From a mere futuristic expansion strategy to the reality of doing business, the world of cloud computing has surely taken a 360-degree since the pandemic. COVID19 pandemic, lockdown, business breakdown, scattered workforce and revenue loss compelled enterprises to adopt cloud and now, there is no turning back.

Why Cloud?

Is it possible to practice a traditional setup going forward? While the answer to this question remains a point of discussion for decision-makers, enterprises have understood the role of the cloud in workforce management and business growth. Cloud is the future.

Cloud offers tremendous benefits including effectiveness, workforce management, flexibility, security, cost reduction, reliability, data privacy and disaster management.

However not every enterprise is equipped to transition and implement cloud technology at an organisation level, especially the bigger business moguls. Before opting cloud, it is essential to analyze organizational resources and team capabilities.

A peek into the cloud computing market

The Cloud industry is thriving and public cloud computing is expected to reach an estimation of USD 482 billion in 2022 globally. This comprises business processes, platforms, infrastructure, software, management, security, and advertising services.

The role of cloud computing service providers

In order to implement cloud technology securely, it is essential to take help from an expert. Cloud service providers not only take care of the end to end process but also reduce overall implementation costs.

With cloud computing service providers businesses only need to invest in operating expenditure (OpEx) rather than capital expenditure (CapEx).

It is the responsibility of cloud technology service providers to understand business cloud needs and provide the best-suited solution along with team training and operational issue management.

This allows companies to avoid larger IT budget increases, faster cloud strategy execution and revenue generation.

With an increase in the cloud infrastructure and technology worldwide, the need for cloud professionals & experts has increased tremendously. Cloud engineers and service providers are needed at each step of cloud tech implementation and maintenance.

In-demand cloud computing skills

Some of the in-demand cloud computing skills in 2021 are:

1. Cloud service platform expertise: an understanding of CSP marketplace, software & tools.
2. Programming languages: knowledge of programming languages, such as Java, JavaScript, Python, SQL, NoSQL & Linux.
3. Application programming interfaces (APIs): knowledge of coding APIs and the links used to integrate workloads into the cloud.
4. Database management: skills that extend beyond traditional database management.
5. Network management: Knowledge networking basics and the ability to integrate cloud services with the underpinned networks.
6. Development and operations (DevOps): Knowledge of harmonising and integrating development and operations activities throughout the entire service lifecycle, including design, the development process and production support.
7. Machine learning and AI: Should gain a firm grasp of the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
8. Cloud security: Knowledge of both the storage and retrieval of data plus firewall.
9. Automation: Well versed in the mechanics of a business’s cloud architecture and components essential for automation
10. Analytics: Expertise in metrics and analytics specific cloud services.

Apart from the above-mentioned skills, the expertise of cloud computing professionals differs for each cloud service model and deployment method. So, it is essential to keep a tap on the emerging cloud market trend and constant upscale.

What are different cloud service models?

There are five types of cloud service models primarily, namely:

1. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
2. Platform as a service (PaaS)
3. Software as a service (SaaS)
4. Mobile “backend” as a service (MBaaS)
5. Serverless computing or Function-as-a-Service (FaaS)

Primarily there are 4 types of cloud computing deployment methods used to implement the above-listed service models, namely:

1. Private Cloud
2. Public Cloud
3. Hybrid Cloud
4. Multi-Cloud

 The accelerating demand for the cloud has also given rise to several next-gen cloud technologies & skills, including:

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
2. Machine Learning
3. Mobile Supercomputing
4. Internet of Things
5. Big Data

However, while the world is getting a digital transformation, what enterprises are looking for the most is the humane touch at every digital touchpoint. The result is an increase in demand for talents who are committed, not just talented. Apart from skill expertise, businesses today need cloud computing professionals who can go the extra mile to take the lead, provide custom solutions, maintain human touch and increase reliability. After all, we are trying to be digitally savvy, not robots.

Future of Cloud computing is Bright

Although cloud computing is at a very early stage of adoption, its future looks shiny. Today, the cloud has become an essential workforce and business requirement forcing companies towards quicker implementation.

With more businesses taking the cloud route, the usage and demand of cloud computing technologies, professionals and service providers are surely going to increase.

Cloud is the latest trend and it is here to stay.