Cloud Info for IT

Cloud computing comes to NERSC (Photo credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

It’s not big secret that the world of information technology is dramatically shifting. This is particularly true with how data is managed and distributed. Since 2008, there has been a lot of talk about cloud computing. Those discussions have morphed into huge debates as to whether or not the cloud is going to replace legacy data management solutions. While cloud computing hasn’t completely replaced local data distribution models, the nature of IT skills needed to manage infrastructural data has needed. On some level, the new IT professional must be well versed in all aspects of cloud-based data management. This requires a new set of skills you likely didn’t pick up in college.

Essential Cloud Computing Skills for Tomorrow’s IT Pros

Technical Skills – This seems a little obvious, but the types of technical skills needed may come as a surprise. For starters, you’ll need to know virtualization in and out. From there, you’ll need to acquire a sophisticated knowledge of cloud-based app development. More specifically, your technical knowledge will need to be web focused with programming frameworks like .NET and Java. The big idea here is that you’ll need to be able to build and deploy apps that can run well on the web.

Business Skills – IT pros will no longer be able to make the argument that they aren’t businessmen or sales savvy. There’s a reason the cloud rose to prominence, and that’s because it made enterprise-level businesses function at a high level at a significantly reduced cost. Tomorrow’s IT professionals will need to be cloud computing evangelists. They’ll need to make convincing cases for full-scale cloud adoption and build convincing case studies around cloud-powered ROI.

Enterprise Architecture Analysis – This is an essential tool for determining how cloud resources will be allocated. IT pros will need to be able to analyze the business as a whole and gauge what types of cloud services will best serve the entire organization. This often includes a healthy combination of in-house IT and third-party cloud service providers.

Security – Since the inception of cloud computing as a viable data management concept, the big conversations have all revolved around data security. There’s no way around this. No matter what type of cloud infrastructure you’re working with – public or private – you need to have a solid grasp on complex security concepts. This includes data legislation like Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPPA and hosts of other laws that affect how data should be handled in the cloud.

Mobile Device Management & App Development – Mobile tech dominates the modern workplace – there’s no disputing that. This also means that IT managers will need to know how to develop cloud-powered mobile apps that work. On top of that, they will need to stay abreast on the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend, and how their organization should implement cloud technology with employee mobile devices (smartphones & tablet PCs).

At first site, especially if you’re a bit behind on the rise of cloud technology – this list of skills seems daunting. The reality is, if you’ve been involved in information technology for any length of time, you have a solid foundation on these core disciplines. The other truth is that if you want to stay competitive in this industry, you’ll need to ramp up other seemingly non-technical skillsets. It’s time to get cracking.