Trends: Learning cloud skills or becoming obsolete

In terms of the skills required in a real-world cloud computing environment, service provider IT professionals should consider being familiar with Ruby,. NET, Java, and chef, puppet, and Python. The Cloud Computing Security Alliance is a good place to conduct related training and certification programs. "This will help study the development roadmap for market share leaders in the field, including Salesforce and Amazon," said Pat O ' Day, CTO of the Bluelock company, an infrastructure-services (IaaS) supplier based in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Brian Aker, a researcher at Hewlett-Packard's cloud computing division, advises IT staff to actively participate in developing open source projects, offering their potential employers a chance to see what they can do.

"We can see the code they write. This kind of real stuff can almost replace their resumes, "Aker said. "This is easy to achieve for someone with a laptop and trying to figure it out," he said. It is quite different if you are willing to spend some time studying materials. ”

O ' Day points out that in the traditional sense it is basically considered an expense, an independent division that is stripped out of the business unit. But today, cloud computing has actually brought it more into the business category, involving the knowledge and interaction of technical staff about large business strategies and goals.

"We all want the IT department to have a standard budget, and of course, it's not about budgeting to limit development," O ' Day says. "Policymakers generally have the mindset that ' unless there is a problem, don't call us. ' Now, with development, people are trying to use cloud computing on a strategic level. As a result, people involved in cloud computing discuss business needs and what the business wants to achieve. ”

For this reason, the IT people who want to get involved in cloud computing need to develop some "soft skills," including leadership and communication skills, O ' Day says.

"In the past, engineers were writing code, porting, and then listening to customer questions." There are considerable obstacles to their interactions with their clients, "Aker agrees. "But that's not the case in cloud computing. ”

While it teams may experience some consolidation from cloud computing implementations, IT professionals should keep in mind that professional barriers do not completely disappear, and some local applications may still remain intact.

"In almost every it event I've experienced, people ask, ' How should I update my skills so that I can better adapt to this new era of cloud computing? '" "" Cloud surfing, "the author of the article, Delphi Group founder, President Tom Koulopoulos said, Delphi Group is a Andover in Massachusetts, a technical research and consulting company.

"The first thing I have to say is calm. This is not a complete overnight, this is different from opening the door, everyone is in the cloud. When I talk about business, they say they have a local component and a cloud computing component. ”

Most of the expertise needed for a localized system is also needed in the implementation of cloud computing, although cloud computing may increase the need for some of these skills. First IT staff need to know about security, Koulopoulos says. "There is always a security risk at the local level, but in cloud computing, when a mechanical failure or access failure occurs, it becomes very obvious and the user immediately discovers a failure," he said. "When implementing cloud computing, security is an area where it personnel need to be more familiar and confident." ”

Some IT pros may resist changes in cloud computing, largely because these workers are more concerned with traditional system isolation and keep data in a secure, local location.

"Now they are told to break the tradition. In cloud computing, everything is open and global, our data and information is likely to be kept in any place, so the security risks are far better than before, Symform Company's vice president of product management and marketing, Margaret Dawson, said Symform is a cloud computing storage and backup provider located in Seattle. "So you still have to tighten a chord." You will also have IT staff specifically based on this guiding ideology to take concrete measures. Because at the end of the day, if there is data destruction, they will still be blamed. But they are more likely to be blamed if the business does not work. In our world, it is a difficult task to balance these two styles well. ”

The IT people should decide how much time and effort to devote to the cloud learning curve in their careers, as in stocks. It people who will retire in the next 5-10 years still need to be aware, but may not need to update their cloud computing skills like those in the middle of their careers. Some it people are trying to implement cloud computing in the same way, and some applications are not specifically developed for cloud computing applications.

"At this point, it people have been working to save dying apps, and that's never going to end in cloud computing," Koulopoulos said. "In reality, these apps don't survive. Cloud computing is not just a trend; it's a wave of times you can't stop. For professionals who have been engaged in it for some time, it may feel very depressing when discussing this issue. ' I'm 45 years old. Do I really have to do this? And the answer is, ' Yes, you do. ’”

(Responsible editor: Schpeppen)