Closing the Kubernetes Gap: Mastering Cloud-Native Operations with VCF 9

Over the past few years, Kubernetes has become the go-to control plane for modern IT infrastructure, effectively becoming the foundation of cloud-native operations. Its ability to automate deployment, scale, and expertly manage containerized applications across any infrastructure, whether on-premise or across multiple cloud providers makes it extremely effective and help organizations to accelerate innovation and achieve peak efficiency.

This is why VMware Certifications has just released our newest certification, the VMware Certified Advanced Professional – VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 vSphere Kubernetes Service (VCAP VKS). This certification is designed to validate the expert skills required to master Kubernetes within a VCF environment, bridging the gap between traditional infrastructure and modern application platforms.

The Kubernetes Skills Shortage

The drive toward cloud-native solutions is undeniable: According to the CNCF/SlashData State of Cloud Native Development Q1 2025 Report data shows 93% of all developers are deploying to the cloud at some point in their development process, a figure that rises to 96% for those in backend service development. This massive cloud shift, combined with the exponential growth of Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence (ML/AI) workloads, makes deep expertise in Kubernetes and its operational platforms, like VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS) essential. This expertise allows companies to scale and manage these modern applications efficiently across hybrid and private clouds.

As companies continue their application modernization journey, they are actively enabling Kubernetes on their existing vSphere environments. The demand for IT professionals who can deploy, manage, and troubleshoot this integrated stack is growing rapidly. VKS simplifies running Kubernetes directly on your familiar vSphere infrastructure. This offers a great opportunity to become the expert your organization needs by earning a VCAP VKS certification.

Drive Business Success with VCAP VKS certification

Earning this certification not only validates your technical mastery and strategic ability to drive cloud-native transformations for enterprise organizations, but also demonstrates your expertise in optimizing private cloud infrastructure for operational stability and enhancing the developer experience to spearhead a Platform Engineering initiative.

This expertise also confirms practitioners’ strategic understanding that the ultimate goal of Kubernetes on VCF is to empower developers. Organizations adopt this stack to provide an on-premises “cloud-like” experience via Self-Service APIs and Developer Portals. The VCAP VKS certified professional will be able to execute this strategy, simplifying infrastructure to accelerate development and innovation.

You may be wondering, why should I choose this certification? VCAP-VKS certified practitioners gain a competitive edge and are uniquely positioned to drive real-world value by delivering the following:

• Maximized ROI on VCF: Ensure the platform’s advanced features are fully utilized, driving greater efficiency and cost savings.
• Accelerated Innovation: Reduce deployment timelines and operational friction, enabling development teams to bring applications to market faster.
• Platform Resiliency: Expertly troubleshoot, secure, and manage Kubernetes clusters to virtually eliminate downtime and operational risk.

Accelerating Your Private Cloud Career

This is your opportunity to move beyond managing systems to designing and leading advanced cloud solutions. Earning the VCAP VKS certification demonstrates you are prepared to manage the most complex, important private cloud projects. You’ll be the expert called upon to design a multi-cluster environment that provides a stable, high-performance foundation for your company’s future innovations, including critical Machine Learning and AI workloads.

Achieving the VCAP VKS certification is a major accomplishment, confirming your expertise as an advanced private cloud professional. This elevated status frequently correlates with industry-leading compensation. For example, a Senior Cloud DevOps Engineer, a role often associated with this level of expertise, earns an average salary of $150,000 annually, as cited by ZipRecruiter, with many organizations offering additional opportunities for greater total compensation through bonuses and additional stocks. This advanced credential places you at the cutting edge of private cloud technology, equipping you to lead and manage the most intricate VMware Cloud Foundation projects involving Kubernetes.

Ready to bridge the gap between virtualization and modern apps? 

Secure your copy of the VCF 9 Role-Based Learning Guide today for a complete roadmap of our newest training and certification resources! If you are a VCF Full Platform customer or eligible Partner, access your training immediately through Learning@Broadcom via the Broadcom Support Portal. Invest in upleveling your VKS skills today to become the architect of tomorrow’s unified private cloud.