12 Hot Programming Languages For Infrastructure Pros

Programming languages aren't just for programmers. If you're a network engineer, systems administrator, storage manager or other infrastructure professional, knowing a programming language (or two or three) can come in handy.

Software-defined infrastructure is making headway into data centers, and in order to manage that infrastructure, it can be very helpful to know the language that your software-defined networking (SDN) or software-defined storage (SDS) software was written in.

In addition, as more enterprises are adopting DevOps approaches to IT, many shops are seeking to increase their use of automation. While automation tools available can handle some of this work for you, it's always a good idea for administrators to be able to write their own scripts. And in fact, some employers will expect that any good sysadmin or other infrastructure pro will have that ability.

But which programming language or languages should you learn?

This slideshow takes a look at 12 languages that experts frequently recommend for people who are -- or who would like to be -- infrastructure professionals. Obviously, you probably won't be able to learn all 12, but having at least one -- and preferably two or three -- in your skills list can help you become more efficient and more hirable.

(Image: maciek905/iStockphoto)