Essential Cloud Skills

Cloud technology has completely changed the infrastructure and internal landscape of both small businesses and large corporations alike. No professionals in any industry understand this better than IT pros. In a cutthroat field like IT, candidates have to be multi-faceted and well-versed in the cloud universe. Employers want to know that their IT people can solve problems with minimal micromanagement. For this reason especially, it’s essential for IT professionals to know their stuff and constantly develop skills when it comes to the cloud.

PC World gathered together a group of Thought Leaders and executives in the cloud computing industry to come up with the top 5 most important skills for IT professionals to master in order to have a successful career in our modern corporate work environment.

1. Become a service broker

With your understanding of the fundamentals of cloud computing, it’s imperative that you balance between internal and external cloud services and know how to utilize each to best serve the overall goals of your organization.

2. Understand Big Data

The massive amounts of data storage capabilities previously unavailable to companies now means that anyone who can manipulate and utilize big data effectively could become valuable to an organization.

3. Hone information security skills

Protecting sensitive information is often a huge concern for businesses. Knowledge of the evolving threat of hackers and how to keep a company safe are key skills in today’s computer industries.

4. Add VDI to your BYOD repertoire

With the large scale adoption of mobile tech in the business world, understanding mobile is imperative. Now that sales of smartphones and tablets have exceeded laptop sales, this trend is here to stay.

5. Build Business Skills that Transfer Beyond IT

A higher degree of business acumen and knowledge of the company are extremely important. Being competent any various skillsets is a valuable asset to have in any industry. This list is just the beginning. There are many different ways to help advance your IT career. This list means you might have to do a few things out of your comfort zone. You might have to study things they didn’t teach you at university. Becoming a service broker means you must negotiate and speak to clients and Service Providers, something many traditional IT pros struggle with. But not you. You’ll be ahead of the game.

By Jason Sander