Cloud skills gap or cloud skills crisis?

In a survey 70 per cent say they face a shortage of technical cloud skills

Within just a few short years, cloud has become essential plank of IT strategy in almost every organisation, large or small. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that cloud is the primary crucible of technological innovation today, supporting rapid experimentation and allowing small ideas to become full-scale services with no expensive infrastructure to worry about. At the same time cloud is spawning new services of its own at an ever increasing rate, so much so that it's a full-time job just keeping up.

Web-based applications provide a convenient and user-friendly interface to employees and customers alike, and the general aura of the cloud is one of simplicity and seamlessness. However, the fact of the matter is, cloud is not simple. Sure, plenty of services are fronted by a slick UI and virtualised infrastructure can be procured and used with ease by non-technical business users, but this merely hides increased complexity further down the stack.

In a recent Computing survey, more than 70 per cent of IT decision-makers in medium to large organisations reported a likely shortfall in technical cloud skills.

Of these technical skills, security and compliance / data governance experience were most sought after, with almost half of organisations indicating skills gaps in these areas. Approximately one third of respondents said they needed people with skills in technical architecture, integration, and keeping a watching brief and also in refactoring applications to allow them to run in a cloud environment.

Typically these are the skills required when moving applications and datasets off-premises and onto a cloud-based platform, as well as when integrating different platforms and services. Management of cloud-based infrastructure and the applications that reside there requires a different skillset to managing an on-premises environment, hence we see vendor-specific qualifications being less of an issue than a shortage of skills in cost management and supplier management, for example.

But it's not just technical skills. Cloud generally brings with it changes to the way the business is run, be that by increasing collaboration with partners, introducing mobility and digital services, or moving more processes online. Therefore strong, consistent management is a key requirement if the change is not to prove unsettling to large numbers of employees. Many people prefer stability to constant change. The high placing accorded to end-user adoption skills shows that it is not all about back-end integrations and service management, someone needs to ensure that employees are on board prepared for the journey ahead.

It's clear that organisations need a long-term strategy for bridging a cloud skills gap that is only going to grow as time goes on with more and more new services that need supporting.

Computing is hosting a web seminar on this topic Cloud - don't let the skills gap become a skills crisis on 28 November during which we will investigate how enterprises should make sure they are able to draw on enough of the right talent as they roll out new cloud initiatives.