Developing Skills In The Cloud: A Major Challenge For IT Departments

The “cloudification” of information systems has led to a radical transformation of IT professions. IT departments are facing a new reality where they must develop new skills to effectively manage cloud-based systems. This paradigm shift offers new opportunities, but it also presents challenges.

New roles in the cloud

Before the advent of the cloud, IT technicians and engineers were responsible for designing and overseeing on-premises IT infrastructures. However, with the migration to the cloud, their roles have evolved significantly. They are now called upon to become designers, builders or cloud managers.

The paradigm shift

The move to the cloud has introduced a real paradigm shift. In “traditional” infrastructures, technicians and engineers had to provision machines, configure networks and firewalls, and then monitor the systems once they were in operating mode. In the cloud, these services are already operating.

From doing to getting done

With outsourcing to the cloud, technicians and engineers now have new roles to play. They must move from “doing” to “getting done”. They are responsible for ordering and managing cloud services from a portal, monitoring quality of service and ensuring financial monitoring.

Security and governance challenges

The move to the cloud brings new security and governance concerns. Previously, a company managed its IT infrastructure independently. But in an increasingly hybrid and multi-cloud world, a new generation of architecture must be able to understand the different modes of operation of clouds and interconnect them while taking into account security constraints.

Training and certification

To support this change, many continuing education institutes have updated their catalogs to offer training courses, face-to-face or online. These courses provide a reminder of the main principles of cloud architecture, governance and security.

Cloud-specific training

In addition to these generic courses, there are cloud-specific certification training courses. A DevOps engineer or architect will be able to familiarize themselves with the specificities of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud environments.

The need for a global vision

It is important to have “a global vision of the ecosystem of a cloud provider and its own tools”, particularly those dedicated to monitoring or FinOps. If a company has chosen a particular cloud provider, it must seriously train its IT teams on that platform.

Talent attractiveness and retention

Beyond operational issues, a cloud training policy can be a lever for attracting and retaining talent. By maintaining the employability of its employees and allowing them to mention an AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud certification on their CV, the IT department strengthens its employer brand.

Knowledge transfer

Employees who have obtained certification are likely to transfer their new knowledge to their colleagues. This peer-to-peer knowledge sharing is strongly encouraged. In addition, new recruits can provide feedback on new technologies that they have learned to master in other contexts.

Towards a more application-based approach

In addition to these cloud-specific training courses, it is important to adopt a methodological framework by familiarizing yourself with agile methods or the DevOps approach. As part of a cloud migration strategy, it is necessary to put in place the tools and processes to industrialize the migration of data and applications to the cloud.

The SRE approach

The SRE (Site Reliability Engineering) approach, formalized by Google, is another essential step. It sets out software engineering principles which enable continuous improvement in the management of infrastructures and their operation.

Insourcing vs. outsourcing

Even a large IT department does not always have all the necessary skills. “Some complex environments require technical depth,” recalls Hervé Delaitre, director of delivery and member of the management committee of T-Systems.

Forward-looking management of jobs and skills

As part of forward-looking management of jobs and skills (GPEC), the IT department must evaluate, over a period of 3 to 5 years, what types of cloud skills it will need internally and which functions it will outsource to a service provider. services.

The future role of the CIO

The role of the CIO will continue to evolve in the years to come. With the development of cloud infrastructure and new operating models, digital innovation is today at the heart of their business. They will need to be able to manage the digital transformation of their company, collaborate with executives to set the objectives of this transformation and be the guarantor of the digital identity of their company.

Also Read: Consultants: How To Develop Your Soft Skills?