At the emergence of the cloud computing revolution, there were concerns that cloud would eliminate jobs. As we approach 2015, the reality is just the opposite. While there is a paradigm shift underway in the IT industry, employment opportunities for IT professionals with advanced cloud computing skills are encouraging—having a positive effect on the U.S. jobs market. According to a new Forbes article that cites the global analytics provider Wanted Analytics, there are currently 3.9 million cloud computing jobs in the U.S., with over 384,478 of those jobs in the IT industry.
The cloud is fundamentally redefining the role of IT and its relevance to enterprises. IT professionals are evolving into strategic partners with enterprise’s lines of business. The traditional IT role is moving away from hardware maintenance and software management toward a pivotal strategy position with a need for cloud skills. Modern IT professionals must be able to see the big picture to fundamentally understand how the cloud impacts all aspects of a company.
Enterprises need cloud-savvy IT individuals who possess the cloud computing skills necessary to:
- Develop a cloud strategy and governance plan based on the enterprise’s objectives, application requirements and workload needs.
- Evaluate cloud providers with a deep understanding of an enterprise’s security, performance, reliability and compliance needs.
- Manage migration from legacy equipment and launch new deployments, which require upfront planning to help simplify the processes and provide a smooth transition.
- Work with lines of business on product and service development to ensure that the right technology is utilized for fast and efficient rollout of business initiatives, and position the company to act on data and explore new opportunities.
The rise of cloud computing is sparking a transformation for enterprises. According to a survey by Harvard Business Review Analytics Services, sponsored by Verizon, 57 percent view IT as an investment that drives innovation and growth. As IT professionals continue to harness cloud computing to drive transformation, it’s clear that IT professionals must be equipped with the necessary cloud skills (and know the right questions to ask) to effectively adopt, implement and manage a cloud solution. This knowledge is paramount to an enterprises’ success. While cloud is redefining the role of IT, it does not translate into job losses, but rather an IT renaissance that puts IT and cloud computing skills at the heart of innovation and success across all business units.
