Cynthia Harvey, Freelance Journalist, InformationWeek on November 08, 2021
Experts recommend that IT professionals working in the cloud deepen their understanding of these key areas.
These days, working in IT usually means working in the cloud.
While the migration toward cloud computing was already well under way before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19, the global pandemic sped up the trend. Widespread lockdowns meant that many enterprise IT teams had to begin supporting an almost entirely remote workforce practically overnight. And for many organizations, that meant more fully embracing the cloud.
InformationWeek and other Informa publications recently conducted a survey of 339 IT decision makers that asked questions about their cloud computing usage and plans. It found that 63% of organizations either currently do the majority of their computing in the cloud or expect to do so within the next two years. In addition, the survey revealed that almost half of organizations (42%) have shifted more of their budget to the public cloud over the past two years.
Similarly, the 2021 Flexera State of the Cloud report found that 90% of respondents “expect cloud use to exceed plans due to the pandemic.”
As a result of this rapid switch to the cloud, many IT professionals found themselves forced to support more cloud services — whether or not they had previous cloud computing experience or even any interest in the cloud.
For some, this change could be very lucrative, as cloud computing skills are in high demand. According to the 2022 Salary Guide from Robert Half Technology, US salaries for cloud-related job roles range from a median of $97,500 for cloud administrators up to a median of $153,750 for cloud architects.
Whether they are involved in cloud computing out of necessity or because they want to advance their careers, many IT pros are currently in a situation where they need to improve their cloud skills. So exactly which skills are helpful for people who work in the cloud? Experts point to the following 10 skills as some of the most useful for cloud computing.
1. Linux
Demand for professionals with Linux administration skills is on the rise in all IT specializations — including cloud computing. According to the third quarter 2021 IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index from Foote Partners, the CompTIA Linux+ certificate increased in value by more than 10%, making it one of the biggest gainers of all certificates analyzed. By some estimates, up to 90% of public cloud workloads run on Linux, so if you are managing cloud services, there is a very good chance that you will be spinning up Linux-based instances. Linux training is available through a wide variety of sources including the Linux Foundation, Udemy, Red Hat, and edX.
2. DevOps
DevOps encourages closer collaboration between developers and IT operations, and it involves the application of Agile development methodologies to IT operations. Many of the organizations that are most quickly embracing cloud computing are also among those adopting DevOps approaches to IT management. In fact, many experts say that the cloud and DevOps have something of a symbiotic relationship. A survey conducted by GitLab found that 63% of organizations adopting DevOps say that cloud computing skills are a must-have for their personnel. DevOps training is available through the DevOps Institute, Caltech, Cloud Academy, AWS, and others.
3. Kubernetes
Containerization tools also go hand in hand with DevOps and cloud computing, and Kubernetes is one of the most popular container orchestration frameworks. In the Flexera survey, 73% of those surveyed said they either use Kubernetes already or plan to use it in the future. Containers make it easier for organizations to move workloads from one service to another. And since most organizations are pursuing hybrid or multi-cloud strategies, this benefit makes containers very popular. The Kubernetes website has a long list of training providers, including the Cloud Native Computing Foundation.
4. Network Management
Using a cloud computing service necessarily involves moving a lot of data across networks, which makes network management an important skill for IT professionals involved in cloud computing. According to Foote Partners, network architecture is one of the highest-paying non-certified IT skills, and local area network (LAN) skills were one of the biggest gainers in the most recent pay index. You can access network management training through Cisco, Global Knowledge, and many universities and online providers.
5. Cybersecurity Fundamentals
Cybersecurity is one of the hottest IT skillsets, and it is particularly important in cloud settings. When the InformationWeek survey asked about cloud computing concerns, 73% of respondents cited security, making it the No. 1 vote-getter. Similarly, security was also the top cloud concern in the Flexera survey, with 81% of respondents pointing to it as a challenge. And according to Foote Partners, Certified Cloud Security Professional is tied for fourth among the highest-paying IT certificates. Cybersecurity and cloud security training providers include SANS Institute, (ISC)2, Cloud Security Alliance, and many others.
6. Database Administration
Many of the same skills that are useful in traditional data center environments are also useful in the cloud, and that list includes database administration. Storage is one of the most popular use cases for cloud computing, for both traditional relational databases and data lakes based on NoSQL technology. SQL and Hadoop are among the most useful skills in this area. Many colleges and universities offer courses in database administration, and you can also find training through Oracle, Pluralsight, Datacamp, and others.
7. Machine Learning
Enterprises are relying on advanced analytics to help them remain competitive in the challenging economy brought on by the pandemic, and machine learning is an integral part of those efforts. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are among the most popular use cases for cloud computing, and they are also among the most valuable skills within enterprise IT. The Foote Partners report noted that the SAS Certified Data Scientist Using SAS 9 certification, which requires knowledge of machine learning, has increased in value 35% over the past year. And machine learning in general is tied for fifth place on the list of highest-paying non-certified IT skills. Machine learning training providers include Coursera, Google, Harvard, and many others.
8. Platform-Specific Tools and Services
Organizations are also looking for cloud experts who have experience with the particular cloud platforms that they use. All the major public cloud providers — Amazon, Microsoft Azure, and Google — have skills listed as gainers or highest paying on the Foote Partners index. And all also offer courses and/or certifications related to specific services. In some cases, the certifications have various levels you can earn depending on your level of knowledge and years of experience. You can also find training through a variety of third-party providers. If you know that you will be supporting a specific service, it will likely be well worth your while to take a course related to that technology.
9. Analytics
As mentioned previously, analytics are critical for today’s data-driven enterprises. For IT, that not only means supporting the cloud-based analytics applications accessed by their business units but also running analytics on their own operations to find out how they can become more efficient and effective. Analytics is particularly important for monitoring and optimizing cloud spending, which was the second most common cloud concern in both the InformationWeek and the Flexera surveys. General analytics training is available through MIT, Wharton, CXL, and many others. If you use a specific application for analyzing your IT operations data, you may also be able to find specialized training for that application from your vendor.
10. Communication
Employers routinely say that soft skills are among the most important for their technical workers. And with so much work happening remotely now, communication is more important than ever. Not being physically located in the same place can make it more challenging to keep a team up to date on important issues and working together toward the same goals. IT teams need to take the initiative to discuss important matters with their colleagues, and they need to be able to speak and write clearly. Many community colleges offer communication classes, as do four-year colleges and university. You can also find courses at edX, Udemy, Coursera, and other online training providers.
Collected at: https://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/10-top-skills-for-cloud-computing?slide=1