Written by Sam Bowman

Cloud computing and technology are rapidly becoming the norm for business. The problem is that there is a serious skills gap between corporate IT personnel and cloud computing experts. Some might even say this gap is becoming a crisis. 

The need for seasoned, versatile professionals is gaining momentum while IT managers lack the training and motivation to expand their skill sets. The pool of available skilled cloud technology experts is very shallow, and this situation doesn’t look like it will resolve any time soon. 

Although most companies are aware of the skills gap and the highly competitive marketplace, they don’t know what to do about it. Many believe that this problem has held them back and made them less competitive.

How Cloud Computing Is Affecting Organizations

Cloud computing is becoming the cornerstone of most businesses infrastructure. For starters, it’s how they store and collect all the big data that is used for making production decisions and driving marketing initiatives. Sophisticated hardware and software that use cloud solutions requires constant monitoring and maintenance. 

Artificial intelligence is playing a significant role in many types of companies in all areas of operations, management, and administration. Another way cloud computing is infiltrating big business is through the use of remote workforces. Cloud solutions allow employees from all over the world to seamlessly connect, share files, and work as though they were in the same location. 

Since this technology is doing so much of the heavy lifting, most companies cannot afford for the watchdog positions to be vacant. According to IDC’s Worldwide CIO Agenda 2019 Predictions, more than 30 percent of those critical overwatch positions will remain unfilled by 2022.

Cloud Computing Experts Can Afford to be Choosy

With IoT, cloud computing, and AI at the forefront of business innovations, to be competitive, you have to be on board. Therefore you need skilled technicians who understand the intricacies of how the software and hardware works. If something breaks, you need a troubleshooter to fix it fast. 

Highly sought-after skills like network programming, networking virtualization, and storage virtualization require very specialized knowledge that typical IT managers struggle with. Those individuals who have expanded their knowledge base to include these technologies will find themselves very marketable and sought after. They can afford to be choosy when selecting a company to put down roots and grow with.  

Because the pool of available cloud computing experts is so small, candidates may be shopping around and have more than one job offer on the table. You will need to provide something competitive to win them over.

How to Attract Skilled Cloud Professionals or Hire From Within

If you plan on bringing your current IT staff up to level with resources and education, incentivize the option of job transitioning and higher education. Make the package more attractive by offering a better salary once they are thoroughly trained and creating specialized positions with new titles or other benefits like telecommuting or remote work. 

Before placing that ad to fill your open cloud positions, consider what you can offer them. Millennials are highly focused on company culture and modern approaches to business practices and management hierarchy. 

To be competitive, you have to offer more than just an excellent salary and benefits. Dig deep and think outside of the box. Consider consulting with a hiring firm to get inside of the minds of potential candidates to know exactly what is important to them and what will attract top staff members to your open cloud positions.

Supporting Higher Education as Part of the Employment Package

Transitioning to a whole new way of networking and storing data in the cloud means turning long-held ideas on their head. Bridging the skills gap may be difficult for some IT staff members, but if they want to remain competitive and grow with your company, higher education is the solution. 

Instead of hiring from outside, take the talent you already have and provide them with the training, skill enhancement, and resources they need to evolve as the technology does. Where we are now is not where we will be in a couple of years. Everything is constantly evolving. Instead of competing with other companies for the best in the business, create your own experts from within. 

According to Grantham University, computer-related and technology jobs are expected to grow 12 percent by 2024. We are already well on our way to making that prediction a fact. Update your hiring policy to include a requirement for continuing education to “future-proof” your company. The technology staff will learn about and become skilled at today will be gone tomorrow. The best and most viable solution is to use your existing staff or hire new employees with the intent of training them to be experts as quickly as possible.   The bottom line? Companies that don’t start thinking about how to solve the skills cloud gap now will be left behind in the not-so-distant future.

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About the Author

Sam Bowman is freelance writer and techie who enjoys getting to utilize the internet for community without actually having to leave his house. In his spare time he likes running, reading, and combining the two in a run to his local bookstore.

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