives to align on strategic objectives.

Cloud Architects typically collaborate with clients' IT or development teams, participating in meetings, sprint planning, code reviews, and occasionally conducting workshops to enhance clients’ understanding of cloud technologies.

Moreover, Cloud Architects bill by the hour, necessitating meticulous tracking of time spent on different clients and internal meetings. Personally, I find the administrative aspect of timesheets somewhat tedious, as it limits my capacity to explore new technologies.

Essential Skills for Cloud Architects

A common inquiry is whether coding skills are necessary for Cloud Architects. The straightforward answer is that while coding isn't mandatory, some familiarity is beneficial. Although many cloud services can be managed through a graphical interface, scenarios will arise where proficiency with command-line tools, Cloud Development Kits (CDK), or Software Development Kits (SDK) becomes essential.

With the rise of Infrastructure as Code (IaC), knowledge of writing CloudFormation (in JSON or YAML) or Terraform is increasingly valuable. Familiarity with programming languages like Python or JavaScript/TypeScript is also advantageous, especially for serverless applications such as AWS Lambda.

However, coding skills aren't a focal point during Cloud Architect interviews; a fundamental understanding of programming is typically sufficient, though strong coding skills can significantly enhance efficiency.

Another frequent question is about the lack of prior experience with cloud platforms like AWS or Azure. The answer is affirmative: related experience is helpful, but not a prerequisite. We primarily assess your foundational IT knowledge, covering areas such as networking, databases, encryption, and security.

So, if technical prowess isn't the sole requirement, what do we prioritize?

Surprisingly, the attributes we value most include:

• Learning ability: Can you swiftly grasp new technologies or cloud services, and then effectively communicate and implement them for clients?
• Consulting skills: As technical consultants, can you actively listen to client needs, devise solutions, and build trust?
• Cultural fit: Amazon places a strong emphasis on its unique corporate culture, which is evaluated during the hiring process through the renowned Amazon Leadership Principles.

This encapsulates the essence of working as a Cloud Architect within AWS Professional Services.

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