What Cloud Credential Council does

Cloud Credential Council (CCC) is a privately held, vendor-neutral certification body that develops and delivers training and certification programs for IT and business professionals across digital transformation technologies including cloud computing, big data, IoT, blockchain, and AI. Founded in 2013 as an outcome of a large cloud competence development program at ING and originally supported by founding partners including HP, VMware, IBM, Cisco, and CompTIA, the company is headquartered in Rotterdam with a US contact office in Palo Alto and operates through a network of 150+ Authorized Training Partners across 50+ countries, with certifications delivered in over 75 countries. Its portfolio comprises 10 certifications split between foundation-level programs (Artificial Intelligence Foundation, Big Data Foundation, Blockchain Foundation, Internet of Things Foundation, Cloud Technology Associate) and professional role-based programs (Professional Cloud Administrator, Cloud Developer, Cloud Service Manager, Cloud Solutions Architect), offered both individually and as bundles.

The underlying product is curriculum and certification content rather than a software platform: courses are delivered as self-study video lessons with hands-on labs (Hadoop, MongoDB, AWS), exam preparation guides, and webcam-proctored exams that can be scheduled up to 12 months after purchase. Verified digital badges and certificates are issued through a partnership with Accredible, enabling credentials to be embedded in LinkedIn profiles and other public surfaces. A free Cloud Adoption Readiness Assessment, co-developed with the Innovation Value Institute and mapped to the Professional Cloud Service Manager syllabus, extends the offering into enterprise organizational-readiness tooling.

CCC operates a hybrid go-to-market. Direct-to-consumer revenue is generated through an e-commerce storefront selling self-study courses with exam vouchers at $249–$575 per certification, supported by a 20% affiliate program. Channel revenue is generated through annual licensing fees from Authorized Training Partners ($50/€50 per year) and Authorized Courseware Partners ($750/€750 per year), who deliver instructor-led training and develop courseware respectively, and purchase exam vouchers from CCC. Enterprise exposure comes through partner-delivered corporate training for digital transformation professionals. The company reports 92% recommendation among certified professionals, an average certified-professional salary of $118,631, and 6,581 students in its most popular professional program (Professional Cloud Service Manager).

Name

Cloud Credential Council

Legal name

Cloud Credential Council

Website

https://cloudcredential.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Cloud Credential Council is a vendor-neutral certification body that develops foundation and professional-level certification programs in cloud, big data, IoT, blockchain, and AI for IT and business professionals, distributed through a global network of 150+ authorized training partners in 50+ countries and a direct e-commerce channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Professional Certification & Training

NAICS

Computer Training (611420), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Cloud, DevOps & Software Engineering Certifications (EDAAANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Certification & Licensing Exam Management Platforms (EDAFADAG), Cloud Computing & Cloud Security (EDAOAIAC), Cloud Computing & Infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP, Virtualization) (EDABAFAB), Credentialing, Digital Badges & Micro-Credential Platforms (EDAFADAF)

Keywords

• Vendor-neutral certification
• Cloud computing certification
• Digital transformation training
• IT professional credentialing
• Emerging technology certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification and Exam Fees: Revenue from certification exam fees and self-study course materials sold directly to professionals. Courses include video lessons, exam vouchers for webcam-proctored exams, mock exams, and exam preparation guides. Lifetime access to materials and certification upon passing.
2. Authorized Training Partner Licensing: Annual registration fees from Training Partners ($50/€50) and Courseware Partners ($750/€750). Training Partners are licensed to deliver CCC training programs and may market, schedule, and organize training programs.
3. Affiliate Commission: 20% referral commission on certification course purchases driven through affiliate links, considered the highest payout in the industry. Payments sent monthly.
4. Courseware Partner Fees: Annual fee of $750/€750 for Courseware Partners includes assessment of 2 sets of courseware. Additional assessments invoiced at $500/€500 per day. Partners must purchase exam vouchers from CCC and sell to Training Partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cloud Credential Council develops and delivers vendor-neutral certification programs for IT and business professionals in emerging digital transformation technologies including Cloud, Big Data, IoT, Blockchain, and AI. The offerings include foundation-level and role-based professional certifications, sold as self-study courses with webcam-proctored exam vouchers, and distributed both directly to individuals and through a global network of 150+ Authorized Training Partners across 50+ countries. Credentials are issued as digital badges via Accredible for verifiable sharing on LinkedIn and other platforms.

