How Is Your Role Impacted by the Cloud?
You can’t have avoided the word “cloud” in recent years nor its predominance in all of our lives, both business and personal. Cloud computing is not only a game-changer for companies, but it is also changing the nature of jobs, both in information technology departments and in other departments as well.
“Cloud computing solutions will reduce the number of IT hardware jobs in the marketplace, increasing competition for new job seekers who lack cloud skills and expertise.”
A recent TEK Systems survey regarding the biggest IT Industry trends revealed some interesting results in light of employment roles:
• IT professionals believe that cloud computing, security and mobility, respectively, will be in the Top 3 IT areas that will have the most impact on organisations in 2015.
• 42 percent of IT professionals indicated concern about their ability to have a long-term career in IT.
• 15 percent say that the fast pace of the IT industry is the cause of their worry.
• 69 percent of IT professionals believe that demand for IT professionals will always outpace supply since technology is always evolving.
• 93 percent of IT professionals agreed that being successful in IT in the future will call for strong business skills, in addition to their IT skills.
What does this tell us?
That cloud is causing concern. It is imposing fast-paced change—focusing skills on aligning business outcome to technological solutions that move away from the “plug it together and break/fix needs of yesterday”—and is inherently involved in all three of the Top 3 areas that have the most impact.
Cloud is removing the traditional barriers faced by old school methods of IT delivery. Cloud will impact job roles across every business. Whichever of these roles relate to you, please do not dismiss cloud systems as being irrelevant. If it has not affected or touched your current role, in your current business, to date, it will. Sticking your head in the sand and deferring taking part, will not serve you well. You may find decisions around you changing your status quo very quickly, and your lack of cloud knowledge and skills coming into question just as quickly. Are you prepared to compete with people who are not burdened with old ways of thinking and historic deployment models?
The younger generation is focusing on new technologies. Hoping that your legacy and skills will carry you through the next decade, will not defend you against the onslaught of a new generation of technologists who are taking online, mobile systems for granted, and who are adapting and adopting rapidly to the new approach delivered by internet-based systems.
A recent Customer Study from Rise indicated that 94 percent of those in IT departments expect to expand their use of cloud in the next 12 months. Aligned with this, is a similar, recent report from Wanted Analytics— indicating that hiring for cloud computing expertise showed a growth of 61 percent year-over-year. Mobility and cloud are inherently linked and security of cloud is the biggest concern of businesses with as recently discussed, almost half of Irish businesses now fear a cyber attack. This in turn is giving need for expertise in selection and incorporation of cloud into a company’s existing systems and infrastructure. Skills-Globe-Image-Blog
Cloud is delivering industrialisation to IT. It is allowing far more to be done with less and more efficiently. Very much like the example of cars that were once built manually, then being built with mechanical production lines—allowing for mass production with less manpower and faster production time.
Technology trends tend to last about 10 years. In the 1970s we saw centralised computing and terminals, the 1980s gave us Local Area Networks (LAN’s), and the 1990s was the decade for internet usage with Wide Area Networks (WAN’s). Finally, the 2000s delivered us to Web 2 and IP communications. The current decade is all about cloud computing, mobility and virtualisation.
The question you need to ask yourself is, “do you have the skills required for the next 10 years?” As an increasing number of businesses, large and small, move functions to the cloud, staffing and skill-set implications are becoming clearer. There is no question that individuals working in varying segments of IT, will need to learn new skills and knowledge. And that certain roles will shift in responsibility, some from the customer to the cloud service provider.
To ensure you have the right skills to progress in your career contact one of our Learning Consultants today on 01 240 2262/Email: info@SureSkills.com or for our Belfast office contact + 44 (0) 28 9093 5555/Email: niinfo@SureSkills.com
Source: www.trainingindustry.com
Source: www.ITpreneurs.com