Is the Cloud+ Worth It?
Most companies aren’t asking if they should use the cloud anymore—it’s how to get the most out of it. From hybrid environments to multi-cloud strategies, IT teams are expected to optimize costs, secure workloads, and keep performance steady across complex deployments.
That’s where certifications like CompTIA Cloud+ come in. Unlike vendor-specific certs, Cloud+ is vendor-agnostic and performance-based. It validates your ability to understand different cloud models, manage workloads, and optimize deployments no matter which provider your organization uses.
Read on to learn why Cloud+ still matters in today’s cloud-first world and whether it could be the right step in your IT career.
What is the CompTIA Cloud+?
The CompTIA Cloud+ is a vendor-neutral certification that proves you can securely deploy, manage, and optimize cloud environments. It focuses on practical skills—like automating cloud deployments, maintaining high availability, and protecting business data—across any major provider. In short, Cloud+ shows employers you can keep their cloud systems running smoothly and securely.
CompTIA is a globally recognized IT organization, and its certifications are performance-based, focusing on job roles rather than specific technologies. Unlike vendor-specific exams that lock you into one platform, CompTIA certifications validate skills you can apply across multiple environments. This makes them more challenging—but also more broadly respected.
CompTIA once offered Cloud Essentials+, a certification aimed at decision-makers who needed to understand the business side of cloud adoption. However, that certification was retired on September 25, 2025.
So going forward, Cloud+ is the better bet: it’s hands-on, vendor-agnostic, and oriented toward cloud operations, deployment, security, and optimization across any provider.
What Does the CompTIA Cloud+ Exam Test?
The current version of the Cloud+ exam is CV0-004, which replaced the earlier CV0-003. Like previous versions, it’s vendor-neutral and performance-based, but the objectives have been updated to reflect today’s cloud environments.
The CV0-004 exam covers six major domains:
Cloud Architecture and Design (23%): Designing secure, resilient, and scalable cloud environments that align with business requirements
Cloud Security (19%): Implementing identity management, access controls, encryption, and compliance controls to protect cloud systems and data
Cloud Deployment (19%): Planning, configuring, and automating the deployment of cloud resources and services across different providers
Operations & Support (17%): Managing day-to-day operations, monitoring performance, optimizing costs, and maintaining availability in hybrid and multi-cloud environments
Troubleshooting (12%): Diagnosing and resolving common issues with connectivity, performance, automation, and security in cloud infrastructures.
DevOps Fundamentals (10%): Using automation tools to streamline operations, building CI/CD pipelines, tools, and integrating systems
CompTIA also updated the exam to emphasize modern practices like infrastructure as code (IaC), DevOps integration, automation, and hybrid/multi-cloud strategies.
In short, Cloud+ (CV0-004) verifies that you can design, deploy, secure, and maintain cloud environments in real-world enterprise settings—no matter which cloud provider your organization uses.
How Much Does the CompTIA Cloud+ Exam Cost?
CompTIA Cloud+ exam, CV0-004, costs $390 to attempt or $439 with retake assurance. The test is taken online or at a testing center. It takes 90 minutes, and a passing score is 750 on a scale of 100 to 900 points.
The Cloud+ has a reputation for being difficult, so you won't want to attempt it without preparing beforehand. If you plan to take classes or online courses, you should include the cost of them in your estimates. On the other hand, Cloud+ has no prerequisites (although Network+ and Server+ are both strongly recommended), so you won't have to worry about paying for any other exams.
What Experience Do You Need for the CompTIA Cloud+?
CompTIA recommends two to three years of experience in systems administration or networking before attempting the Cloud+. They also recently added a new recommendation: having the Network+ and Server+. The Network+ and Server+ aren't required prerequisites, but they suggest the difficulty level and complexity to expect from Cloud+.
To truly pass the Cloud+ exam, you'll need about five years of experience working with networking, systems administration, and cloud administration. CompTIA is known for its very broad certifications, and its tests cover a lot of ground.