Product overview

Cloud Credential Council offers a portfolio of vendor-neutral certification programs for IT and business professionals in digital transformation. The portfolio includes foundation-level certifications (Artificial Intelligence Foundation, Big Data Foundation, Blockchain Foundation, Internet of Things Foundation, Cloud Technology Associate) and professional role-based certifications (Professional Cloud Administrator, Professional Cloud Developer, Professional Cloud Service Manager, Professional Cloud Solutions Architect). The company also offers certification bundles for comprehensive learning paths. Certifications are delivered through self-study materials, training partners (150+ globally in 50+ countries), and online proctored exams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artificial Intelligence Foundation Foundation-level AI certification covering machine learning, data structures, SQL, data visualization, and Python programming with 16 hours of content and a 40-question multiple-choice exam; targeted at IT and business professionals beginning their AI journey.
• Big Data Foundation Big Data certification program providing hands-on experience with Hadoop and MongoDB technologies across 24 hours of content; designed for both technical and business audiences seeking Big Data competency for real-world applications.
• Blockchain Foundation Foundation-level blockchain certification covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, Hyperledger, cryptocurrencies, and enterprise applications with practical exercises using real cryptocurrencies; assessed via a 40 multiple-choice question exam.
• Internet of Things Foundation 2 Business-oriented, non-technical IoT certification covering CIoT, IIoT, CPS, M2M, IoE, and IoT security; designed to develop base-level understanding of IoT concepts, terminology, and associated business perspectives.
• Cloud Technology Associate Foundation-level cloud certification validating skills and knowledge required to work in a cloud-enabled organization; assessed via a 60-minute, 40-question multiple-choice exam with 65% pass grade.
• Cloud Technology Associate+ Advanced cloud certification covering additional concepts in virtualization, digitization, cloud security, risks, and governance; 45-minute, 30-question multiple-choice exam with 65% pass grade and AWS cloud hands-on labs included.
• Professional Cloud Administrator Professional-level certification for Network, Systems, and Database Administrators to effectively operate in the cloud; 75-minute, 25-question multiple-choice exam covering deployment, capacity, security, provisioning, and cloud administration topics.
• Professional Cloud Developer Professional-level certification for application developers standardizing cloud-related methods, architectures, technologies, and design considerations in cloud development; based on NIST cloud standards and assessed via a 75-minute, 25-question exam.
• Professional Cloud Service Manager Professional-level certification providing a hands-on, practical approach to understanding how cloud computing and cloud-based services impact IT operations; the first course focused on IT Service Management for Cloud Computing, covering ITSM, service design, governance, and cloud adoption strategy.
• Professional Cloud Solutions Architect Professional-level certification for architects designing technological solutions required for cloud computing adoption; based on NIST cloud standards and covering solution architecture, migration, ROI, TCO, and lifecycle management via a 75-minute, 25-question exam.
• CCC Digital Readiness Certification Bundle Bundle including three certifications — AI Foundation, Big Data Foundation, and Blockchain Foundation — for comprehensive digital transformation readiness; priced at $1,149.
• CCC Cloud Computing 101 Certification Bundle Bundle including Cloud Technology Associate and Cloud Technology Associate+ certifications for foundational cloud computing knowledge; priced at $519.
• CCC Cloud Ready Service Manager Certification Bundle Bundle combining Cloud Technology Associate and Professional Cloud Service Manager certifications for IT service management professionals; priced at $799.

Quantifiable outcome

• CCC professionals earn average of $118,631 per year, outranking other certified professionals (2019 IT Skills and Salary Report)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and founding.