Who Should Take the CompTIA Cloud+?
CompTIA's Cloud+ is great for IT professionals in a wide range of disciplines. Obviously it's a good choice for those working in the cloud, but networking and systems administrators will also benefit from having it on their resume.
Is the CompTIA Cloud+ Worth it for a Systems Administrator?
Yes, the Cloud+ is probably worth it for most systems administrators. Cloud+ might not apply universally to all sysads, but if you work as a systems administrator and want to expand your responsibilities and skills to include cloud-related tasks, the Cloud+ is how you can start positioning yourself into that realm.
Maybe some of the devices on your network interface with a cloud and you need to know how to troubleshoot their connectivity or maybe you're automating some of your devices' outputs into a cloud database and want to make sure you know how to optimize the orchestration. Cloud+ tests your skills in those areas and having it means you can confidently apply for new jobs and responsibilities.
Is the CompTIA Cloud+ Worth it for a Network Administrator?
Yes, Cloud+ is definitely worth it for network administrators. Either your networks are already being extended and enhanced by cloud services, or they're going to be soon – it's hard to imagine a network that will ever exist entirely independent of the cloud.
After preparing for and earning the Cloud+, you'll feel confident with different cloud models and how to manage and maintain the servers in the cloud that have to work alongside your on-prem and physical devices. If you work in network virtualization, the Cloud+ also covers continuous integration and continuous deployment techniques that you can make use of.
Is the CompTIA Cloud+ Worth it for a Cloud Specialist?
Absolutely the Cloud+ is worth it for a cloud specialist. As we mentioned above, Cloud Essentials+ is your best bet for questions about the cloud from a non-technical approach, but otherwise the Cloud+ is a career-defining certification for cloud specialists.
As a cloud specialist, you'll want to master everything about the cloud, from maintaining and optimizing cloud environments to managing OS configurations and access control. But knowing all that isn't particularly helpful if you don't have a certification that proves you know it, which employers trust. With the Cloud+, you have all that job-related knowledge plus the validation employers and managers love seeing.
Is the CompTIA Cloud+ Worth It?
CompTIA's Cloud+ is definitely worth it. CompTIA is one of the leading names in the IT community, and because the certifications aren't tied to a certain piece of hardware or software, people know that earning one means you've mastered the skills and knowledge related to performing a certain job, not memorizing certain configs that only work in one setting. For anyone who works in or alongside the cloud, the Cloud+ is an excellent investment of time and energy.
Using CompTIA Cloud+ to Learn Skills
Passing the certifying exam for Cloud+ is tough. It tests almost every skill and ability related to operating in the cloud. The CV0-004 is a challenging performance-related exam that tests deploying, securing, and automating clouds, no matter the vendor. CompTIA recommends five years of experience before attempting it because of the sheer volume of knowledge and "What-Ifs" you need to pass.
Because of all of that, courses and training are strongly encouraged. Courses designed to help you pass the Cloud+ will answer questions you might not think to ask – especially if you've been working in the cloud for several years already. Most cloud specialists (understandably) learn and practice their vendors' tricks. But the vendor-agnostic test means that even highly experienced cloud practitioners can struggle to adapt to general approaches to cloud administration.
Using CompTIA Cloud+ to Validate Skills
There aren't as many professional organizations with as much clout and respect as CompTIA. If you're looking for a way to prove your skills in the cloud while marrying cloud administration with network administration, the Cloud+ is one of the most challenging and well-respected methods.
Ready to Tackle the Cloud+?
There's no other certification as reputable as the Cloud+ for telling a manager that you've mastered cloud operations regardless of vendor. Employers respect the Cloud+ because it means you understand troubleshooting, operations & support, deployment, security, and architecture in the cloud – no matter whose cloud.
CBT Nuggets is the most complete training platform for IT pros at any level, or IT teams of any size. Earn certs. Acquire skills. Never stop learning. Learn Cloud+ today.
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