• AccrediblecoreTechnology or IntegrationAccredible is the digital badge and certificate platform partner for CCC. They issue digital badges and certificates to certified professionals, enabling verifiable credentials that can be instantly added to LinkedIn profiles, shared on social media, embedded on websites, or exported to Mozilla Open Badges backpacks. The partnership provides career growth insights and salary range analytics specific to certifications.
• Innovation Value Institute (IVI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIVI is a partnership for cloud adoption readiness assessment. Co-developed with IVI, the free cloud adoption readiness assessment is based on IVI's full assessment framework and mapped to CCC's Professional Cloud Service Manager (PCSM) syllabus. The tool allows organizations to assess their readiness for cloud technologies and provides recommendations for capability and competence improvements.
• HPfoundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHP was one of the founding organizations that supported the creation of the initial cloud training program at ING in 2013. HP participated in the working group that established the CCC and its first vendor-neutral cloud certifications.
• VMwarefoundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVMware was one of the founding organizations that supported the creation of the initial cloud training program at ING in 2013. VMware participated in the working group that established the CCC and its first vendor-neutral cloud certifications.
• Virtual ClarityfoundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual Clarity was one of the founding organizations that supported the creation of the initial cloud training program at ING in 2013. Participated in establishing the CCC's first vendor-neutral cloud certifications.
• IBMfoundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBM was one of the founding organizations that supported the creation of the initial cloud training program at ING in 2013. IBM participated in establishing the CCC and its first vendor-neutral cloud certifications.
• CiscofoundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCisco was one of the founding organizations that supported the creation of the initial cloud training program at ING in 2013. Cisco participated in establishing the CCC and its first vendor-neutral cloud certifications.
• CompTIAfoundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompTIA signed on to the initiative early and Cloud Essentials became the first vendor-neutral cloud certification in the market. CompTIA was a key supporter of the establishment of CCC and its certification programs.
• INGfoundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerING was the origin of CCC. The CCC was founded in 2013 as a result of a large cloud competence development program at ING. The CTO at that time, Tony Kerrison, realized that establishing internal cloud competencies was essential for ING to harness all benefits of cloud. The organization trained over 2000 people within ING in just over 6 months.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CompTIA: CompTIA is the largest vendor-neutral IT certification body and was a founding partner of CCC. It offers entry-level to professional IT certifications across similar domains (cloud, security, networking). It is a direct peer with significantly larger scale and market recognition, and the two organizations often co-market.
• Linux Foundation Training (LF Training): The Linux Foundation offers vendor-neutral open source and cloud certifications (Kubernetes, Hyperledger, etc.). It is a direct competitor in the open/emerging tech certification space and is particularly relevant given CCC's Blockchain and Cloud portfolios.
• PeopleCert / AXELOS (ITIL): PeopleCert owns ITIL and other professional certification frameworks under AXELOS. It is a direct peer to CCC's Professional Cloud Service Manager and similar ITSM-adjacent credentialing, operating through an Authorized Training Partner network globally.

Broad incumbents

• AWS Training and Certification: AWS operates one of the largest cloud certification ecosystems in the world, offering role-based credentials across cloud architect, developer, and operations. It competes for the same certification spend that CCC targets in the Cloud domain, but with deeper technical content tied to a dominant cloud platform.
• Microsoft Learn (Azure Certifications): Microsoft's certification and learning platform offers role-based Azure credentials and free integrated training paths. Like AWS, it competes for the same IT professional training wallet, with deep integration to a major cloud platform and significantly larger brand and budget.
• Google Cloud Certification: Google Cloud's certification program offers role-based credentials (Cloud Architect, Data Engineer, ML Engineer) that overlap with CCC's Professional Cloud Solutions Architect target audience. Vendor-specific and part of a much larger platform investment.
• Skillsoft: Skillsoft is a global enterprise learning platform offering certification prep across cloud, security, and IT, in addition to broader leadership training. It is a broad incumbent competing in the same corporate training wallet for IT credentials.
• Udemy Business: Udemy's consumer and enterprise platforms offer inexpensive certification prep courses across cloud, AI, Big Data, and other CCC domains. It competes on the entry/foundation tier price point where many CCC courses sit.

Emerging players

• Coursera: Coursera hosts professional certificate programs from universities and tech companies (IBM, Google, etc.) in cloud, data, AI. It is a competing distribution and credentialing platform, with stronger consumer brand and university ties but less control over proprietary certifications.
• GAQM (Global Association for Quality Management): GAQM offers a broad portfolio of vendor-neutral professional certifications across IT and emerging technologies. It operates a similar Authorized Training Partner model and competes in the same price-sensitive credentialing segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cloud_cred
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNGX1wd4yNHqQGEDCFokPKg
• Facebookfacebook.com/cloudcredentialcouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cloud-credential-council

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cloud Credential Council